You juggle several tools at once in battle, a chainsaw for ammo, a flamethrower for armor, and a grenade launcher for crowd control, treating every demon as a resource you have to manage rather than just a target. Fights take place in large arenas where you are constantly moving between enemies to stay alive. It demands more precise multitasking than most shooters, so it can feel punishing before its systems click into place.
Gameplay video
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Screenshots & review notes
The short version
It asks more of you than the reboot did and some will find that exhausting rather than exhilarating. Still, few shooters this generation demonstrate this much confidence in their own systems.
In the hands
The resource-management loop between chainsaw, flame belch, and grenades turns every fight into a spinning plate act. It's demanding, occasionally punishing, and deeply satisfying once it clicks.
Look and sound
Garishly colorful compared to its predecessor, with a mythology that gets weirdly lore-heavy, but the platforming sections and towering set pieces make Hell feel bigger than ever. It runs surprisingly well portable.
The long haul
Master difficulty runs and the Ancient Gods DLC give completionists plenty to chase. It's a tougher recommendation for casual shooter fans than the 2016 game, but diehards will eat it up.
Frames captured from the gameplay video above; notes are our own take on the game.
What it's like to play
You return as the same nameless demon slayer, now leaping between floating city ruins and hell-infested rooftops with a jetpack dash and a grappling hook built into your arsenal. Controls build directly on the previous game, moving and aiming with the sticks while cycling through guns with the shoulder buttons, but now finishing off enemies with your chainsaw refills ammo and a flamethrower on your armor refills protective plating, so you're constantly juggling three different resources mid-fight. The opening level throws a lot at you at once, teaching double jumps, dashes, and monster weak points within the first half hour.
Each arena asks you to read a room full of different demon types, since certain ones require specific weapons or tactics to bring down efficiently, and the toughest enemies force you to use your entire toolkit rather than one favorite gun. Missions alternate between these combat arenas and short platforming stretches jumping between ledges and swinging on monkey bars, and a full level can take close to an hour. The campaign runs fifteen to twenty hours, longer than its predecessor, and includes side content in the form of optional slayer gates that test your combat skills against especially tough encounters.
On Switch the visuals are noticeably softer and the frame rate lower than on more powerful consoles, which matters more here than in most shooters since the combat demands quick, precise reactions. Some players enjoy the platforming sections that break up the fighting while others find them a tedious detour from what the game does best. If you enjoyed the 2016 reboot and want a tougher, busier version of the same idea, this delivers, though it asks a lot more of you than the first game did.