The original is a 2D Metroidvania platform brawler, with a smart visual style, Mexican themes and loads of chickens. It's also rather good, so the sequel ought to be as well.
I loved the first one but I too gave up before the end. Got stuck on a boss like pretty much every fucking game ever. There’s literally never been a good boss in any game ever. They’re all shit and pointless.
Played and finished the first one on Vita but not until last year. Didn't hate it but expected to like it a lot more than I did. Co-op for the sequel is intriguing.
It's still technically a Metroidvania but hardly is at all in practice. There are bits you can't get to at first and will have to return to with the right upgrade, but there's no exploring. Just a linear path where each screen is kind of a puzzle based on platforming or fighting, with occasional optional rooms to get chests.
It's all so tightly designed and keeps layering on ideas thick and fast and constantly developing them. The rules and moves aren't massively different from the first game, but it's having fun playing around with the possibilites they provide.
Edit: the humour is mostly awful, mind, but you can't have everything.
Got to the first optional challenge bit not long ago. Took about 15 minutes to get my head round it and actually get it right. Some genius level bastardry going on here. Celeste has set the bar extremely high for this sort of platforming head-fuckery this year, but this isn't far below.
Spoiler:
The thing here is that you have to stay on the blue background. Find yourself on the lava background and you dead.