Blaster Master Zero 2

For this reason even the main levels of the game, the major planets, tend to be somewhat smaller than the areas in the first game, however they're big enough to make travelling and exploration fulfilling.

They are indeed relevant to the story and I think that makes the game greater.

The combat itself changes dramatically from one perspective to the other, but both are integrated and transitions from one another smoothly.

The difficulty has been raised to the point where it is no longer laughably easy, and the mechanics involved are more thought out than in the original.

Since the original release was a remaster using the developers art style, the sequel looks incredibly similar, but adapted for the added element of space travel.

From my perspective, the chip-tunes music of BM2 makes me think of the SNES era, as the sound effects have greater refinement than the NES allowed for.