"Squid Game" The second season arrived with huge expectations, but not all viewers are happy with the latest chapter of the Netflix global phenomenon.

While the show continues to deliver intense stakes and harrowing moral dilemmas, some fans have expressed disappointment, claiming the show has "lost its edge".

Like its predecessor, “The Squid Game” Season 2 features a diverse cast of financially desperate players, with some abandoning their morals in pursuit of victory, while others cling to their humanity despite the brutal stakes.

The second season of South Korean dystopian drama "The Squid Game" has already proven successful for creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, receiving early critical acclaim and securing a 2025 Golden Globe nomination for best drama series even before its release. The new season quickly shot to number one on Netflix and currently holds an impressive 85% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

However, some American viewers think otherwise.

Collider gave a brutally honest review, which read: “You can see the plot twists coming a mile away even when a new game is introduced — and if you don't, the show will flash it in your face to make sure you're ready for the coming twist. It often feels like the show is afraid that its audience might not understand what's going on, so everything has to be scripted.”

They added: "By the time the season comes to an end, it feels like a lot of time has been wasted on repetition."

The Guardian said: "He's struggling to find his purpose... What a shame it's taking so long to get there."

Social media users also expressed their disappointment after watching the second season.

"Season 2 just finished. THAT SHIT CRIED HARD," wrote one viewer on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “All the elements from the first season are GONE... no emotion, no substance and all the games had no excitement or stake in them #SquidGame2.”

“SquidGame2 is as amazing as it's ever been EVEN IF the low key is so messy and all over the place,” said another.

"I didn't wait 2 years for this," wrote a third.

Building on the record-breaking success of the first season, hailed as Netflix's "biggest series ever," Lee Jung-jae shared his gratitude for the overwhelming fan support and enthusiasm surrounding him release of season 2 of “The Squid Game”.

"I want to say that I know a lot of fans are rooting for us," he said People Magazine. “They love us, and what really makes me feel special about 'Squid Game' is that now I don't just have Korean fans, I've been noticed and loved by people all over the world. So I really like that.”

In June 2022, Netflix officially renewed “Squid Game” for a second season and later confirmed plans for a third, cementing the series as one of the platform's flagship franchises.

“I thought to myself: am I really going to be able to pull this off? Am I going to be able to create or write something that surpasses the first season?” he said IndieWire of writing the second season. "But when I started writing, and when I got into the story of Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) returning to the games with his motives, it actually went a lot better than I thought."

"Along the way, I think that feeling of burden or pressure actually turned into a source of joy, and gradually I gained confidence that we were creating something that fans of the first season would not be disappointed with," added Hwang. “Having said that, it was obviously no easy feat. However, I think with that confidence I could have gone into it with a better approach.”

"Squid Game" Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.