The tension does indeed build, and it is tantalizing.
The visuals in this one are truly beautiful. Something about the thin-lined backgrounds gets to me. Some of the perspectives used are a bit weird, but I adore the architecture. The winding staircases, the wide-spread chasms, the NOTHING. It's so simple yet so brilliant. What makes a place spookier than the feeling that something should be there but isn't... or that something is there, but you can't see it? The statues of figures with obscured faces, the halls that serve seemingly no purpose. There is nothing in the castle to suggest it was made for human life. It has the exterior features of a real castle, but it's hollow. It's a subtle way to unnerve you and it works marvelously. The lighting in the helicopter scenes is also gorgeous and very atmospheric. Fewer close-ups this time, which means less wonky eyes, though they are still there.
I felt like Etrius' dialogue was a bit better in this one, or at least the voice acting was. The banter between him, Beecher and Lloyd gives you a decent idea of who they all are without needing to go into detail. It's perfectly serviceable for a series about monsters in castles. It's not really about the characters, but more about the underlying attitude of disillusionment and desperation that underscores their interactions. Dr. Romanov's lines were the weakest and are the reason I'm taking off half a star.
Overall, this one really gets you hyped. It's really good build-up but, despite not having the pay-off in the same movie, it doesn't feel unsatisfying. It's also got that slight bit of character development and introduction.