Bayonetta 2 - Wii U/Nintendo Switch - 2014/2018

Bayonetta is back and better than ever! I probably have the most nostalgia for this game out of the three (even though I got Bayonetta 1 & 2 at the same time and actually played the original first). I remember seeing Bayonetta for the first time during Nintendo’s E3 2014 presentation, and and asking myself, “who is this bad-ass woman, and why did I not know about her until now?” Luckily, I was one of the poor saps who happened to own a Wii U, so I was lucky enough to experience her debut with her new home company that Fall. The day that Amazon package came with the Bayonetta 2 + Bayonetta disc combo was the day that my life was changed forever. The synapses of my squishy, 14-year-old brain would be eternally altered after experiencing the magnificence that is, Bayonetta.



"No one said you could touch..."

This time around, we begin by seeing Cereza (and Enzo) doing a little last-minute Christmas shopping in the city. She then runs into her gal-pal, Jeanne, who asks a strangely foreboding question, indicating the imminent chaos that is headed their way. We learn from a news broadcast that the city is planning to celebrate the holidays by hosting an airshow by the Platinum Stars (great developer reference, btw). Soon after that, the airshow begins, though the planes perform a stunt that seems to dip quite close to the ground. Nothing to worry about though, right?



Enzo is off in a local toy store “haggling” with the owner for a toy jet for “those cute, little fuckers” known as Ed and Edna, his son and daughter. However he is quickly interrupted by a renegade fighter plane, overtaken by those pesky angels. Luckily, Bayonetta is quick to jump into action, regrettably in her Sunday best. After some cheeky taunting, we get the all-too-sensual outfit reveal. Once we toy with a few angels, Santa Rodin brings us our Christmas present a little early, Love is Blue, Bayonetta’s fresh new set of guns.



Once Bayonetta is through beating the angel fodder in style, we encounter our first boss-level angel, with Jeanne stepping in to help bring the pain. One casual conversation during a slo-mo sequence later, Jeanne and Bayo finish the angel off with a skillfully summoned Gomorrah. But, surprise! The action doesn't end there. Gomorrah suddenly breaks free of its follicular bondage and attacks a currently vulnerable Bayonetta. Jeanne, being the absolute queen that she is, shoves Bayo out of the way, albeit at the cost of her own life. Distraught at the sight of losing her best friend, Bayonetta quickly puts Gomorrah back in its place (which also introduces a new style of battle: aerial combat, although it is more of a nuisance than anything truly interesting).



Using her new demon, Labolas, to bring the pain, Bayonetta recovers Jeanne’s corpse, bringing it to the Gates of Hell where Rodin keeps her on ice. He gives Bayonetta some quick exposition, and a rough estimate of 24 hours to recover Jeanne’s lost soul before it’s “game over.” Setting her destination for the depths of Inferno (aka Hell), Bayonetts sets off for Noatun, where the real Gates of Hell are said to exist. You end up meeting some people along the way, both new and familiar, and overall, the story develops nicely, ending off on a satisfying note, all while not taking itself too seriously. After all, it is an action game first and foremost.



I really like the original Bayonetta, but I think Bayonetta 2 is what really made me fall in love with the series. Building upon her already iconic personality and reacquainted with her memories and her newfound sense of self, Bayonetta becomes even more confident and likable as a character. She is back, along with a new, distinct style that really speaks to me. The OG style is already great, and I think that this style gives her an added breath of sophistication. It’s “mature, yet intimidating; luxurious, but also a bit fierce.” No matter which style you prefer, many of her original costumes are present in this game (Super Mirror), in addition to plenty of new outfits with her shorter hair (Super Mirror 2). We also get some Nintendo-specific costumes with both her beehive (Super Mirror 64) and her pixie-cut (Super Mirror 64-2). The Nintendo costumes change some cosmetic aspects of the game, increasing the customizability and replayability of the game. The Sarasaland Princess costume is my favorite one because it allows you to summon Bowser’s limbs instead of Madama Butterfly’s. Plus, halos become coins, and Daisy is best princess.



I have noticed some division between fans of the Bayonetta games, with many people often preferring the original Bayonetta game because of its “superior” combat. I do agree with the idea that the original Bayo has a much higher skill ceiling (and subsequently higher skill floor) that allows for some pretty wicked combos. However, to say that the combat of Bayonetta 2 suffers in comparison to that, I think gives too little credit to the sequel. I believe that the combat is much more fluid, with moves flowing into each other quite nicely. This also lends itself to being more novice-friendly, which I think is what most veteran fans end up viewing as “inferior.” Also, I seem to prefer the weapons of Bayonetta 2 to the original game (specifically the Rakshasa and Alruna combo), but the most interesting thing added to the game is the new Umbran Climax. It’s a variation of the “Serious Mode” from the previous game, but now you can activate the state at any point, powering your normal moves up into Wicked Weaves, and turning combo finishers from Wicked Weaves to Infernal Weaves, at the cost of some magic stock. People say that this completely overshadows the Torture Attacks from the first game (which has some merit), but there were some issues with that system as well. Umbran Climax serves as a useful tool to handle some of the much larger enemies in the game (something the original did not provide), and if used intentionally, and even in tandem with Torture Attacks, it can make quick and efficient work of even the most irritating of enemies.



The new demons in the game are some of my favorites. As I mentioned before, Labolas (the goodest boi) replaces Gomorrah as Bayonetta’s default summon, though Gomorrah still makes some appearances near the end of the game. Diomedes is another new demon, resembling a horse (and we even have a chance to ride him throughout Inferno in Chapter 12). Some of the other notable summons are Baal, who has some really dandy tongue work, as well as Hydra, with its screech that breaks the sound barrier. The developers did a really great job designing the angels and the demons; the art direction overall really only took a turn for the better; it basically takes the original’s creative and unique designs and expands on those. Plus, they ditched the late-2000s trend of sepia-drenched tones, which I think was a change for the better (though it does have its merits).



But probably the most exciting demon we finally get to see, serving Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, AND Talent; the one, the only… Madama Butterfly! We finally get to see her in all of her terrifying and intoxicating glory. I really like how the developers decided to give her her own personality, with her own implied thoughts, feelings, and even explicit beefs (with the demon Alraune). Madama Butterfly gives such “Big Boss” energy; pummeling angels, demons, and even headbutting a meteor! Her and Bayonetta make such a cool and powerful duo. It really made me happy to see them, two queens, maximizing their joint slay.



Your rival this time is the Masked Lumen. We fight him a few times throughout the game, and we learn a little more about his identity with each encounter. If you’ve played the first game, you probably have a good idea of who he ends up being, but if you start with Bayonetta 2, his story arc will make a little more sense when you go back to the original, which is one reason why I liked the Bayonetta series as a duology; both stories tied into each other, creating a nice, neat little time loop. But I’ll go ahead and stop myself there regarding that topic. Otherwise, the Lumen Sage is a great rival, gameplay wise; you have essentially equivalent/comparable abilities, so each fight really appears as a true test of skill, and provides some perspective on Umbra/Lumen relations. The fight in Chapter 4 is one of my favorites purely because of the cinematics. Seeing your demons fight familiar angels in the background is a great aesthetic callback to the bosses of the original game, even though it makes focusing on the Sage even more difficult than it already is.



All in all, the Bayonetta series is one of those series that I hold near and dear to my heart. They are probably some of the only games I play on a regular basis (according to my play time records). Bayonetta 2 just took the greatness of the original game, and cranked it up to eleven. This sequel definitely did not disappoint, and even though it is not everyone’s cup of tea, it is definitely my personal favorite. It’s a true masterpiece that certainly deserves more love.



"There's only one way to ring in the new year."

"Let's dance, boys!"