Bayonetta 2 – The Series of Smash Bros.

Bayonetta had almost immediately become a modern cult-classic. As Platinum moved forward with their partnership at Sega, they knew the world hadn’t seen the last of Bayonetta. Something clicked with the world, and studio, that this was going to be the game they made their flagship IP. Platinum pitched Bayonetta 2 to many potential investors. Eventually, they went to their last resort. Unaware that they would answer the call to action, Platinum pitched Bayonetta 2 to Nintendo. In a shock to everyone, Nintendo agreed to fund Bayonetta 2 and take a major stake in the Bayonetta IP. It’s about time I find out what Nintendo themselves saw in this underdog title.

After an intense battle leaves Jeanne dead, Bayonetta must travel through the true Gates of Hell to retrieve her soul before it’s devoured. Along the way, Bayonetta will run into Loki, a foul-mouthed teen with an obsession with getting to the sacred mountain Fimbulventr, and the two ally themselves. For unknown reasons, the two will encounter a masked Lumen Sage that has been chasing Loki around. The duo will receive help from many familiar faces on their journey, but can they solve Loki’s past and save Jeanne in time?

Bayonetta 2 tells its story in an extremely contrived manner. There are too many riddles and symbolism that muddies up the meaning of every scene. I wanted to write this review without giving any spoilers, but I honestly can’t understand the story well enough to follow it. It tries to tie itself too close to the original, but opens up and retcons so many details that it just felt annoying. I had just played the original for the first time. I couldn’t imagine trying to follow this after the years between the two.

Bayonetta is just as active and fluid as ever. I don’t know how to describe it, but every action flows just a bit better here than it did in the original. Bayonetta 2 has a much more cinematic feel overall. Fights are bigger and more explosive, and cutscenes can begin at any moment. Bayonetta now has access to the “Umbran Climax” technique. When activated, her strength and speed are increased and she can use weapons almost instantly. There’s a lot of improvement to torture and climax attacks. They both require a lot less button mashing and give you a much greater window. It’s a much-appreciated change. Unfortunately, late-game bosses still feel extremely spongey and bloated.

Bayonetta 2 chooses what it wants to rollover from the first game onto Bayonetta’s moveset. When you begin, you have a very small special move pool. You still have your hundreds of combos, but you can’t heel slide or reflect enemy attacks. I find it more annoying in this game than in the original. Because Bayonetta can now transform into her beast within or dodge in mid-air from the start. You still have to buy everything else back from Rodin. Bayonetta 2 incorporates amiibo support. With a little specialized message depending on the series the amiibo is from, you’ll get a randomized set of items and halos to sell or spend. You can scan up to 32 amiibo in a day. It completely breaks the shop system. I purchased every one of the moves from Bayonetta 1 immediately after completing the first chapter. Some may prefer it this way, I know I certainly do.

For exploring in chapters, you can find portals that will take you to Muspelheim. In Muspelheim, you’ll take on a specific challenge for a variety of rewards. You’ll have to do things from killing every enemy in one combo to only attacking in witch-time. I didn’t run into a single challenge that felt… challenging. The rewards didn’t seem too great either. You can earn small upgrades to your health and magic gauge. You can also purchase the same upgrades from Rodin.

Bayonetta 2 is an even shorter game than the original. That being said, the game gives you a lot of bonus content. The campaign is only the beginning of what Bayonetta 2 has to offer, but I imagine it’s the main thing most will be interested in. The game still uses the chapter system from the original. I ended up finding that most segments of chapters lasted a lot longer than they would in the original. Some verses took me ten to twenty minutes to finish.

They say lightning doesn’t strike twice, but Bayonetta 2 strikes every important field. Despite the poor story, the game keeps what worked and remolded what didn’t. Bayonetta 2 is an experience that I’m extremely glad wasn’t left to rot on the Wii U. Unfortunately, the series has always underperformed. I highly recommend anyone interested in the hack-n-slash genre give this one a go. I know I’ll be patiently awaiting the release of Bayonetta 3.

Bayonetta was the final fighter added to Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS. While the decision to include her was made much earlier, she ended up getting a lot of support in the official fighter ballot. She was the #1 most requested character in Europe! I must admit that Ultimate is my first time experiencing her in Smash. I never got the DLC from the last games. I only bought Mewtwo, Cloud, and the Mii costumes.

Bayonetta carries all of her distinctive traits into Smash. The quick combo-heavy playstyle, the ability to get way too much height, and even summoning demons. Bayonetta was the first character of her genre to get represented. I think they’ve done hack-n-slash titles good with her. In Ultimate, it feels that her hits don’t have enough weight. Considering what she used to be, that may be for the best. The axe is inevitably slashed down, I truly hope Bayonetta remains on the roster for the eternity to come. A genuinely incredible character from a series that should’ve been much bigger, this choice really shouldn’t be so controversial.