If a good game has ever been reason enough to buy a console, Bayonetta 2 is that game. It’s now the gold standard I will personally be using to judge all other games. While not perfect by any means, it is the most complete video game I’ve ever played. I’ve never believed a 10/10 game exists, but if any game has ever truly earned such a lofty rating, Bayonetta 2 is that game.
Jeanne’s hair, dropped frames, and the story. I’ve just listed every truly noticeable flaw with Bayonetta 2.I could add some jaggies if we’re really going to nitpick.
My point is that the game’s flaws are insignificant. Jeanne spends most of the game trapped in Inferno, so her terrible hair has very little screen time. Frame drops aren’t terribly obtrusive and only become particularly notable in sections where you have a special guest with you. And then there’s the story…
The story itself is so over the top that it’s almost brilliant. It takes a shovelful of horrible plot devices and strings them together. You could say that developer Platinum went to TV Tropes and used it exclusively to create a story. Some may find it offensively bad, others see it as a spoofing of big action entertainment, but in the end it’s just a thinly veiled excuse to put our heroine into combat situations.
In the realm of stylish character action games, there was a fairly set pecking order: Bayonetta, then everything else. It refined everything people loved about the Devil May Cry series and made it better. The controls were smooth and the implementation of Witch Time was the perfect balancing of risk and reward. The true stroke of genius though, was the inclusion of dodge offset which, once mastered, allows players to continue combos while dodging any incoming attacks. Bayonetta pushed combat to a level never seen before.
With that in mind, going from Bayonetta 2 back to Bayonetta is an eye opening experience. The genre’s crowning achievement feels almost unplayable in comparison. After the sequel, the original title is slow, clunky, and stiff. The new Bayonetta moves almost as if she were directly controlled by the player’s mind, facilitated further by changes were made to the control scheme itself in pursuit of maximum comfort and ease of use.
Bayonetta 2 also adds by subtraction. Environmental attacks, such as hurling cars, are no longer a thing. Finicky platforming around stage or battlefield hazards has been nixed. Instant death QTEs have been done away with as well. There’s also a bit less of the mini-games. They’re present, but they don’t break up the combat as much as before.
After stripping the game down to focus more on its main strength, every conceivable combat mechanic that remained was polished to a mirror sheen. Everything feels faster in Bayonetta 2, especially movement thanks to Panther Within being available from the start, a most welcome change. Combos flow together more naturally and aren’t as rigid in their execution. Dodging is more fluid, while visual and audio cues have been greatly improved upon to compensate for the busier encounters. Magic has been given more uses with the Umbran Climax feature, adding a lot more depth overall. Use Torture Attacks to deal heavy damage to a single opponent and find health or weapons, or trigger Umbran Climax with its wide sweeping attacks that stagger, which is perfect for crowds.
Boss battles in Bayonetta 2 are also a cut above. Without the terrible instant death QTEs, fighting bosses are far more enjoyable, while still maintaining that excitement and flair one would expect from Bayonetta. For example, the rival battles start at “Jeanne 3” levels of intensity and don’t let up. The running, or more accurately falling/flying, battles keep the climactic action running until the end. The final boss though, subverts expectations. It sacrifices the scale of the Jubileus battle from the original for the better feel of a rival battle. It was a sacrifice worth making because as grand as the Jubileus battle was, it was equally as frustrating. Not as many people want to revisit it as the Jeanne fights.
Finally, there are the little touches and additions that make Bayonetta 2 go the extra mile. While cutscene QTEs have been removed, there’s a hidden feature where cutscenes and resulting battles change depending on if you tapped the dodge button at specific times. There’s also Nintendo based costumes, and holy crap are those costumes awesome. Not only do they look cool, but they can alter cutscenes and game play. These changes range from functional, such as parrying attacks with the Hylian Shield, to cosmetic. The Samus costume’s visor can be raised and lowered at any time.
Bayonetta 2 has received critical acclaim, but the sad fact is, it’s not going to be the greatest selling game. It sucks, but it’s the truth.
This is a dark period for the video game industry. AAA titles rule the market as budgets bloat the size of development teams increase. The pressure to produce successful franchise that see annual releases (such as Call of Duty or Assassin’s Creed) is very real. Sequels/remakes continue to be the norm rather than an exception. There appears to be a bigger emphasis on marketing than ensuring the product speaks for itself. The promises of top-notch resolution and 60 FPS in current-gen titles seem to be turning into “30 FPS is best for business.” It’s hard not to feel like companies are lying about the capabilities of their games to consumers.
Amid all of this garbage in the industry, AAA or otherwise, Bayonetta 2 shines bright as what a game should be. Every possible mechanic has been improved upon. Gameplay is never sacrificed at the alters of resolution or “cinematic experience”. When I turn on my Wii U and boot up Bayonetta 2, I still feel a sense of euphoria. The game is just plain fun on a level I haven’t experienced from a game in a long time.
Maybe certain giant companies should try and put the same level of effort into upgrading their sequels. What good is AAA development budget if all we get is the same game? If there’s a game that exemplifies what should be followed, in terms of how sequels should improve over time, Bayonetta 2 is that game.
