Bayonetta 2 shocked the fans when Platinum Games announced it would be a Wii U exclusive. Certainly it was an odd pairing considering Nintendo‘s family friendly image and Bayonetta‘s lascivious nature, but it may prove to be a good move on Nintendo‘s behalf. The Umbran Witch‘s Nintendo debut is set to hit the U.S. on October 24, and was recently the subject of the latest Nintendo Direct, which was devoted exclusively to it. Without further ado, lets dive in and see what’s exciting about Bayonetta 2.
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5. The genre is currently nonexistent this gen
Bayonetta 2 is going to be the first true Character Action Game to come out this generation. The genre is one of the newer and smaller ones, having been created with Devil May Cry on the PS2. In fact, the genre was created by the man behind the Bayonetta series, Hideki Kamiya.
Many people aren’t even sure what this genre is, so let me try to explain. A Character Action Game is an evolution of the 3D Hack n’ Slash and Brawler genres that eschews functional attack spamming in order to focus on stylish combos. The entire purpose of the genre is to use all of the tools at your disposal to dispatch enemies in a manner that makes you appear as cool as possible. If you’re confused as to whether a game is a Character Action Game, ask yourself these three questions: Is it in third person? Does it have lots of flashy, if impractical, combos? Does it rank you based on style points? If you answered yes to all three of those questions, you definitely have a Character Action Game on your hands.
4. Bayonetta 2 is different from every other game on the market
Yes, Bayonetta was designed to appeal to a lot of fetishes. Bondage, leather, glasses, high heels, etc., and now short hair as well. I don’t see it as a good or bad thing personally, but if you look beyond the highly sexualized wrapper you’ll see the true character of this game: Bayonetta is a fierce bitch. You may dislike her overt sexual nature, but she’s the definition of power, independence, and confidence.
On top of that, the world and style is all its own. I defy you to find another franchise with the same visual flair as Bayonetta. It goes deeper than just visuals though. Every boss encounter shown so far feels as if it would be the last boss in any other game. Every time you think you’ve reached the climactic moment, the intensity continues to rise. There’s a reason the developers refer to it as “Nonstop Climax Action.”
3. Bayonetta 2 comes with amazing value
Fans originally cried out that the decision to release Bayonetta 2 on the Wii U was stupid because the original wasn’t even playable on a Nintendo console. Well, those same fans, along with everyone else watching, had their mind blown at E3 with the revelation that not only was the original Bayonetta being given a definitive console port, with exclusive Nintendo costumes, but it would be included with the purchase of Bayonetta 2.
2. It has Online Multiplayer
Bayonetta 2 features two player online, competitive co-op. Instead of working together in the story mode, players unlock battlefields where they can gamble Halos, the currency of the game, to increase the difficulty of the encounter. While it’s important to work together in order to clear the battle, both players will be ranked at the end to determine a winner. This should encourage competition through one-upsmanship, leading to the craziest spectacles imaginable. In addition, there will be multiple characters to choose from, with Rodin being the latest announcement.
1. Platinum Games makes platinum games
Platinum Games may not have any blockbuster titles, but they do consistently release games that have amazingly tight controls, staple over the top action, and just good design overall. They’re also capable of doing just about any genre. You really feel like the team does what they love and designs games from the perspective of players. Have you ever been playing a game and thought “it would be really cool if they did this right now” and then it happened? When you take that feeling and go a step further, you have the Platinum Games standard operating procedure.
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Bayonetta 2 is shaping up to be the magnum opus of not just the studio, but the entire genre. It’s original, it’s smooth, it’s seemingly better than the first in all regards, and it appeals to its fans. It doesn’t try to be anything more than it is. There’s no pretentious story that tries to ape a Hollywood movie at the cost of gameplay, no dramatic shift from the game play fans want, and nothing stale about it. I’m excited for a lot of reasons, but they all add up to Bayonetta 2 being a game for people who love games, by people who love games.
