Bayonetta, the insane, leggy witch with more attitude than a high school full of sassy teens, is back. With more sass. More insanity. And more leg (probably). The first game (reviewed here) was a cornucopia of bullets and blood, and this time, Bayonetta 2 promises more of the same, just with …well…more. I grab my guns and go to hell to bring you this review.
Let me get one thing clear from the start: I’m not going to address any of the sexuality issues with the game. It’s been covered by better analysts, and with far more depth, than I ever could, and I’d not even give the issue the justice it deserves. So this is going to be a straight up review of the game itself. It’s not an easy thing, since the entirety of Bayonetta’s existence depends on the sexual issues. My only nod to this issue is that Bayonetta’s sexuality empowers her in ways that other overly-sexualized female characters can only hope to achieve. And it’s WELL camp without being fruity. And that’s all I’m saying.
Bayonetta 2 takes off roughly where the first game left us (well, give or take a few), and the opening sequence introduces you to the events of the first game, and then goes into a lengthy cut scene that involves shopping. From there, things go directly southwards, and Jeanne—a friend of Bayonetta’s—gets dragged to hell. There are few other beings able to take a merry jaunt into hell to save a friend, even if they wanted to. Naturally, Bayonetta is more than up to the task, so off she flounces.
What is just about immediately evident from when you play the game is that it’s improved in just about every single way possible without detracting from what made the first game great. The controls are identical but improved, and she even has some of the abilities that were unlocked in the first game. This is always a brilliant thing—I hate having to re-unlock powers and abilities from a prior game. What’s NOT immediately evident—and won’t be until some way through the game—is that the game still falls down in the same places that it did in the first game. However, there are no NEW awful bits, so overall I think that’s an improvement.
If you didn’t play the first game (and didn’t bother reading the first review, shame on you!), then let me summarize: Bayonetta is an action platform fighting game. The main protagonist, Bayonetta, is an Umbran Witch, a member of a lost order who, along with the Lumen Sages, keep the balance of good and evil in the world. The game emphasises spectacular action over precise mechanics, and you’re just as likely to win the game by button mashing than by precise combos; combos, however, will net you more points and more coins (well, halos, which are used as currency).
Where the game fails the most is in really only in two places: story, and touch control. The story makes even less sense than the first game does, so I’m afraid you’re fairly on your own there, mate. You can try to cobble what sense of it that you can, but I’m afraid I’m not equal to the task. In terms of the touch screen, it’s a great way for new players to come to grips with the game, but it’s far, far less than ideal for controlling Bayonetta, and you’re better off using the buttons anyhow. Since you can use the Wii Pro Controller, rather stick with that if you have one.
Graphically, the game is simply beautiful. Not Skyrim beautiful to be sure, but still enchanting in its own way. It’s colourful, vibrant, and each environment is different enough from the others that you have a fairly good idea of where you are based just on how the game looks at any point. The combat looks almost identical to the first game, so the differences are fairly subtle. Bayonetta herself is more responsive than before, and the combos are wilder, summoning the demons in her hair with far more ease. That being said, there’s no evolution of the combat mechanic, and folks hoping for something closer to Batman’s Freeflow system will be disappointed. But then again, technicality is not what the game’s about. It’s about FLAIR and STYLE and being as SPECTACULAR as you can possibly be. And the game rewards that sort of play style.
One of the best new things about the game is the new multiplayer Tag Climax mode. This mode, which is online only, sees you choosing a series of short battles to fight. Although Tag Climax is online only, the option exists to play against a CPU opponent instead of hunting for one on the web. While you have to cooperate to defeat foes, you are competing for points, so it’s a very strange mix of co-op and versus. And it actually works so much that I guarantee you that long after you’ve finished the main story, you’ll still be playing Tag Climax. And of course, the more you play and unlock weapons and gear, the better Tag Climax becomes, because those items become usable in the battles.
Bayonetta 2 is a more than worthy follow up to the first game, and fans of the game will absolutely not be disappointed. It’s ballsy, funny, camp, exciting, and funny, and that’s even before you get into Tag Climax (and other modes that unlock after you finish the story mode). At its worst, it’s more of the first game, just tighter, prettier, and more over-the-top. And if that’s a bad thing, then there’s something wrong with your universe. I guess what I’m saying is that Bayonetta 2 is just one more amazing reason to own a Wii U. Sorry, other console owners: you’re missing out big time.
Final Score: 9.5 Witchy Prawns out of 10
Detailed Information:
Developer: Platinum Games
Publisher: Nintendo
Distributor: Nintendo South Africa
Platform: Wii U
Genre: Action Platformer
Age Rating: 16
Release Date: 24 October 2014
Website: http://www.nintendo.co.za/Games/Wii-U/Bayonetta-2-765382.html