Tucked into the corner of the 3rd floor next to the Wombat Theater stood a few stands exhibiting the newest title in the Bayonetta series, Bayonetta 2. I really wasn’t the biggest fan of the original due to being uninterested in the combat and never really knowing what was going on, but I did appreciate how much it reveled in how absolutely insane it was. If nothing else, the original Bayonetta was certainly creative.
I took hold of the Wii U Gamepad and decided to try one of the three options available to me, the tutorial level. After a brief loading screen, I got to take control of the Umbra witch herself as she rode on the back of a fighter jet fighting angels as they spawned in. Yup, the Bayonetta series is just as crazy as its ever been.
The only way they’d let me take pictures. Look at that sexy gaming face!
The Ol’ Salem Smackdown
Yup, the Bayonetta series is just as crazy as its ever been.
It’s on the back of the jet that I finally get try the combat. You can create combos using punch and kick combinations and fire your heel pistols by holding down the kick button. There’s also a dodge ability that, if timed correctly, allows you to enter Witch Time and get a few extra hits in. For anyone who’s played the original Bayonetta, this combat system should feel very familiar.
The big change is that you can now use some of your magic gauge to enter an “Umbran Climax” state. It functions a lot like the Rage of the Gods ability in God of War, giving Bayonetta a power boost for a limited time. I’m sure the Umbran Climax will be a key ability during the harder sections of the full game, but during my playthrough it didn’t really change the dynamics of the battle that much.
The demo continued with all the style and flair I’ve come to expect from a Platinum Games title. I went from the back of a fighter jet to fighting a mini-boss while riding a train to fighting the real boss as he scaled a skyscraper King Kong style. The game really looks great on the Wii U and the aesthetics are as bright and flashy as ever, especially during the grandiose boss battle sequences. It’s so nice to see such a diverse color palette used in a property based around witches and the occult. It’s really Bayonetta‘s trademark in a game industry that seem dead set on creating the blandest aesthetics it can get away with.
When All Is Said And Done….
In the end though, Bayonetta 2 plays exactly the same as its predecessor, for better or worse. If you’re a fan of the first game or really anything by Platinum Games, you’ll probably like Bayonetta 2. You can pick it up (along with the packed-in copy of the original Bayonetta) when it launches for the Wii U on October 24th.
