Let's do this.
Bayonetta 2 is a video game for the horrendously underrated Nintendo Wii U home video game console about witches and their quest to capture all the rings from Sonic the Hedgehog and use really cool weapons and techniques and demon summons to crush their angelic and demonic foes in a quest to capture all Pokemon everywhere. Alright, so the rings are simply inspired by Sonic and there are no Pokemon. It's really about the titular (no pun intended) character Bayonetta trying to save the soul of her friend Jeanne (pretty much pronounced "John") who is trapped in Hell Inferno, because Jeanne sacrificed her life to save Bayonetta (whom Jeanne calls "Cereza") from Bayonetta's own demon summon which oddly went out of control. Of course the story spins off from that into a bigger end of the world sort of story we are familiar with and definitely echos back to the first of the series, but that's hardly of concern. The primary concern is the character, style, and gameplay of Bayonetta 2. At least that's all the concern Team Little Angels had, because the story definitely feels like it was developed to the point they could market it as a game and immediately stopped after that. Also both Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 are packaged in the same box at the price of one game. It's great.
The first Bayonetta was somewhat controversial given the overt sexual overtones of the portrayal, dialogue, and pretty much every movement Bayonetta made. The second one makes the first look somewhat conservative. The overtones are sometimes replaced with just outright sexual commentary and the scenes of crotch and butt shots are somewhat a little more obvious. It's not that this is a bad thing for the most part, but sometimes it felt like the game just goes a bit out of its way to remind us Bayonetta leverages her sexuality. Gone are her platinum award "I should've been a pole dancer!" comments (or at least I think so, I haven't been able to WIN a platinum award yet) and in it's place gives us Bayonetta putting squirrels in her cleavage, or Loki commenting about how Luka stares at Bayonetta's tits all day long, or Bayonetta straight up ditching innuendo and blatantly saying, "Though if it's sex we're talking about..." (Summary, not an actual quote). It's odd, because while these things aren't bad they just feel out of place or shoehorned in. I get, accept, and revel in how Bayonetta is meant to be a sexy, flirty vixen who strips down and engages in suggestive combat styles while saying things like, "You want to touch me?" but that's part of her charm. Before in the first game she simply implies it in subtle and smart ways and moves on. The second game sometimes just ditches it in case the viewer didn't get the joke. Like if Stephen Colbert made a joke about why nobody is comfortable with a celebrating Germany then waited a few minutes to say, "You get it? Because the last time the world saw a very celebratory Germany was when it was run by the Nazi regime and they were storming Europe while reveling in their status!" It sort of just ruins the mood a bit. Granted she isn't always mega subtle with her lip-licking, hip-thrusting, ass-shaking dances, but that's all body language and she works best when talking with her body. Granted this is just the second game, so maybe I am thinking her personality is already fairly well established when it might not be. Either way, moving on.
If you can't tell by my last paragraph, let me Bayonetta 2 this for you: The game isn't for children. Kids can play it and have fun and potentially pick up the word "Fuck," but you as a parent might not appreciate the sexual tones, language, and if you're extremely religious you don't want them wondering aloud why angels look like animals and are portrayed as bad guys. Granted if you qualify in the last one, you probably don't want them playing games about witches, dressing up as witches for Halloween, celebrating Halloween, or even reading Harry Potter books because it has witches in it. This game has no reverence for religion at all and uses it as nothing more than a tool to play a game. The angels are of the older design before they were given real human like appearances, they're strict, they follow extremist orders, and really shows the demons are no worse or better, just a different part of the spectrum. Well, when it does tell story at least. If you are a Nintendo owner with children, don't assume you can just plop this down after a game of Mario Kart 8 with your kids, because the transition would be as jarring as smacking a concrete wall with your car at 40 miles per hour.
It's actually sort of weird how this ended up on a console well known for its more family-friendly variety and doubly weird when people try to pitch it to one another, much less to a company fir the first game. Really it's just a weird game in general that I couldn't have imagined was easy to pitch. Could you? Imagine if I went up to you and said, "Hey guy, I have a game proposition for you. It's a game we're calling Bayonetta, and in it you're a witch named Bayonetta who has to go around and kill angels, but the angels are bad guys. But that's not the insane part. The best part is how you're like this really sexy witch who uses hair as her entire costume and has to strip to become more powerful after dancing around like a stripper! You shout sexy things, sway your hips, and when you finish it there's just a big ol' dance celebrating your sexiness!" And at that point you call security because you don't remember Sega relaxing their security to let loons like this in. It probably only really saw the light of day due to Hideki Kamiya of Devil May Cry fame being a writer. Sort of like how if Brian Bendis decided to write a story about how Reed Richards spent the early part of his marriage cheating on Susan and Marvel only said yes because it was Bendis who wrote it. It is a really weird and sometimes uncomfortable game. I played both the first and second one with my girlfriend in the same room this weekend and I will tell you there were a few times we were both uncomfortable and she was most likely questioning why I was playing this in front of her and what I must think about behind closed doors when nobody is watching. She might also think it's better she doesn't know. She might also think this is what I find sexy in a woman, but I hope she doesn't because that would be unfair and Bayonetta would be horrifying in the real world.
But now I'm rambling on too much. Bayonetta is fun. Pure fun. If you like games that are just fun and don't really try to do the whole "We're really the next big thing," and just want to sit back and wail on people by wearing flaming chainsaws on your feet and not being forced to QTE for funerals, this game is for you.
I'll be ditching the Good/Okay/Bad system from here on out because I felt it was a bit too general. The idea was not to give the idea there was real science to how I felt, but it also really didn't satisfy me with how I evaluated things since it implied that things I really enjoyed and things I mostly enjoyed were the same rank when it simply wasn't true. I'll be using your standard numerical system and evaluating it at the end.
Graphics: 9.5
I really want to give this a 10. For some reason I can't bring myself to it. Framerate is 60 fps, environments are beyond gorgeous, detail is tremendous, light, texture, flashy stuff, everything is just top notch. However, when I write "10" I feel like I'm putting it too high. 9.5 will have to do. Maybe because sometimes the camera angles were off and caused clipping with certain punishments. Though that really isn't so much a graphics problem maybe? I dunno.
Sound: 9.5
Voices, attacks, music, all of it great. My only real problems were sometimes the soundtrack drowned out the dialogue or the dialogue drowned out the background noise or the background noise drowned out everything. I tried to adjust all the metrics, but it seems the soundtrack just has a few problems like that. Voices were superb as the always pleasant to listen to Bayonetta purred out her lines and delighted with her witty charm. Rodin gave off the cooler weapon guy with his voice. Enzo was annoying as ever. Loki was something of a let down, and really all the other voices are either grunts or some sort of Latinish language or something. Music was fantastic as the developer did the same thing here as he did in the last game by releasing an official song and having it completely overshadowed by a J-Pop remake of a classic song which in this case was the unbelievably infectious, "Moon River." Unlike "Fly Me To The Moon" before it, "Moon River" isn't in every single scene and really is only up to highlight the more lighthearted and fun parts of the game, like the introduction in the beginning of the game where Bayonetta starts off in a dress, strips, spotlights, hairs up, and kicks ass immediately afterward. Sound effects were very top notch. All weapons sound very different and satisfying. Chainsaws grind, scythes ding, shooty guns go bang bang, the insect bow was fun, all the sounds were great. Like I said, the uneven nature of how the sounds balance was sort of off and the only reason this didn't nail a 10.
Playstyle/Gameplay: 10
Solid 10 here. When I first started there was just this button mashy way I played, but as I developed and learned how to time things better and understood how combos work the game became this unbelievably enjoyable experience where I performed better and overall was just far more satisfying. Once again, nothing is as awesome as seeing a bit scythe slash followed up by a chainsaw laden leg sweep followed by Madama Butterfly's gigantic heel stomping someone.
Variety: 8.5
Character Designs: 10
The variety in this game isn't...well, huge. There are different enemies and they all require different strategies, but when you really get down into the gameplay they're not really all that different. Sure I can't get better than a stone badge for that stupid flying snake boss level, but that's the exception. Most of the time you'll be smacking away at enemies (generally ineffectively until you get your Umbran Climax) and waiting to dodge to engage Witch Time, which helps you fill your meter for Umbran Climax. It basically becomes a game of waiting for visual cues and then unleashing combo hell on people and then repeating. Really the best part is that the enemies all look different, but a good half of them just sort of look the same or ARE the same from previous games. Also the demon army guys look like reskins of the angelic ones. It feels unfair to say the variety isn't that big when it sort of is in some ways, but for the most part you will be wailing on the same enemies in every level after they're introduced. The only real benefit is every level DOES introduce a new type of enemy whom you will fight 25 more times before the level is complete. They do sort of mix the enemies together, but I wish they mixed them up more and integrated a few more enemy types.
Character Designs: 10
Always a strong point for a series that is all about style and flash, Bayonetta 2 does not even come close to disappointing with character designs. I passed this section in Borderlands the Pre-Sequel, so this is new. Bayonetta herself looks fresh and wonderful, filled with personality, and completely realized as change for change sake as it relates to her character. Her short haircut, shoulder bits, bare arms, and flowing hair...cape parts(?) (I'm a comic and game critic, not a fashion critic) are all beautiful and look like a natural evolution to her character that is both distinct and not at all the lesser of her older beehive style. It looks like Bayonetta. Jeanne looks slicker. The angels are beyond well designed as are their demonic counterparts. Rodin and Enzo look the same, but they look good. 10. TEN!!!
Story: 7
I was debating whether this was a 6.5 to 7.5 rating, but I think 7 is really the best for it. Let's face it, the story is only as developed as it needs to be for gameplay to commence. There is effort to tell a story, but it feels lost in most of the levels (aside from the War level). There is a kid who has a mysterious amnesia and destiny who is being conspired against by authority forces he doesn't understand who sends angels to stop or retrieve him. If this sounds familiar, it's because it is the basic plot of the first Bayonetta. The only real difference is Bayonetta is just not the focus of that plot, and has her own subplot which is tossed aside after it has been achieved around the second half of the game and then Bayonetta goes to complete the first plot who has a bad guy which more or less is recycling the entire end goal of the first game in how he wants the Eyes of the World to elevate himself to God status and remake the universe in his image. The only difference is instead of integrating Bayonetta into a statue, the enemy just wants the power for himself. There's also this underlying story with the Masked Lumen which is obvious and unsatisfying. The only reason this isn't lower is because of how interesting Bayonetta's world is. You definitely WANT to know more about it. How do demon pacts work? Why are demons rebelling? Is it because of this god guy? How does he influence it? Why don't we get more about Inferno and all of its awesome design? More Rosa please? There's enough there you want to know more but the game doesn't necessarily pay off.
Stability: 10
Aside from a graphical clipping and one failed start of a level, the game works flawlessly. The clipping is probably a necessary evil due to the camera angle, and I think with the failed start the level had a timer and since I skipped the cinematic it was just following script. This game very much felt like a finished product as an old school game was. Something you open and worked perfectly. Face glitches, balancing, all of that stuff didn't exist like problems do with some more modern releases which are racing out the door. The game is just very polished and works flawlessly. No lagging, no sagging, no graphical snagging. Just pure gameplay and perfect rendering.
Replay Value: 9
This one is truly the most variable because Bayonetta's reasoning for replays is very dependent on what you're replaying for. If it's just to smash more angels it has an okay replay value, though Tag Climax will be more your thing. Really the replays will be mostly for those trying to improve their trophy values, collect rings for costumes and weapons, and those who want more challenge who also want to unlock certain weapons and costumes. It has tremendous replay value in that regard because you can easily fight differently with different weapons and configurations and accessories, which turns each fight into something brand new in regards to how you actually combo and punish things. If you're only interested in hammering through to say you've completed the game, then your replay value will be 0.
Total Score:
9.2
Final Thoughts: GET THE GAME
The total for me is a 9.2, and what really hurt it was the story. Honestly this game is an essential for fun. Even with the story shortfall and the variety "shortfall" the game was beyond fun and some of the most fun I've had video game wise all year. Maybe even the past two years. If you are one of the people who can get past their pride and own a Wii U, you owe it to yourself to own this game. It's worth the full price tag, and is ten dollars cheaper on the virtual store as opposed to the physical copy. It comes with the first game which automatically unlocks the Nintendo costumes which are beyond fun (having Madama Butterfly's fists and feet replaced with Bowser's is endless fun), as well as the sounds that go along with it (coin and rupee sounds) is just a blast. The game is pure fun. GO BUY IT NOW. If you don't own a Wii U, I'm sorry. Out of the three "current gen" consoles, I honestly would say it's currently the best of them.
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| Let's dance, boys! |
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