Bayonetta 1 & 2 Review [WII U]

Post by **Pokemonaces** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 6:03 am

So...I've heard a lot about the first Bayonetta for Xbox 360 and PS3 When they came out. They said that the game was fluid and fun to play. And you know what? I'm inclined to agree to that statement.

Spoiler: show

Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 Both come with it's Physical Disc released version, while the digital version of it can be downloaded individually, but you get a discount on the other Bayonetta game, and it doesn't matter which one you purchase first. All come together be it Physical or Digital at a price of $59.99. And I'd say getting both of these games is not just well worth the money, but also worth playing as this could be one of the best WIIU games to date yet.

Introduction
I'll first talk about Bayonetta. The game's only change into it's transition to WIIU is the updated control system and new costume set ups, other than that, not much has changed from it's 360/PS3 Counterparts. The game has a new control feature which is said to be beginner friendly...but honestly...it's effects are negligible. The newbie friendly controls are a simple streams of tapping and sliding on the game pad's touch screen, allowing an AI driven Bayonetta to attack, but as more enemies crowd around, the camera itself has a difficult time catching up, so more than anything, it makes playing the game harder and more confusing. Story wise, you start out as Bayonetta who awakes with Amnesia, and as she fights and travels, finds out more about her mysterious past. Meeting memorable character like Luka (No not the Luka most of your are thinking of

), Cereza, and a Mysterious Umbran Witch known as Jeanne. The games also has a rating system that has 6 levels that change depending on how well you did from taking little to no damage, or not using items and combo's and the amount of time it took you to beat the chapter. The levels are as followed.

Stone = Worst rating. Not gonna lie, I had this a lot my first, blind run
Bronze = Second worst rating. It basically means you did well enough...
Silver = A below average rating. It means you did below average
Gold = The Average rating. It means you did as expected
Platinum = Above average rating. Meaning you kicked ass
Pure Platinum = Perfect score on everything. Which is near impossible, least for me it is

As for Bayonetta 2, the game's story continuous off with where It left off from the first. Not to spoil, but the story can be confusing at the beginning, but it all pieces together once you beat the game

. Starting from a simple Christmas shopping day into a sequence of Paradiso scum ruining the day. Bayonetta now has a new threat she must deal with, the demons of Inferno. With one of Bayonetta's contracted demon's escaping her wicked hair's grasps, endangering her beast friends life known as Jeanne who's soul had been severed from her physical form and dragged into Inferno. Bayonetta must now find a way to the "Gates of Hell." To rescue her beloved friend. Along the way, she gets dragged in with a mysterious boy (Who apparently has the Millennium puzzle

) Named Loki, a boy much like Bayonetta, knows little about himself in the beginning.

It's rating system is a bit more forgiving in this one, since it only penalizes you for dying. You can use items without the fear of affecting your score.

Gameplay

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For Bayonetta, gameplay is rather hard (Least for me) even in normal difficulty. It's not the type of game that will hold your hand and teach you tutorials step by step. It will simply intruct you on how to do basic actions and one's that are necessary in order to survive the game. The game will enter a battle sequence in each part of the game. In each sequence, you will be judged based on three different categories when you finish the battle.

Time: How fast you finish said battle sequence
Combo: A big one here. Combo's, the amount of combo's you do, and the damage you cause with them are all scored here.
Damage: Rates you based on damage, taking even a tiny bit of damage can hurt your score.

Each category is ranked on medals just like how it ranks you after each chapter is finished. And the final score is based on the combination of these three categories. Do well in all 3, and you get "Pure Platinum." Status.

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This game also has a gimmick in it that's unique to the game, or a mechanic that not many (if not no action game) has mastered. Calling it "Witch Time." If you dodge an attack at the very last possible moment, you are rewarded with a temporary time to attack your enemies since this triggers "Witch Time", which slows down the enemies, allowing you to dish in some serious damage and combos. Of course this strategy is a risk and reward Scenario, but it's easier to pull off than it sounds...at least that's what I thought >_>. There's also the ability to use "Torture Attacks." Which prompts Bayonetta to use Torture weapons from Medieval era's to smite her foes...in a weird...BDSM kinda way. These "Attacks" can yield more rewards than the enemies would normally drop, and significantly damages (if not often kills) the enemy.

Enemies are unforgiving, attacking relentlessly, it can be difficult to time "Witch Time" when multiple enemies are of to lop your head off. There are also cut scene scenarios that you have to play close attention to as action prompts can just suddenly come out of nowhere. If you don't pay attention, you could die. Believe me, this happened to me a lot

.

Now as the picture above show's, since Bayonetta had been ported to the WII U version, the developers were nice enough to give Bayonetta some additional costumes, being Nintendo themed, you can dress up as Peach, Samus, Daisy, and Link. These costumes do change how you play, specially Link's since his costume gives Bayonetta the ability to Parry an opponents attack with her little Hylian Shield, which is an alternative to dodging if you're more used to that style of gameplay.

There are also weapons that Bayonetta can unlock bvy collecting Angelic Hyms, Golden Records of sorts that can be brought to the "Gates of Hell." Which is just a name for a bar store that the famous Weapon smith known as Rodin (Or Rodan as how the characters call him in the game for some reason.) Who help's Bayonetta by providing items for her...in exchange for Halo's. The Hyms given to him will play verses of famous music before going to hell. Coming back, he brings Bayonetta anew weapon to use. Each weapon has their own unique abilities and combos. And since you can mix and match them with your hands and legs, there are lot's of weapon combinations you can choose from to suit your favored gameplay style.

Another thing to note is during some of the game's sequences and cinematics, the frame rate will go down a little bit, enough to be noticeable. But Honestly, the slow down of the frame rate has not reduced the amount of enjoyment I get from the game for one bit.

There are unlockables at the end of the game of course, but for those, you'll have to find those out yourself...(Partly because I'm getting around that part

)

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For Bayonetta 2, gameplay hasn't really changed all that much, with the same 3rd person perspective action with you beating the crap out of angels, but hey, now you can beat the crap out of demons too! Something I noticed is that Bayonetta seems a little easier that the first Bayonetta. For one, in my first gameplay of it on 2nd Climax (Which is normal mode) I never had to use any healing items at all. So either dodging enemies became easier, or the enemies don't attack as ferociously as they did on the first Bayonetta. Regardless, the game is still hard, I could not afford to avert my eyes for even a moment when fighting, as the littlest mistake can cause me my perfect score in that battle sequence. There is also a new mechanic added to the battle called "Umbran Climax."

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"Umbran Climax." Is an ability that can be used once a full set of magic orbs is filled in Bayonetta. Using them, she can cast more powerful attacks by having each summon a demon as if she were using wicked weaves all the time. It is great for clearing out a mob of enemies since it gives her superior reach, and deals more damage to foes, making mob struggles easier. Each end of her combo can result in a final attack known as Infernal Weave, which summons a demon fully to deliver a devastating attack. The demon summoned is dependent on the weapon equipped.

One other thing I noticed is that in Bayonetta 2, cinematic sequences that have button prompts don't show up anymore, so you can enjoy them without having to button mash

Bayonetta 2 also has a new mode known as "Tag Climax"

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"Tag Climax." is a new mode where you can earn more halos doing challenges in Verse Cards that you unlock as you play story mode. These Verse cards drop you in a battle sequence, win them an earn Halos. You can also bet Halos to increase your rewards by up to three levels, but more Halos will mean harder battles, so be careful. This mode is primarily played by having you paired up with someone online. You compete in each sequence to see who kills the most. The one who wins gets bonuses.

There are unlockables at Bayonetta 2 of course, but like I said before, you'll have to find those out for yourself. (As I am doing as well)

Graphics

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Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 in terms of graphics are gorgeous. While there are some (And by some, I mean ones that you have focus on) noticeable textures here and there. But honestly, it's still an HD game, and with it's gorgeous scenery and stable frame rates for the most part. The game is very much pretty to look at. And if there are some that are anal about it...well whatever, no one gives a f**k

Music

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All I got to say about the music is...well...listen to them. While there is not a lot of music in the game, it makes up for quality. With the two musics I have here being my main favorites from the first and second iteration. I could listen to these two for hours on end and never get bored. These get me pumped to slay some Angelic/Demonic Ass, and I intend to do so when I hear these songs

Verdict

For Bayonetta
Gameplay: 10/10
Graphics: 9/10
Music: 8/10
Overall: 8.5/10

Bayonetta is a great game for the WII U, if you're getting Bayonetta 2 on the E Shop, you might as well get the first game too. Because it's one you do not want to miss. That I assure you. It's harder than Bayonetta 2, but playing it first might steel your nerves for the second game.

For Bayonetta 2
Gameplay: 10/10
Graphics: 10/10
Music: 8/10
Overall: 9/10

Bayonetta 2 is a little higher than Bayonetta because it's frame rate almost, never slows down. Gameplay difficulty has been toned down ever so slightly to make it easier to play, but it is far from ruining the game's experience and challenge.

Post by **Feathers** » Fri Dec 26, 2014 3:03 pm

Thanks for the review, I was wondering about this one. Sounds like a good game to add to my Wii U library.

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