With Bayonetta 3 coming in October, I’ve started going back down memory lane, playing through the first two games in the series. I have always loved this franchise, and I’m very excited for Bayonetta’s third outing, with all its multiversal craziness. Let’s take a peek at Bayonetta 2 and see how it measures up to the first game.

Bayonetta 2 puts you in the role of the titular character, an Umbra Witch who kills angels in order to satisfy the contract she has made with the demons that give her power. In the world of Bayonetta, if a witch does not provide angels as a sacrifice to feed the contract with her demonic partners, then her soul becomes forfeit and is tortured for eternity in the realm of Inferno. This bit of background becomes important in Bayonetta 2, as during a routine summoning, Jeanne’s demon turns on her, attacking her and pulling her into Inferno.

This sets the stage for Bayonetta to go to the mountain of Fimbulventr, where the gates to hell are rumored to reside. The story has influences of Norse Mythology, breaking away in places from some of the Judeo-Christian mythos from the first game. Many elements return, such as Angels, Demonic summons, and characters such as Rodin and Luka. Bayonetta 2 doubles down on the crazy though, as not only are you killing angels, executing combos and torture attacks, but you are now also fighting infernal demons as well.

With this shift comes new abilities and mechanics. The setting immediately puts more emphasis on water, and with that comes underwater combat and even a brand new transformation into a sea serpent. This is unlocked over the course of the story, and while the controls for this transformation are a little wonky, it is mostly because of the camera and adding a new dimension to the movement. Luckily the underwater segments don’t often require the transformation, so it isn’t much of an annoyance.

It should be noted here, that Nintendo’s influence on Bayonetta 2 has had none of the effects people expected. The characters are foul-mouthed, there is suggestive humor, and everything one might expect from a Bayonetta game. With that being said, this game is most certainly NOT for children. It is gory and violent, and there is foul language all throughout it.

All of Bayonetta’s weapons are different on this adventure, though mostly in their design rather than function. The Scarborough Fair guns have been traded in for a set called Love is Blue, while weapons like Shuraba and Kulshedra have been replaced by improved versions. The twin swords called Rakshasa, and the Alruna whips replace the aforementioned weapons and are now equippable in either the hand or feet slots. Fun fact: You can still unlock Shuraba, though telling you how would be a spoiler.

New weapons include Chernobog, a double handed scythe that releases a shotgun blast upon being charged. There is also Kafka, a bow that provides Bayonetta with ranged attacks and damage over time effects, and other new weapons that fit a variety of playstyles. As in the original game, when Bayonetta’s magic meter is full, she can release a torture attack, which does massive damage to enemies.

In the sequel, a new mechanic has been added called “Umbran Climax” which can be triggered when Bayonetta has a full magic meter as an alternative to torture attacks. Some enemies are too large for torture attacks, so the Umbran Climax allows you to constantly turn your attacks into wicked weaves, doing large amounts of damage while your magic meter slowly depletes.

Aside from the new weapons, and combat mechanics, there are a few new tidbits involving the game as a whole. Like in the original game, Bayonetta 2 allows you to pick up enemy weapons and use them against your foes. However, this time this option has its own button, so you no longer have to sacrifice the durability of enemy weapons on smaller enemies if you don’t want to.

Additionally, the Nintendo Switch version of Bayonetta 2 has full amiibo support. Certain amiibo like Princess Peach, Link, Daisy, Samus, or Fox McCloud unlock Nintendo themed costumes, as well as a special Chain Chomp weapon, while the Bayonetta Smash amiibo unlocks other costumes. These costumes can be purchased in game for halos, but the amiibo support allows you to get them for free instead. I’m curious to see how this mechanic is implemented (or not) in Bayonetta 3.

Other amiibo are compatible (you can use up to 32 amiibo per day) and provide bonuses like extra halos and consumables. The cool thing with using amiibo is that each time you use one, you get a bit of flavor text that reflects the amiibo you used. Themed costumes such as Link or Peach will change Halos into rupees or coins respectively and also provide other interesting changes. Other costumes are merely cosmetic, but add a little unique flair to your witchy adventure.

The Nintendo Switch version has also enabled local co-op play for the Tag Climax mode, as opposed to solely online multiplayer. You can still play online of course, but now you can hand a friend a joycon and go to town killing angels.

I was astounded by my first time with Bayonetta 2. I was skeptical as to whether anything could top the feeling of my first experience with Umbran Witches, angels, and Lumen Sages. Bayonetta 2 blew my expectations out of the water and it still feels good to play today. It looks absolutely gorgeous even in 720p, and the atmosphere presented is visually stunning.

In the original, the colors were a little on the muted side in a lot of cases. The city of Vigrid was beautiful but wasn’t all that colorful. This time around every environment is colorful, vibrant, and full of life. Even the realm of Inferno carries the colorful (though foreboding and menacing) aesthetic forward.

I mentioned in the review for the original Bayonetta that it had one of my favorite soundtracks of all time, and truth be known, I was concerned that the soundtrack for the second game wouldn’t hold up to the original. I was pleasantly surprised by the soundtrack, and even though they didn’t use “Fly me to the Moon” again, the music is catchy, beautiful, and supports the stylish gameplay very well.

Platinum Games and Nintendo have improved on something that I could not imagine could be improved. The story ties up a few loose ends from the first game, and the gameplay itself is smooth and easy to understand. They even fixed the problem that I had with the first game, which was unfair damage after cutscenes. My only complaint with Bayonetta 2 on Switch is that there are some cheap difficulty-related problems like an enemy that can instantly kill you. They aren’t plentiful, but beginners may be put off by them.

With Bayonetta 3 coming on October 28th, we won’t have long to wait to see how this series evolves. However, I think Bayonetta 2 still holds up even years later and may be one of the better action games on the Switch. It definitely ranks among some of Platinum Games’ best work and some of the best that came from the Wii U.

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Bayonetta 2

$49.99 USD

9.5

Score

9.5/10

Pros

• Gorgeous Environments
• Fantastic Gameplay
• Story ties up loose ends
• Smooth Controls
• Lots of playstyle options

Cons

• Beginners may be put off by difficulty