Bayonetta Review

[Zera]

Greetings, folks. This is my review of Bayonetta on the Wii U. I bought this game for a number of reasons -

1. I get a whole extra sequel for free! :D
2. Bayonetta is top-tier in Super Smash Bros. 4, so her game must be top-tier as well. Logic!
3. PlatinumGames is known for polished, over-the-top action games. Sounds a lot like Treasure, one of my favorite developers.
4. My game collection is severely lacking in M-rated titles. If I didn't know any better, I'd say I like colorful, fun things more than brown, gritty things.
5. My game collection is also lacking in beat 'em ups, aside from Guacamelee and Muramasa: The Demon Blade.

Let's start with an Easter egg - each time you visit Bayonetta's title screen, you might hear a different character say her name. Without even playing the game, you can already sense Platinum's attention to detail, which extends to the rest of the presentation. The environments, characters, and enemies have fantastic visual design, the music is catchy, and the game runs very smoothly. Even the cutscenes are worth watching, as they often feature insane action and some comical dialogue.

So Platinum nails the presentation, but what about the gameplay? One of the reasons I enjoyed Guacamelee (Super Turbo Championship Edition!) so much was that it was deep, but accessible. Guacamelee starts with only basic attacks and throws, and slowly doles out special moves over the adventure, giving you plenty of time to absorb each one and incorporate it into your combos.

...So Bayonetta is the complete opposite of that. Right off the bat, you have punch and kick buttons for nearly forty distinct moves and combos. The in-game shop unlocks even more moves, accessories that add new mechanics, and weapons that can be mixed and matched endlessly. If that sounds intimidating as hell, it is, but beating the game only requires the most basic combos. There's also a training room during loading screens where you can practice (And you can press the - button to stay indefinitely.)

Bayonetta's 15+ chapters are divided into battles, or "verses", that are ranked with medals - Stone, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and the elusive Pure Platinum, which can only be obtained by earning Platinum in each category - Combo, Time, and Damage Taken. Likewise, your medals are averaged into a trophy award at the end of the chapter.

In order to succeed, you'll want to use Bayonetta's secondary mechanics. Dodging an attack at the last instant triggers Witch Time, a slow-mo that lets you whale on enemies while their defenses are reduced (fire enemies can be attacked directly, large enemies lose launch resistance, etc.). Hitting enemies slowly fills the magic gauge, while taking damage empties it rapidly. With enough magic you can perform an extremely powerful Torture Attack on one enemy, like kicking it into an iron maiden. Most combos end in a Wicked Weave, a giant fist or heel to smash your enemies (You could say they're Bayonetta's "smash attacks"... get it?). The deeper into a combo a Wicked Weave is, the stronger it is.

But how do you reach your Wicked Weaves if dodging breaks your combo? The answer is Dodge Offset - by dodging while holding the attack button, Bayonetta fires her guns while dodging. Then you can continue your combo as if you hadn't just interrupted it. Another interesting mechanic is Bullet Arts - by holding the attack button, you can extend any attack into a barrage of bullets for extra damage. These two mechanics go well together, enabling you to deal constant damage and reach powerful Wicked Weaves while still avoiding enemy attacks. However, since Dodge Offset is objectively superior to normal dodging, they should've made it automatic.

The only remaining piece of combat is good enemy telegraphing, but this is where Bayonetta falters. With this being a fast-paced 3D action game where enemies are fought in groups and can be partially or wholly obscured by each other or the camera, you'd expect at least one full second of startup on any attack, to ensure a minimum degree of fairness. Right? So Platinum says "To hell with that!" and creates enemies like Grace and Glory, who attack so fast that the developers couldn't beat them without modifying their AI to make them not-broken. We're talking "literally-less-than-half-a-second" telegraphs. Some enemies even attack during cutscenes, so if you don't dodge the instant the cutscene ends, you take damage.

It's unfortunate that Bayonetta's challenge is blatantly unfair sometimes, as I normally love it when a game isn't afraid to crank up the difficulty. Speaking of which, there are five difficulty settings. Normal is quite tough, especially if you want good ranks. Easy (Automatic) halves damage taken and doubles damage dealt, while the punch button becomes a "give me random combos" button. It's designed to be played with one hand, so if you're an amputee, you're in luck. Very Easy (Automatic) adds regenerating health (i.e. makes you invincible), at which point you must wonder why you're not just watching a Let's Play. Beating Normal unlocks Hard, which has different enemy layouts and makes the enemies and bosses even faster. Beating Hard unlocks "Non-Stop ∞ Climax", which removes Witch Time.

Now, I'd like to discuss a large number of nitpicks/caveats. None of these issues are big, but I think they're worth mentioning.

• See that building flying toward Bayo - QUICK PUSH THE Y BUTTO - oh... sorry... Bayonetta's dead now. I hate QTEs.
• Finisher attacks require you to button mash with such ferocity that you'll punch a hole through your gamepad. I hate QTEs.
• Each time you die, your chapter award goes down a full rank. For me, most chapters ended like this - "Hey, look at all those silver, gold, and platinum medals you earned! Here, have a stone award."  "Wait, what?" On my second playthrough, I got gold trophies instead.
• Although Bayonetta is a linear action game, there is a bit of exploration between battles to find treasure chests for upgrades. There are extra verses in the "Alfheim" with unique battle conditions. However, not only do these affect your chapter award, but to find them you have to backtrack through areas to find portals that weren't there before. It is the most pointless and forced backtracking I have ever encountered in a video game.
• Some combos require that you delay a button press(s). Push it too early or too late, and you'll get a different move or start a new combo. This is complicated by the fact that different attacks have different animation lengths. The timing is strict enough that I couldn't perform certain combos consistently in an empty room, let alone during a frantic battle.
• With so many weapon combinations and moves, you'd expect the game to provide a safe place to experiment with combos and damage outputs, but it doesn't. There are no enemies in the training room, and basic enemies don't even have health bars. You can't tell the player "Make your own salsa," and not provide a "kitchen" to test different recipes.
• Witch Time doesn't work on all attacks, particularly with bosses. This makes the mechanic feel inconsistent.

Bayonetta is a very solid action game. PlatinumGames has impressed me with unique aesthetics and an extremely high level of polish on everything. While the combat is a bit too technical for my taste, I do enjoy the visceral satisfaction of beating the hell out of creepy angels and watching the fountains of blood.  The story is pretty good, and the chapters are filled with interesting set pieces and epic bosses. Once you've cleared the game, there are awards, unlockables, and higher difficulty modes for replay value. However, the difficulty itself relies more on reflexes than anything else, and the game's design isn't always consistent. Overall, I think there's enough content, variety, and challenge that most people would enjoy Bayonetta.

(As an aside, I should mention that the Wii U version of Bayonetta has some exclusive Nintendo-themed costumes. So I guess that makes it the best version.)

7.5 out of 10 (Very Good!)

Is it better than...
Sin & Punishment 2? No. S&P2 is a more tightly designed game, with far more bosses that are just as good, if not better than the ones in Bayonetta.  Alas, the search for "an action game as good as Sin & Punishment 2" must go on...
Guacamelee!: Super Turbo Championship Edition? Not quite. Guacamelee has far less style, but is cheaper, easier to play, and fairer. It also has co-op.
Okami? This is another big game directed by Hideki Kamiya. Unless you dislike Zelda games, I'd say Okami is equally if not more worthwhile.
Metroid: Other M? While both games have instant-death scenarios, Bayonetta at least puts a button prompt onscreen, for long enough that you almost don't miss it. Bayonetta wins.

Some videos for those interested:

Spoiler

Developer Commentary - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFeyoAh1JXY&index=1&list=PLfNFDvsu6rLXfPdhe9xnuIh0o897o8beW
Dodge Offset Explained - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOVVmm4KOm4
Pure Platinum Explained - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXl6XSEnLPY

 

Edited September 16, 2017 by Zera

[Darros]

Mostly agreed tbh. I'm definitely not as capable as writing out what I think in the same longhand form but honestly Alfheim is the most fucking frustrating game mechanic like holy shit. I do understand why they made it backtracking though. Don't forget, these things come with rewards the first time you beat them. Otherwise you'd have to go around hiding many more Broken Witch Hearts and Broken Moon Pearls.

Funny you mention Grace and Glory though. Had no problem with those two, especially seeing as how you get pretty much a free Angel Weapon after you kill the first of the two. It's their golden counterparts which are absolutely infuriating - Gracious and Glorious. Not being able to use Witch Time against them is insanely frustrating because that's the primary game mechanic used for fighting generic enemies. Maybe it'll be different with Jeanne though seeing as how you can't use Witch Time at all with her other than by using Moth Within.

The Combo mechanic is actually pretty generous. The combo only breaks if you go a full three seconds without hitting anything. I didn't find myself breaking combos that muhc, but I did have a problem with getting crap scores due to stale moves. If you use the same weapon a lot (notable by only using guns when the enemies are on fire, or by using the sword) your points will go down and your multiplier won't be as strong. I didn't actually use dodge offset much tbqh.

I will agree with access to tons of moves right away, but I disagree on the game throwing you all the mechanics out the bat. A lot of the good ones (AIR DODGE, breakdance, umbran portal kick) need you to buy them when your early money is better spent on Witch Hearts (though I always go for air dodge and breakdance asap). Plus the game takes its sweet time to give you Panther Within, which is extremely useful. That and weapons. Yes you get the sword automatically and early, but other good weapons like Durga and Odette you have to collect and come in the midgame. The nice thing though is that these weapons make earlygame so much easier it's not even funny, and when you go play the old chapters its like you had them all along so you can improve your ranks easily.

 

I don't have much more to say. Guess I'm just nitpicking at this point (maybe?) but discussion is always good!

[Sentacotus]

I thought it was a great game definitely up there with the Devil May Cry series I would love to see more of it from Platinum but I won't hold my breath.

[Omegaprism]

While I disagree with a few of your nitpicks, I think it can be universally agreed that all those instant-death QTEs are total bullshit. I tend to come back to Bayonetta after months of not playing due to the existence of other games and life and stuff, and while whipping out near-perfect battles is like riding a bike for the most part, many are the ranks that were ruined by those goddamned QTE moments, because why would anyone want to remember them?

I have a feeling you'll like the sequel more. It tightens up several of the first game's design elements, and does away with most of the goofy stuff that, while novel the first time through, really dragged the first game down whenever you had to trudge through it again. The finale is definitely not as grand as Bayo1, but the rest of the story is actually really cool. My only major complaint is that they nerfed the crap out of witch time. You get bigger windows to activate, but much less time as a reward for timing your dodges, and most of the enemies have really annoying shields that can block your attacks, so witch time feels a lot less like a reward for predicting your enemies' attacks and more like a necessity to get behind them and do any damage without getting interrupted.

That complaint aside, though, it is overall a better put-together game, unless you are so in love with every single aspect of the first that any changes would be looked upon as blasphemy.

[Zera]

I've actually already beaten Bayonetta 2, and yes, I think it is the better game. However, I'm not sure if it's worth its own review, and if it is, I won't write it until I Collect All The Stuff on my second playthrough. Since I am currently taking college courses, that would be a while.

[Ronnie]

I'm gonna be honest, Bayonetta 1 was the reason why I traded in my copy of 1+2 on Wii U. I enjoyed the demo for Bayo 2 and pre-ordered the game. Picked it up day 1 and I'm the type of guy that likes to play the first game before the second no matter what but I couldn't finish Bayo 1. The atmosphere just kinda bored me, the quick time events annoyed me (which is a little hypocritical on my part because I adore Metal Gear Rising), and I couldn't bring myself to finish the game and lost interest. So I traded it in (much to the shock and horror of the gamestop employee when he questioned my decision). I don't know if I'll give it a second shot or not though. I blame myself for being stubborn about order in games lol.

[Zera]

If you couldn't finish Bayo 1 just because of QTEs and "atmosphere", you're probably even more petty than me. If you die on a QTE, you can hit "Continue" and immediately win the QTE. Sure, you lost a whole trophy rank, but you can otherwise continue as if nothing happened. I thought the atmosphere was very good. Everything is over the top and I really liked the music. When did you quit?

Anyways, I have good news for you - Bayo 2 is both a sequel and prequel to Bayo 1. This means you can play it first and be no more confused than if you had played Bayo 1 first.

 

[Ronnie]

17 minutes ago, Zera said:

If you couldn't finish Bayo 1 just because of QTEs and "atmosphere", you're probably even more petty than me. If you die on a QTE, you can hit "Continue" and immediately win the QTE. Sure, you lost a whole trophy rank, but you can otherwise continue as if nothing happened. I thought the atmosphere was very good. Everything is over the top and I really liked the music. When did you quit?

Anyways, I have good news for you - Bayo 2 is both a sequel and prequel to Bayo 1. This means you can play it first and be no more confused than if you had played Bayo 1 first.

 

Sure call me petty lol. I don't remember exactly where I stopped. This was about 2 years ago when I decided to trade it in. The point is if I can't be drawn into the game I'll have a hard time finishing it. I don't have any other better term to use besides atmosphere. There's other hack and slash games I just enjoyed better like Metal Gear Rising or Senran Kagura. Those games drew me in very quickly. Rising grabbed my attention the moment Raiden chucked a metal gear while Rules of Nature blasted my ear drums. SK reeled me in because ecchi shit makes me laugh and the characters are cute. Bayo 1 was just one of those games I didn't end up liking because. lmao

Edited August 23, 2017 by Ronnie

[Etrurian emperor]

Nice review. Nice to say I'm not the only one who HATES Grace and Glory. I recall the first game being quite a lot harder then the sequel too. As another nitpick I suspect the budget may have been running thin on some points at the end. Things like the four virtue's being cloned despite being so special seemed off to me. 

I think Bayonetta 2 is the better, more polished and player friendly game but at times I did miss the sheer spectacle the first game brought. The masked sage fights were great but the bigger bosses nor their finishers just weren't as epic as the four virtues and their beatdowns. 

[Zera]

Taking a boss and using it late-game as a mini-boss is common in action games, as the benefit is two-fold. 1. You save dev money, yay! 2. The player has become so badass that a challenging boss is now a regular enemy. Making the player feel badass is a good thing, right? Of course, the game needs enough initial variety of enemies that the copied boss doesn't feel like a content cop-out, or padding, and I think Bayonetta does this pretty well. In fact, Platinum's budget-consciousness is pretty good - you no doubt noticed that only certain cutscenes are fully animated. I imagine another "AAA" developer would've made all the weapons and costumes paid DLC.