Our Verdict
Bayonetta 2 on the Switch still holds up as one of the finest hack-and-slash action games, but there are some caveats. It’s full of spectacularly smooth combat and is still quite the looker despite it not being displayed at a higher resolution while in docked mode. At times, it can feel a little too easy thanks to some overpowered abilities, but it’s still a thoroughly entertaining romp from start to finish.
As another former Wii U exclusive now available on the Nintendo Switch, the frantic spectacle-brawling action of Bayonetta 2 is not to be missed. To this day, it’s one of the finest action games ever made, building on what makes PlatinumGames’ brand of over-the-top, high-execution fighting just as appealing as Capcom’s Devil May Cry series, while also expanding on the exploits of the titular Umbra witch.
While this review will focus primarily on this second adventure, it’s worth noting that the first Bayonetta game is available as part of a bundle or at a discount if you buy Bayonetta 2. As a package of two iconic hack-and-slash action games, you can’t go wrong with it. If you opt to buy Bayonetta 2 physically, you might miss out on getting the first game, so proceed with caution.
Sporting a new, somehow even more iconic look throughout the 14 or so chapters, Bayonetta 2 has our eponymous femme fatale attempt to track down a fellow witch. After an angel attack leads to a summoning ritual that goes horribly wrong, Jeanne’s soul is subsequently abducted by Overseer Inferno. The story follows some similar beats to the first, escorting a lost child around a dangerous environment, but there are deeper plot implications this time around for Bayonetta as she learns more about her origins. It’s a decent and logical follow-up to her rediscovering who she is in the first game.
From the moment that Bayonetta spanks an angelic centaur while riding it on top of a fighter jet traveling at Mach speed, before opening fire with her pistols as an upbeat version of the classic song Moon River graces your speakers, you know this is going to be a one-of-a-kind experience. Fans of the original will be familiar with the Umbra witch’s moves and its backing soundtrack to keep players amped up and thankfully both of these elements are just as effective the second time around.
Combat is fundamentally similar to games like Devil May Cry, where button combinations of weak and strong attacks can conjure up different moves. You can extend these combos by holding down the attacking buttons in question. The longer a combo, the more points you’ll score, contributing to your overall ranking per segment, known in-game as “verses”.
The pivotal Witch Time slowdown mechanic from the first game returns, which you can trigger upon perfectly dodging an attack and lasts for a few seconds, and it’s just as effective as before in rewarding you for taking a big risk. Also returning are the Magical Torture attacks that act as satisfying combo enders with many different variations depending on the enemy they’re used on. These are the most flashy of attacks, which have our stylish heroine brutally murdering enemies in roasting spits or chopping them with a guillotine.
Bayonetta also has a new move called the Umbran Climax, which uses a magic gauge that you build up using regular attacks. By pressing the L button at the pivotal moment, you can augment Bayonetta’s attacks with Wicked Weaves, or specifically the power of her demonic familiars, causing a screen-clearing combo that makes short work of even the toughest foes. You have to hit enemies to fill this bar, but once full, the Umbran Climax can come in clutch, particularly against the game’s more difficult bosses.
As for her arsenal of weapons, Bayonetta’s default guns are a great balance of offensive power and speed, which you can extend to get a few more cheeky hits in. She also gains access to a massive hammer, several smaller blades, a triple-bladed scythe that fires sickles, and even a set of chainsaws on each limb. All of them are thoroughly unique compared to similar games. However, the reliance on Witch Time Combos, Torture Attacks, and Umbran Climaxes to noticeably damage foes makes combat overall slightly underwhelming.
You can also buy more items by spending halos or gems at Rodan’s Gates of Hell shop, as well as accessories and techniques to improve Bayonetta’s combat prowess. Additionally, there are extra outfits available for our femme fatale heroine that change her looks. Those inspired by Nintendo characters can be unlocked via Amiibo, but are also on sale if you have enough halos. With the Nintendo-themed costumes in particular, they can also grant added abilities or tweaks to the visuals and music, such as firing the Samus costume’s blaster, Link’s outfit transforming halos into rupees, or Fox McCloud’s gear changing the on-rails plane sections to have you pilot an Arwing from Starfox 64.
That said, with all of this power at your fingertips, it’s significantly easier than the first Bayonetta. The button presses for Witch Time are more forgiving, and you can easily build combos to annihilate angels or demons alike. On default difficulties, it’s far easier to rank gold or above in most missions, even with sloppy execution of combos or dodges. Thankfully, the Switch version allows you to boost the difficulty up to the hardest mode from the beginning, so the challenge is there for those who want it.
Enemy variety is key to the success of Bayonetta 2, and PlatinumGames nails this by adding new and familiar angel foes, as well as demons that are formidable opponents. With every enemy utilizing their own strategies, you’re forced to adapt and overcome their assault, making for an exhilarating experience when they’re allowed to test you properly.
While the campaign is predominantly about hack-and-slash combat, there are sections that change the gameplay dramatically in order to give the campaign some variety. There are exploratory sections where you can solve puzzles or take on extra challenges to grab upgrades. You can also travel underwater as a snake, or on-rail sections similar to that of old Sega arcade games, namely Super Hang On and Afterburner. These levels generally don’t outstay their welcome for the most part, though some of the harder challenges will test you with seemingly unfair rules.
Initially, I was going to say that the bosses also follow suit to the combat overall, with grandiose designs that amplify the spectacle to new heights. However, upon further reflection, there are several reused tropes that, while still cool as hell to see, make for slightly repetitive gameplay. Firstly, if you’re flying around, chances are that the optimal strategy is to dodge, and then pull off a combo during Witch Time, before repeating to win. It’s not that it’s bad, and there are some memorable fights against the Masked Lumen that are a true test of your understanding of Bayonetta’s moves, but it’s a fairly cheap way to get a thrill in a game that otherwise works hard for its highlights.
Aside from the single-player campaign, there’s also Tag Climax, which has two players fight hordes of enemies in waves until they either die or reach the end. It’s a fun side mode, particularly if you wish to perfect the execution of combos and finisher moves alongside another more experienced player, but it’s best that you don’t engage with it until you complete the game as you can unlock more Verse Cards throughout the campaign to get more level types. That said, at least Tag Climax is more accessible with the Nintendo Switch version, as it’s available to play locally for the first time, and it does a decent job of keeping both players visible at any given time.
Speaking of the Switch port, it’s time to talk about performance. This is a gorgeous game to look at, despite the fact it runs at 720p no matter whether you run it in handheld or docked mode. Exploring the city of Noatun shows off just how detailed the game is. While it’s a shame that no effort was made to bring the docked resolution to 1080p, both docked and handheld modes have a marked performance improvement in frame rate compared to the Wii U version which often struggled to get above 40fps when the action gets hectic.
While the main adventure will take you roughly seven to nine hours to beat on your first go, depending on the set difficulty of course, there are plenty of extras and collectibles to keep you coming back. These range from Journal’s Echoes which provide more context about the world and story, Muspelheim Portals which challenge you to win fights under certain constraints to earn rare items, and Angelic Hymn LPs which unlock weapons, including some from the first Bayonetta after you finish the campaign once.
It may seem that at times I’ve been hyper-critical of Bayonetta 2, but the crux of the matter is that the core gameplay features some of the best action combat presented on-screen. Its heroine is an icon, with a personality to match her outlandish and confident fashion sense, and yet her second adventure is a compelling one that has her questioning everything about her origins. While this is a far easier game when it comes to executing screen-clearing moves, it’s undeniable that Bayonetta 2 is an inherently stylish hack-and-slash action game that’s worth the time.