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Bayonetta 2 E3 Hands-On Preview

by Kimberly Keller - June 10, 2014, 3:04 pm EDT
Total comments: 2

UPDATE: Crazy boss battles step it up!

Last year Nintendo treated us to a pretty extensive demo of Bayonetta 2, an experience that was so violently fun and graphically beautiful it won one of our coveted NWR E3 Awards. You can check out last year’s hands-on preview here, or stay tuned for all the new features revealed for this October release.

Most of the story demo stayed the same as the previous year’s, with more of a focus on battle and advanced combos. Controls are easy to get used to and the triggers on the gamepad are only used for charged attacks, such as Umbra Climax. The game helpfully lets players know when these powered up attacks are ready to go, which turned out to be insanely helpful as the battle itself requires a lot of concentration as enemies attack from all around in a fast-paced battle.

Bayonetta has two main button-mashing attacks: physical and guns. However, holding down either the X or A buttons allows Bayonetta to repeatedly fire an endless supply of bullets from the guns either on her heels or hand. The jump button can also be held down to trigger Bayonetta’s flying ability. It’s a little jarring at first, as she instantly grows large butterfly wings from her back, and movement can be slow. It proved helpful when you needed to move away from a group of enemies, but her evade maneuver is easier control. With the quickness of battle I experienced, and with the added boost of activating Witch Time with a well-timed evade, I rarely needed to fly during the demo.

As you defeat enemies, small golden Halos will burst out for players to collect. These can be used to purchase new combos, upgrades, and costume changes.

Players who purchase the retail copy of the game will receive the original game bundled in with a few extras included. By far the most noticeable addition for Nintendo fans is Bayonetta’s costume changes. The titular witch has already raised eyebrows with her hair-laced outfit and short new ‘do in the sequel, but the old Bayonetta proves to be a fan of the classics with options to dress up as favorites such as Samus, Link, and Princess Peach. These can be purchased with collected halos in the store.

Update: A more advanced demo took place later in the story, with Bayonetta exploring a town full of medieval architecture and a giant ruined church. Smaller enemies soon appeared but were easily taken down. When they were defeated, most dropped halos, but one dropped a weapon which I could pick up and equip. Weapons don’t drop often but it’s a good way to diversify battle and find a style that works best for you.

Many combos utilize Bayonetta’s legendary locks, twisting around to shoot range attacks or spear enemies with. Occasionally, I assume with the right combo, Bayonetta actually transformed into a cat-like animal. When enemies are permanently airborne, however, even non-combo attacks change automatically to a range type.

Cut scenes revealed a mysterious child intent on reaching the sacred Fimbulvinter mountain. A masked enemy attacks the child while Bayonetta continues to explore and defeat minor enemies. While they put up a good fight, with the child using card-themed magic attacks against the masked enemy’s quills, Bayonetta arrives just in time to stop the final blow from the masked person. The child is less than thrilled about being helped, and disappears as the boss battle begins.

The masked enemy is fast, attacking with chain attacks that require frequent evasion. It’s a great change of pace and requires more strategy than previous large battles, utilizing the entire arena for once. Eventually, Bayonetta summons a large demon to aid in the battle which also causes molten lava to surround the characters, cutting the space down so much it becomes more of a 2D battle. Your foe can manipulate the lava, but this attack takes time to charge and can be interrupted if you quickly react.

Health bars are clearly displayed for all enemies, with more important foes possessing multiple bars. Unfortunately, it wasn’t easy to tell how many bars an enemy had, but battles were so action packed it was easy to forget to look anyway and just focus on your battle tactics instead. Bayonetta’s health on the other hand slowly replenished throughout the battle, but it wasn’t clear if this was due to damage, combo bonuses, or just time. This wasn’t the case in last year’s demo though.

The final battle was almost comical unfortunately, and didn’t feel like a real finale after the tactical craziness of previous masked enemy. Somehow Bayonetta transformed into a giantess, with tightly woven hair covering her body. A large stone-like enemy was the new foe and all guns and weapons disappeared as a straight-up boxing match ensued. It wasn’t very exciting as the two giants slowly exchanged punches or dodged.

The game packed a lot of graphical intensity into battles with unique enemy designs and rich, moving backdrops for battles. Just as I became accustomed to a certain type of battle, the situation would change, either with airships flying into play, projectiles whizzing by, or lava waves rushing in. The pace of battle is frantic in stark contrast to the short episodes of exploration, and keeps you engaged and wanting more.

Talkback

azekeJune 10, 2014

WANT
In Bayo 2 butterfly wings worked basically as a double jump, so now it works closer to Mario cape where you hold and it slows down your fall?

Yup, that pretty much describes the new mechanics of her wings. It does slow Bayonetta down though, unlike Mario.

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WiiU

Game Profile

Bayonetta 2 Box Art

Genre Action
Developer PlatinumGames
Players1 - 2

Worldwide Releases

na: Bayonetta 2
Release Oct 24, 2014
PublisherNintendo
RatingMature
jpn: Bayonetta 2
Release Sep 20, 2014
PublisherNintendo
Rating17+
eu: Bayonetta 2
Release Oct 24, 2014
aus: Bayonetta 2
Release Oct 25, 2014

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