For those who never played the original Bayonetta, the game stars a curvaceous, long-legged vixen whose tongue is as sharp as the blades that dismember her foes. By default she wields the Scarborough Fair, four guns (parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme), one in each hand and on each heel. As you play you unlock a multitude of other weapons in which she uses her magic-infused martial art, Bullet Arts, to viciously take down anything in her wake, leaving destruction and hilarious one-liners in her wake. I won't say too much though, since the first game comes with the purchase of Bayonetta 2.
The first thing the direct drew notice to was the main characters. Alongside Bayonetta, Jeanne—her best friend, Rodin—a powerful arms dealer, Luka—a journalist, and Enzo—a gangster with connections also return. In addition, they introduce two characters who are new and heavily involved in the plot: a masked Lumen sage who is often seen battling Bayonetta and a mysterious boy named Loki.
The story of the game revolves around Jeanne being captured while trying to save Bayonetta from a fatal attack. In the process, Jeanne's soul is dragged to Inferno. Bayonetta goes on a journey to literally go through heaven and hell to rescue her. Throughout the game, you will have to fight adversaries from Paradiso—angels—and for the first time, enemies from Inferno—demons.
The story, settings, and looks are very similar to the Divine Comedy written by Dante Alighieri. In this epic poem, Dante travels through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven (named Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso respectively in the poem) to rescue his love, Beatrice, having to conquer many trials and tribulations along the way.
The game will have the same quick, climactic combat as its predecessor, with some upgrades. First there will be new weapons such as the Kafka, a bow that causes poison damage; Rakshasa, which are powerful dual swords; and Alruna, a whip. These weapons can be equipped not only in the hands, but attached to her heels as well. You can preset two weapon sets before heading into a stage and switch them on the fly. This leaves great potential to combine weapons to create devastating combos. With the use of halos, the game's currency, you can buy duplicates of these weapons and attach them to your hands and heels simultaneously.
To unlock new weapons, you need to find Angelic Hymns. In the game they appear to be records; however, when brought to Rodin, they can be transformed into powerful weapons of mass destruction.
In addition to weapons, you will have powerful magic in your arsenal. One such ability is witch time. By dodging at the last second, this ability automatically activates and slows time around Bayonetta for a short period. This will present openings to unleash combos and position you to dodge attacks and deal more damage once it wears off.
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| Bayo doing what she does best - Image from Bayonetta 1 |
As a part of her combos, Bayonetta will use the power stored in her hair to summon powerful beings from Inferno to deliver powerful finishers. The demonic being will change form depending on what weapons you are using.
There's also the magic gauge, which is filled as you battle enemies. The first uses of the gauge, which is also present in the original game, are torture attacks. The witch will summon a torture device once used to prosecute witches and sadistically destroy the enemy. The device used will be different dependent on the enemy.
The second use for the gauge is brand new. It's called Umbran Climax. When used, Bayonetta's power is unleashed. Her attacks gain more power and range for a limited time. This allows her to clear weaves of enemies with relative ease; however, she will be attacked more violently by enemies when they sense the threat.
Aside from being used to purchase new weapons, halos can be used to purchase trinkets. These can do anything from enhancing damage to helping to avoid damage. If you've played The Wonderful 101, these would be similar to custom blocks.
Costumes can also be purchased. Costumes fully change Bayonetta's attire. Who doesn't want to unleash a torrent of decimation while looking stylish? In addition to these purely cosmetic costumes, Bayonetta 2 introduces Nintendo Costumes. These costumes are crossovers and not only change your appearance but some also alter animations, add moves, and even change drops. In the direct, one such costume was Link's green tunic. When adorned, the halo currency drops were turned to rubies and when a chest was found, you heard the iconic 4-note discovery melody heard in Zelda games. Another costume featured was Samus' power suit. During the live stream, Bayonetta curled in the a small ball and rolled around Metroid style. Other costumes shown were Princess Peach, Daisy, and Fox McCloud.
The game modes discussed were really exciting. Of course you have your story mode where the heart of the game lies. There are epic battles, both hilarious and epic cut scenes, challenging boss battles, and sick visuals. Alongside that you, true to Platinum Games, have a rating system for each section in each chapter. The rating is based on the time it took you to complete the stage, the combo points you gained, and the damage you took. If you're really good, you can get pure platinum on a stage.
The game will feature different difficulty modes. There's even a mode where there's Auto Battle where you partly direct the battle. With this, the game pad can be used to play. As with many other Wii U games, you can also use the game pad as a screen instead of the television.
Aside from the story missions there are hidden missions named "Muspellheim." When discovered, these bring you to special battle fields where you must defeat your enemies under specific conditions. Conditions can include anything from time limits to only being able to use certain kinds of attacks.
During the direct, a new mode was introduced that will add hours of fun and gameplay, Tag Climax. This mode is a 2-player co-op mode where players can pick characters and complete VS Card campaigns. There are characters other than Bayonetta; those confirmed are Jeanne and Rodin. Each will have their own skill set. For example, during the direct, Rodin lacked witch time and used slower but very powerful attacks. Also, if one player dies, the other can revive them to continue the battle.
Each campaign includes 6 stages where you can earn halos to use in your story mode. The halos you receive are based on the points you get on each stage. You can increase the amount of halos you receive at the end by betting them initially. However, this will increase difficulty and if you lose, there are no refunds. To add some competitiveness, whichever player receives the most points is declared the winner.
The direct ended with a new trailer that showcased the hectic and truly awesome game play, including mounted battles! I think this game will be a perfect addition to the first. What do you think? Will you be getting the game?
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