On Very Easy, pressing only the punch button will do everything (except moving out of combat) for you – even dodging. The three difficulty modes available at the start include Normal, Easy and Very Easy. Pull off the right combo and huge fists, feet or other creations will be conjured up by Bayonetta’s hair and unleashed on the unsuspecting (who’s going to expect that!) enemy.įor those that aren’t so skilled, have no fear – Bayonetta caters for you, too. Unlike most games, dodging here is actually a lot of fun, with enemies clearly telegraphing their moves which allows you to integrate the dodge into your regular move rotation and make combat where you take no damage achievable to the skilled.īayonetta can also wield her hair (which is also her clothing, so when she uses it as a weapon, well, there’s none to spare to keep her covered up) to devastating effect during combos. Pulling on the right trigger will cause Bayonetta to leap out of the way – doing so at the last possible moment before an enemy attack lands puts you automatically into “Witch Time”, slowing everything (except you) and providing an awesome opportunity to dish out a lot of low-risk damage. The next most important button / mechanic to learn is dodging.

There are loads of combinations on offer (the loading screen providing an excellent opportunity to practice them) and learning them is fun. Sounds simple enough and it is – the complexity (and there is depth here, be in no doubt) comes in the order you press them in and the time delay between presses. You have two main buttons to use in combating the angelic hosts kick and punch. Sure, sometimes you might have to look around to figure out where to go but those bits are brief and not enough to append the word “adventure” to the game’s genre. Knowing only that she’s a witch that likes to waste angels (!), the game begins… There are no story spoilers in this review – just know it’s incredibly convoluted and incredibly Japanese. Chaos ensued and they were all wiped out – aside from Bayonetta, who was found (without her memories) in a box at the bottom of a lake. The basic story goes that there were once witches and sages in the world but they hated each other and went to war. If you’re familiar with Devil May Cry, you have a fair idea of what to expect here – it is, after all, designed by Devil May Cry creator Hideki Kamiya. Published by Sega, it is developed by Platinum Games – a company made up primarily of ex-Clover Studios (Okami, God Hand) staff. I am looking forward to diving deeper into the assorted combos and weapons when Bayonetta 2 releases in October exclusively on Wii U.įor more on the game, check out our hands-on impressions from Bayonetta 2's E3 demo.Bayonetta is an action game, the first in what can only be assumed to be a new franchise.

The solid action present in the game’s first iteration seems to have translated over to the sequel well with some nifty new additions. The game’s second chapter was a short one, and it left me wanting more. I have no idea why it happened or who did it, but it looked very cool. Outside of the combat, one cool sequence occurred when a giant tidal wave froze mid-curl, allowing me to walk along it to my destination. From then on, I made sure to kill the eyeball columns first. I made the mistake of ignoring the enemy when it reappeared later in the level, and a large horse enemy that I previously made quick work of suddenly became difficult to defeat. Left alone, they power up the enemies around them making everyone stronger. I took it out first, which ended up being a smarter move than I realized. It was faster and had a much wider range of attack, and holding down the attack button mid-combo let me build it up to unleash an extra powerful attack.Ī new enemy appeared, looking like a pillar with an eyeball. The Rakshasa places two gigantic blades on Bayonetta’s heels and two in her hands. I started with Bayonetta’s Love is Blue weapons, but with a tap of the right shoulder button, I switched over to the Rakshasa and never looked back. Not dropping in from the start (and being politely asked by Nintendo to skip all cutscenes) meant I had no idea what was going on, but the action was exciting and fluid. The new area I got a chance to play is the game’s second chapter. As part of Nintendo’s Comic-Con presence, a new Bayonetta 2 level was on-hand to show off some new enemies and weapons.

Bayonetta weapons