"Back In Black...And Blue"
After the 2009 release of the riveting yet flawed "Bayonetta", PlatinumGames had a lot of turmoil with getting a sequel put together. Despite the success of what should have been a niche title, the studio had trouble figuring out a vision and advertising that vision to a publisher. Thankfully, Nintendo took a chance with PlatinumGames, one that they would not forget. PlatinumGames' "Bayonetta 2" shows off the style and substance of their premier action series while also proving that it has a rightful place near the top of the action genre.
The explosive intro to this game is easily one of the best I have ever seen, not just in the action genre but in the medium as a whole. Everything about the characters, universe, and gameplay is perfectly captured in an exhilarating fight on top of a friggin' fighter jet flying through Ney York City. Combat is shown to be smoother yet more forgiving (something I found too frustrating in the first title), the spectacle is even more over-the-top, and the humor within the somewhat stupid plot finds a way to distract you enough so that you're just having a ton of fun.
And this is what "Bayonetta 2" captures so well - the feeling of "fun". Things don't really have to make much sense; they just have to make you feel good. The story is an example of this done fairly well - the character motives are unclear, the goal is repetitive and simple, but their personalities and crazy abilities make it all worth going through. This is transferred well into the gameplay side of things since you're able to do the same awesome moves you see in cutscenes in REAL TIME. This wasn't lost much in "Bayonetta", though the removal of those awful QTE instant-death segments certainly helped Bayonetta feel more powerful.
The soundtrack is also even catchier this time around, which is always welcome to me. The "Fly Me To The Moon" theme in the first game certainly felt stylish, but I got just a bit tired of it by the end. "Tomorrow Is Mine" does an even better job of setting the mood and brings enough energy to make it to the end credits. Supporting tracks inside of the shop, menus, or cutscenes also do well at playing up certain emotions. The visuals are also much sharper and has a wider color palette, which helped with the game feeling a bit less dull as the chapters progressed.
The addition of the "Umbran Climax" helps with combat flexibility and leads to moments in combat where you debate whether mass crowd damage or an insta-kill on a target is more necessary. It keeps things dynamic, fun, and fresh throughout the campaign. I also like that when you are hit you don't lose as much magic as in the first title, allowing you to keep the action exciting and relentless. Weapon diversity is even stronger this time around as well, and I felt that I wanted to play around with more options for different situations compared with keeping things simple in the first game.
The story is still a weak aspect once again, in fact even weaker than before. The plot is revolved around time travel and is not a particularly good example of it being used well. However, the characters make up for this by being unique, stylish, and having some additional depth being added to their backstories/vibes.
This game was pretty much a blast from start to finish, and definitely makes me want to replay the games to get better and unlock more items. There are less underbaked/bad ideas, and even the weaker sections are still full of sick spectacle. The story could have been better, but at least the characters were expanded upon and served their quirky roles well. A great sequel for sure, and I'm looking forward to inevitably playing the third entry.
Final Verdict: 8/10 (Great)
After the 2009 release of the riveting yet flawed "Bayonetta", PlatinumGames had a lot of turmoil with getting a sequel put together. Despite the success of what should have been a niche title, the studio had trouble figuring out a vision and advertising that vision to a publisher. Thankfully, Nintendo took a chance with PlatinumGames, one that they would not forget. PlatinumGames' "Bayonetta 2" shows off the style and substance of their premier action series while also proving that it has a rightful place near the top of the action genre.
The explosive intro to this game is easily one of the best I have ever seen, not just in the action genre but in the medium as a whole. Everything about the characters, universe, and gameplay is perfectly captured in an exhilarating fight on top of a friggin' fighter jet flying through Ney York City. Combat is shown to be smoother yet more forgiving (something I found too frustrating in the first title), the spectacle is even more over-the-top, and the humor within the somewhat stupid plot finds a way to distract you enough so that you're just having a ton of fun.
And this is what "Bayonetta 2" captures so well - the feeling of "fun". Things don't really have to make much sense; they just have to make you feel good. The story is an example of this done fairly well - the character motives are unclear, the goal is repetitive and simple, but their personalities and crazy abilities make it all worth going through. This is transferred well into the gameplay side of things since you're able to do the same awesome moves you see in cutscenes in REAL TIME. This wasn't lost much in "Bayonetta", though the removal of those awful QTE instant-death segments certainly helped Bayonetta feel more powerful.
The soundtrack is also even catchier this time around, which is always welcome to me. The "Fly Me To The Moon" theme in the first game certainly felt stylish, but I got just a bit tired of it by the end. "Tomorrow Is Mine" does an even better job of setting the mood and brings enough energy to make it to the end credits. Supporting tracks inside of the shop, menus, or cutscenes also do well at playing up certain emotions. The visuals are also much sharper and has a wider color palette, which helped with the game feeling a bit less dull as the chapters progressed.
The addition of the "Umbran Climax" helps with combat flexibility and leads to moments in combat where you debate whether mass crowd damage or an insta-kill on a target is more necessary. It keeps things dynamic, fun, and fresh throughout the campaign. I also like that when you are hit you don't lose as much magic as in the first title, allowing you to keep the action exciting and relentless. Weapon diversity is even stronger this time around as well, and I felt that I wanted to play around with more options for different situations compared with keeping things simple in the first game.
The story is still a weak aspect once again, in fact even weaker than before. The plot is revolved around time travel and is not a particularly good example of it being used well. However, the characters make up for this by being unique, stylish, and having some additional depth being added to their backstories/vibes.
This game was pretty much a blast from start to finish, and definitely makes me want to replay the games to get better and unlock more items. There are less underbaked/bad ideas, and even the weaker sections are still full of sick spectacle. The story could have been better, but at least the characters were expanded upon and served their quirky roles well. A great sequel for sure, and I'm looking forward to inevitably playing the third entry.
Final Verdict: 8/10 (Great)