Bayonetta 2 (Nintendo Switch) Review

Angelic centaurs appear on top of a fighter jet, and Bayonetta tears them to pieces, first, with her demoness-enhanced fists and loooooong legs, and, second, with her four trusty pistols - two of them serving as high heel shoes. She has tons of moves, some impressive finishers, and can power up her angelic behind-kicking by using a portion of her magic power. The Umbra Witch that's causing all this mayhem is the star of the show, and frequently ensures to remind you of that by sensually posing for the camera… as if a dragon-like creature does not fly menacingly in the distance while all this happens.

Long story short: Bayonetta 2 remains a unique, almost niche title that will definitely appeal to some, but also make others cringe. The perfect example why is the story on offer, which follows the titular heroine on her journey to the depths of Inferno in order to save a fellow witch; a story filled with characters that are a bit hard to care for, humour that's purposely silly, and bits of lore that, although interesting in a way, will either put you to sleep and make you press the 'Skip' button like crazy, or make you want to play the original in order to come a bit closer to understanding what in Paradiso is going on.

Almost like a love letter to fans, this feels surprisingly similar to the first. Is it? To an extent, yes! From the level structure and the things that happen in those, to the items that can be purchased/found, and, of course, the whole getting-better-medals thing, this is identical to the original in almost every way. Thankfully, it's also a lot better. Visually, for instance, it looks stunning - not only because of the grandiose architecture and imaginative creature design, but mainly due to the varied and vibrant colour palette, something that the first game was missing. The Switch version retains the 720p resolution, but what matters here is the stable, 60fps, meaning few will really care.

Is this better in terms of gameplay, too? Again, apart from a bunch of minor additions (as well as a simple yet addictive/helpful co-operative mode), nothing new has really been included. Luckily, some things have disappeared, and may they never ever return! Therefore, boring arcade shoot 'em up mode and insta-death QTEs no more, and, glory to Lord Jubileus the Creator, Route 666 level nonsense no freaking more, too. Sure, all stages have a couple of boring parts that should probably be cut down, but at least there's not a whole level of boredom in here.

Generally, this is somewhat easier, but enemies tend to pull off a couple of "surprise" moves that aren't telegraphed, which in turn means that, while this is generally a piece of cake to complete, gaining better medals can actually be a lot harder, especially when it comes to later difficulty settings. Sadly, while the controls have been fine-tuned, it's still easy to mess up every now and then, with one example being the accidental transformation to panther form when dodging in the heat of the battle - sure, the blame falls on the one who loses his/her cool and doesn't push the right buttons in the right order, but this could be avoided with some more careful design.

This also applies to the camera, as this remains a game that favours flare over comfort, with Bayonetta frequently getting lost behind all the ensuing carnage. While this won't be much of a problem in 'Normal,' expect to get quite annoyed when trying your luck with the harder settings. By the way, similar to the Switch version of Bayonetta, this includes a touch controls scheme that, truth be told, feels even worse here than before. It's nice that the developer made it possible to enjoy this in almost every single way, but it's just doesn't feel right.

Now, while few will actually care about the following comment, this also feels somewhat less epic than it used to. "What the bloody hell is this handsome reviewer saying?" some may think, and rightly so, as the battles, as well as the game worlds at hand, are truly larger than life. When every moment is epic, though, none truly are. Simply put, there's not a "curve" here. Bayonetta 2 goes from insane moment to insane moment, and, as a result, this doesn't feel like a path that slowly leads to a climax, but a monster theme park where everything pretty much feels the same.

Even at its most epic, however, this feels less... crazy than before, as few levels have that otherworldly aura of the original - not to mention that some of the bosses, as well as the grand finale, well… just aren't exactly as grand as they used to. Does this destroy the whole experience? Of course not! This is, without a single doubt, one of the best action titles of its kind, and no amount of nit-picking can ruin that - at least, as long as people aren't expecting something substantially different from before.