Bayonetta 2 & Bayonetta Nintendo Switch Review

00:00:00.719hello there lovely people it's an

00:00:03.639extremely intense life here and today it

00:00:05.319is finally time to review both Bayonetta

00:00:07.689& Bayonetta 2 on the Nintendo switch yes

00:00:11.349we're going to be combining both reviews

00:00:12.969into one video because we love you that

00:00:15.339much

00:00:15.940both of these reviews were originally

00:00:17.530written by Dom Reis a Lincoln and have

00:00:19.420been adapted for video by me but anyway

00:00:22.030that's more than enough waffling let's

00:00:23.500dive right into things

00:00:25.730[Music]

00:00:36.740[Applause]

00:00:37.860[Music]

00:00:38.660[Applause]

00:00:40.570with Bayonetta three teases a Nintendo

00:00:43.310switch exclusive it's finally time for

00:00:45.380the sassy Umbra witch to carve wheel a

00:00:47.240flurry of bullets onto the hybrid

00:00:49.160handheld hardware in anticipation much

00:00:51.470like Bayonetta 2 the original

00:00:52.580installment of the action-adventure

00:00:54.170series has been retooled for the switch

00:00:56.180and whilst this isn't the first time the

00:00:57.950franchise has been ported to an inseam

00:00:59.510machine both featured on the way back in

00:01:01.4302014 you're getting the very best

00:01:03.500version of the game yet as to be

00:01:05.240expected

00:01:05.900well you could technically argue that

00:01:08.000the PC version runs a little bit

00:01:09.710smoother and looks that little bit

00:01:11.360glossy er but regardless of the specs

00:01:13.250powering away in your Tower

00:01:14.660Bayonetta looks feels and is perfectly

00:01:17.240suited to the switches compact yet

00:01:19.250versatile platform the Wii U port was

00:01:21.560serviceable and it ran pretty well but

00:01:23.960was prone to some muddy textures and

00:01:25.610painful amounts of slowdown in certain

00:01:27.830specific areas thankfully those issues

00:01:30.110have been resolved and the game runs so

00:01:31.880smoothly

00:01:32.570you'd be fooled into thinking you were

00:01:34.010playing it on the original platform that

00:01:35.750it was intended before we get too deep

00:01:37.460into the changes let's break down what

00:01:39.170makes Bayonetta such a timeless classic

00:01:41.330and more importantly why you should be

00:01:43.400dusting off those giant angel slang

00:01:45.200pistols on the Nintendo switch as the

00:01:47.720spiritual successor to the Devil May Cry

00:01:49.310series Bayonetta is an ultraviolet rom

00:01:52.040crossed with the world's most acrobatic

00:01:53.660hair-related interpretive dance class

00:01:55.610with guns in each hand and strapped to

00:01:57.680each eye heal the titular which uses

00:01:59.600magic melee attacks on an endless stream

00:02:01.610of bullets as she carves a path into the

00:02:03.500palatial streets of heaven and the

00:02:05.240blackened caverns of hell many see this

00:02:07.490as developer Platinum Games Magnus opus

00:02:09.440and it's easy to see why the sheer depth

00:02:12.110at hand when it comes to combos is still

00:02:13.940astounding for a game that originally

00:02:15.769came out in 2009 with a vast and

00:02:18.470wonderful diverse series of enemies and

00:02:20.209bosses knowing how to apply these moves

00:02:22.190and which ones work better strung

00:02:23.570together turns every battle into a

00:02:25.430blood-drenched puzzle you can of course

00:02:27.410start things down too easy or very easy

00:02:29.510mode but the surprisingly challenging

00:02:31.310normal difficulty and beyond is where

00:02:33.860the game's true heart lies it's a

00:02:36.049challenging game and one that will reap

00:02:37.730chunks of health from you should you

00:02:39.080miss time a dodj or commit too heavily

00:02:41.030to the wrong combo but it is a fair one

00:02:43.670whilst the sequel ultimately made that

00:02:45.590formula a little bit more forgiving the

00:02:47.570extra bite in the original makes it

00:02:49.160something truly spare

00:02:50.450from its gloriously grand bossfights to

00:02:52.790a steady flow of game-changing mechanics

00:02:54.620it's a game that consistently surprises

00:02:56.840and effortlessly empowers it should be

00:02:59.300said that the tension of which isn't the

00:03:00.950most politically correct of characters

00:03:02.690especially in the more self-aware age we

00:03:04.849live in today whether you see her as a

00:03:06.470strong and confident female character

00:03:08.209that fights her own battles and takes no

00:03:09.980nonsense from anyone even the giant

00:03:12.050bosses or as an overly sexualized

00:03:14.000caricature more akin to a teenage boys

00:03:16.069ultimate fantasy she's still one of the

00:03:18.019most memorable heroines of the last

00:03:19.610decade and from my own point of view

00:03:21.440it's so ludicrously over-the-top that

00:03:23.360you can't really take it seriously

00:03:24.790ultimately Bayonetta is a mature game

00:03:27.380aimed at a mature audience

00:03:29.239then again the buckets of blood and

00:03:30.799endless violence might have also been

00:03:32.299approved but anyway let's get back to

00:03:34.010what's new and what's different as we

00:03:35.870mentioned earlier the switch version of

00:03:37.640Bayonetta runs far smoother than the

00:03:39.3192014 Wii U port with more powerful guts

00:03:42.200at its disposal you're treated to a more

00:03:44.030consistent frame rate and minimal screen

00:03:46.160tearing the camera is still a little bit

00:03:48.110clunky at times especially when things

00:03:49.850get particularly heated but it's

00:03:51.620something that you simply adapt to the

00:03:53.150more you play QuickTime event sadly are

00:03:55.459still a thing in this version of the

00:03:56.750game and there is unfair an utterly

00:03:58.340redundant as they were back in 2009

00:04:00.350thankfully this is still forgiving with

00:04:02.480it check pointing and the ludicrously

00:04:04.340quick load times means she won't be

00:04:05.780hanging around very long at all in the

00:04:07.850Wii U version the single touch setup of

00:04:09.859the gamepad made controlling something

00:04:11.239as fast paced as Bayonetta a consistent

00:04:13.700exercise in frustration the system's

00:04:15.859capacitive display allows for more

00:04:17.570precise movements so moving Bayonetta

00:04:19.669around the screen and handheld is an

00:04:21.140absolute breeze as is swiping back to

00:04:23.390evade or pressing down on an enemy to

00:04:25.190automatically attack more complicated

00:04:27.350moves don't fully translate over

00:04:28.789touchscreen so it's not 100% of the

00:04:31.100experience but we do have to take our

00:04:33.200hats off to the devs for making this an

00:04:35.120option for those with less experience or

00:04:37.130limited movement this is definitely an

00:04:38.870option worth considering after nearly a

00:04:40.820decade Bayonetta is starting to show her

00:04:42.680age but that doesn't stop this

00:04:44.030hyperactive male a shooter action mash

00:04:45.710up from being one of the most rewarding

00:04:47.150and memorable colt heads of the previous

00:04:49.610generation retooled for nintendo switch

00:04:51.800one of PlatinumGames most accomplished

00:04:53.389titles feels revitalized in both

00:04:55.400handheld and tabletop modes serving up a

00:04:57.830meaty first course in the witchy buffet

00:04:59.840to come

00:05:01.530[Music]

00:05:09.080well that's enough of the first entry

00:05:11.430let's have a look at the second

00:05:14.990[Music]

00:05:32.210whilst the WiiU has ultimately become

00:05:34.100little more than a benchmark for the

00:05:35.870Nintendo switch sales to surpass the

00:05:37.819experimental pitstop between we and

00:05:39.530Nintendo's hybrid system still had a

00:05:41.630number of really must-have games

00:05:43.610Bayonetta 2 sits proudly at the very top

00:05:46.250of that list

00:05:46.970and now the bold and brazen

00:05:48.400action-adventure breaks the chains of

00:05:50.330exclusivity as it hits the Nintendo

00:05:52.370switch with a triple somersault a hail

00:05:54.199of bullets and a notion of angelic blood

00:05:56.360much like its predecessor Bayonetta 2

00:05:58.400takes the beating heart of its gameplay

00:05:59.960namely over-the-top combos that combine

00:06:02.240magically powered melee attacks with

00:06:03.650deliciously brutal gunplay and layers it

00:06:05.900into a game that's even more insane than

00:06:07.669the original the story which follows the

00:06:09.710antics of the titular witch and they're

00:06:11.389continuing run-ins with the bestial

00:06:13.160powers of heaven or Paradiso as it's

00:06:15.289known in the Bayonetta law as she hunts

00:06:17.210for the true gates of Hell is just as

00:06:19.039inexplicable and downright ridiculous

00:06:20.599but that's part of the enduring charm it

00:06:22.849doesn't matter if its plot makes no

00:06:24.380cohesive sense because you're having so

00:06:26.180much fun killing godlike bosses that

00:06:28.550Devil May Cry formula remains mostly

00:06:30.650unchanged from the original but the free

00:06:32.539flowing nature empowers you at every

00:06:34.400turn leaping away from enemy attacks

00:06:36.349which are now slightly easier to predict

00:06:38.449initiates that familiar burst of slow-mo

00:06:40.940known as which time not to mention those

00:06:43.220button mashing modifiers such as torture

00:06:45.169attacks also keep their rightful place

00:06:47.539it also introduces the Umbaran climax

00:06:49.789move which is far better at clearing out

00:06:51.770a vast array of enemies rather than just

00:06:53.810a single one but most importantly of all

00:06:55.969those horrible QuickTime events have

00:06:57.979finally been dropped Bayonetta 2 is also

00:07:00.770a far more inclusive and rewarding

00:07:02.780experience than its forebearer but it's

00:07:04.909a double-ended Blade that leaves its

00:07:06.590mark for better or for worse there's no

00:07:08.419point beating around the bush the second

00:07:10.130game is easier than the first the window

00:07:12.469to dodge attacks is slightly larger and

00:07:14.150the ability to interrupt enemy attacks

00:07:15.979occurs far more often to its detriment

00:07:18.440it does take the bitin challenge out of

00:07:20.090battles and boss encounters that makes

00:07:21.860this series so utterly bewitching but

00:07:23.840much like the Wii U version it's an

00:07:25.370issue that can be easily negated by

00:07:27.259simply dialing up the difficulty this

00:07:29.479time hard mode is available from the

00:07:31.219start

00:07:31.759visually Bayonetta 2 is one of the best

00:07:34.280looking games you can play on switch

00:07:35.810right now it's much like the original

00:07:37.280Bayonetta but free of those older and

00:07:39.349muggier textures that plagued the

00:07:40.880original so much the visuals and

00:07:42.979performance are so silky smooth but not

00:07:45.120once that I personally come across a

00:07:47.220single instance of slowdown which is no

00:07:50.070mean feat there's also an invigorating

00:07:52.380sense of diversity especially for a

00:07:54.180game-based so firmly around the

00:07:55.860free-flowing combat and its core design

00:07:57.990you'll get to find giant angelic dragons

00:08:00.690whilst riding inside a typhoon filled

00:08:02.820with disintegrating buildings just as a

00:08:04.680starter you'll sprout your hair powered

00:08:06.720wings and fight a giant demon king kong

00:08:08.820style around a skyscraper

00:08:10.680in just the opening act if bayonetta was

00:08:13.260the game where PlatinumGames nailed the

00:08:14.880formula that took the battle from Devil

00:08:16.560May Cry very Netta to is the game where

00:08:18.600it embraces the opulent and endlessly

00:08:20.610satisfying set pieces that make this

00:08:22.620such a must-play experience thankfully

00:08:24.990the mostly pointless angel attack

00:08:26.370minigame from the original has been

00:08:28.020dropped and in this place we get Miss

00:08:29.760full Hein most must put this behind most

00:08:32.460Miss behind a dark realm accessible by

00:08:35.099portals scattered across the world of

00:08:36.690newellton that you'll be exploring and

00:08:38.700other slightly more demonic regions

00:08:40.919there were a few instances of these kind

00:08:43.050of challenges in the original Bayonetta

00:08:44.700but they are far more prevalent in the

00:08:46.380sequel and all the better for it and

00:08:48.960more importantly you'll be rewarded for

00:08:50.730your efforts with broken moon pearls and

00:08:52.920broken witch hearts allowing you to

00:08:54.750extend your health and your magic

00:08:56.820respectively actually you know is the

00:08:59.220other way round and then there's the

00:09:00.450brilliant tank climax mode which allows

00:09:02.040you and a friend to find waves of

00:09:04.020angelic enemies and bosses and this time

00:09:06.360both online and local play is supported

00:09:08.820providing you have multiple copies of

00:09:10.650the game and multiple switch consoles

00:09:12.870you bet halos which is the currency of

00:09:14.940the start of the game and the more that

00:09:16.740you bet the heart of the game becomes it

00:09:18.959straddles that line between competitive

00:09:20.760and cooperative beautifully as you're

00:09:22.890obviously trying to get a bigger slice

00:09:24.480of the pie but also you want your

00:09:26.279teammates support to make sure that you

00:09:27.870survive the onslaught in just the same

00:09:29.910way as the original Bayonetta twos

00:09:31.560touchscreen support allows far more

00:09:33.420dexterous and responsive controls thanks

00:09:35.730to Nintendo's new hardware of course we

00:09:37.709do still run into the issue of just how

00:09:39.300overly sexualized Bayonetta is as a

00:09:41.220character but it has been slightly

00:09:43.200toned-down in this sequel if by no means

00:09:45.270changes Bayonetta as a character but it

00:09:47.310does feel slightly more mature in a kind

00:09:49.350of ironic way it feels just self-aware

00:09:51.720enough to know how ridiculous it is to

00:09:53.610be able to be tongue-in-cheek

00:09:55.440despite being a port of a three-year-old

00:09:57.600game Bayonetta 2 shines brightest on

00:10:00.209switch it runs seamlessly at 60 frames a

00:10:02.670second looks incredible in both modes

00:10:04.470and offers an addictive free-flowing

00:10:06.480combat formula with a sprinkling of

00:10:08.279platforming light exploration and

00:10:10.319ridiculous story to create something

00:10:12.180that you simply need to play if you've

00:10:14.550never played it before you're in for a

00:10:16.050serious treat and if you have already

00:10:17.910played it you know you need to play it

00:10:19.620again

00:10:20.080[Music]