I feel like we did this last year. We had a game developed by PlatinumGames and under the watchful eye of Kamiya that was getting a Nintendo Direct. We know some things already, such as the October 24th release date. But what else can we expect from Bayonetta 2 when it releases (you know, alongside the original Bayonetta)? Let’s see what Director Yusuke Hashimoto and Producer Akiko Kuroda have in store for us…
For those that have never played the original game, the guys from Platinum explained it for you. Bayonetta is one of the last surviving Umbra witches. For melee attacks, you uses a form of martial arts called bullet arts, which feature guns not only in hand but on her heels as well. In addition to her melee attacks, she has a special magic attack that uses her hair, which also happens to be her clothes. This means that when you use a magic attack, she will briefly have a great deal of her clothes stripped. But don’t let her looks fool you. If you cross her, Bayonetta will be down right ice cold and sadistic.
In Bayonetta 2, the story revolves around Jeanne, our hero’s friend that was dragged down into Inferno while trying to protect her. To save her, Bayonetta must confront angels and demons while dealing with a mysterious boy named Loki and the Masked Lumen. The story will be divided into chapters that offer various stages.
While in story mode, there will be rooms in various locations called Muspelheim. These lead to challenges that test your skills with certain restrictions. They also say that this may lead you to finding and using a combo you may have never tried in normal combat.
Bayonetta will have a large variety of combo moves which you can do manually, by pressing buttons in Automatic mode, or by using the touch screen. It will be important for you to execute combos in this game as this is the foundation of her combat. You can help yourself with this by using Witch Time, which is activated when you dodge an attack at the very last moment. This will slow down the game and allow you to attack your opponents repeatedly as they’ll be wide open for attack.
Successfully attacking and using Witch Time will fill up your magic gauge. Using this will allow Bayonetta to unleash magic attacks, such as her Torture Attack (which reminds me a lot of MadWorld, another PlatinumGames title).
One of the new magic attacks added to Bayonetta 2 is Umbran Climax. Utilizing this will power up her attacks (both range and power) and the infernal demons. This is recommended for when you fight several enemies at one time.
A number of weapons will be made available for you to fight with, which range from swords, hammers, guns, whips, and bows. These weapons will have different effects when equipped to either your hands or feet. You can also pre-set two weapon combinations in advance before going into battle.
If you’re looking for new outfits, accessories, and weapons, make sure to collect Halos — the in-game currency — so that you can use them at The Gates of Hell store. In addition, you can obtain Angelic Hymns for Rodin, the store owner, to create new weapons. After creating the weapon, you can purchase multiples with Halos. Skills can also be purchased, which can expand Bayonetta’s moveset.
Special outfits will also be coming to Bayonetta 2, including the Nintendo themed costumes that were teased in the Wii U version of the original game. The special outfits will change more than Bayonetta’s appearance. For example, wearing the Hero of Hyrule costume will see some enemies drop rupies as well as have the treasure chest jingle for when you find secrets. The Nintendo themed outfits include the Peach and Daisy outfits from Super Mario, Link’s tunic from Zelda, Samus’ armored suit, and the newly revealed Star Fox outfit.
Finally, they talked about the online-only 2-player co-op mode, Tag Climax. In this mode, you can play as Bayonetta, Jeanne, or Rodin. You can earn Halos in this mode, which can then be used in Story mode to buy more powerful weapons and accessories, which in turn can be used to earn more Halos in Tag Climax. Difficulty of the mode will be determined by how many Halos you bet before the match.
By the way, in case you’re wondering about pricing for the eShop, they explained how it will work. Since both the original and Bayonetta 2 will be separate purchases, they’ll give a special discount for those that buy both, allowing the combined purchases to be right at the retail price of Bayonetta 2 (which will include the first game in the package).
And that’s it for the Direct. What did you think? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to watch the new trailer released for Bayonetta 2.
