Happy Bayonetta 2 release day! If you didn’t grab the game last night at midnight, then what are you, a casual fan? Some Umbra Witch you turned out to be.
Kidding aside, you can rest assured knowing that some of the finest action-game goodness in history awaits you this weekend, and its replayability is off the charts. I haven’t slowed down since I beat the thing prior to my review, and that was well over a week ago. I fully expect there will be third and fourth playthroughs still to come.
But alas; what if you’re at work and can’t secure your copy until the weekend finally breaks? How can you use your time efficiently while you wait? Well, we should be able to help you out with that. Below are a series of tips, tricks, and varied bits of sage advice that should help any player through the early stages of play and beyond, or just get you mentally pumped for what’s to come. Platinum medals in Bayonetta 2–as Doc Louis would say–ain’t no joke.
Related: Bayonetta 2 Review – Start Creating Miracles
Be sure to revisit our review if you haven’t yet ordered this lovely game, and from there ask yourself — why not? Those $200 refurbished Wii Us from Nintendo’s store aren’t going to stay in stock forever, you know. Unless you want to be stuck with the Basic Set.
Find these tips helpful? Already blazing trails of your own? If so, drop us a comment and share with the group, oh mighty angel-slayer. With gameplay systems as deep and rewarding as these, there’s always something more you can learn.
Bayonetta 2 Tips
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First, master the dodge
Bayonetta 2’s simplest and most crucial mechanic to master is dodging -- without it, you may as well hand yourself over to Bayonetta’s angelic foes now. It only requires a button press to pull off, but the real trick is in the timing. Perfect dodges (aka dodging at the very last second before a blow) induce Bayonetta’s Witch Time ability, an incredibly important technique that you’ll also need if you hope to get very far.
Beyond Witch Time, though, effective dodging goes hand in hand with staying calm and collected. You may think Bayonetta 2 is a twitchy game, but it’s actually quite the opposite; only when you relax and loosen your iron grip on your controller will you enter a state of zen and fight for minutes or even hours relatively unscathed. If you’re clamping the GamePad like a vicegrip, it’s all over.
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Consider going Pro
Of course, it doesn’t have to be the GamePad you’re clamping. Bayonetta 2 supports the Wii U Pro Controller as well as the GamePad, and after trying both, I can say without reservation that the former is the superior option. Touch controls are interesting and appreciated, but when it comes to really mastering Bayonetta’s diverse moveset (in terms of both muscle memory for lengthy combos and convenience executing special attacks), a standard pad is always going to be the premier method of control in an action game.
Better yet, the Wii U Pro Controller isn’t just “some standard pad,” but a sturdy, long-lasting, well-built piece of hardcore videogame hardware. If you’ve been expecting it to feel cheap and flimsy like the Wii’s Classic Controller Pro, think again; I foresaw the same, but have been completely blown away. I haven’t spent extensive time with Xbox One’s controller, but aside from that, Wii U Pro is fast becoming my favorite pad out there. And despite still possessing a glossy finish on top and a matte finish on the bottom, the gloss is a slightly different material than on Wii, rendering it sweat-stain free after long sessions. No more crusty controllers.
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Know when to target
The targeting system in Bayonetta 2 is quite useful, but can seem a bit confusing or non-standard at first if you’re not familiar. Zelda players in particular will find themselves in the habit of continuously holding the left trigger to stay targeted, only to realize that free movement and toggling targets on and off can, in many cases, be the key to success.
One strategy I found useful was to employ targeting when I needed to rush a specific enemy. For example, I’d dodge, enter Witch Time, target, Stiletto toward the nearest foe, and then let them have it. It’s a judgment call, because in many cases you’re better off using your Witch Time to flail wildly and hope to hit someone in the nearest enemy cluster. As mobs become more difficult and bosses grow in both size and number of targetable weak points, this sort of management becomes very necessary.
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Choose your loadout wisely
Shopping for weapons, accessories, techniques and more at the Gates of Hell plays a huge role in your combat abilities and ever-evolving fight style, and balancing these things in (somewhat) perfect harmony can be the difference between a Bronze ranking or a Gold. When I first began playing I’d jump at any purchase I could afford, but before long I realized it was more effective to slowly add, tweak, and add some more. You don’t instantly carve a masterpiece from a slab of stone, after all -- you chip away at it.
Luckily, many items for sale at the Gates have a “try” option, which lets you take them into Practice Mode and take them for a spin. This is especially useful for weapons and battle techniques, but also tantalizing, as it lets you test out items you’re not close to having the cash (read: halos) for. I tested the Moon of Mahaa-Kalaa accessory early on, which lets your repel attacks with a flick of the left analog stick, and doing so made the multi-chapter wait until I had the money for it feel much longer.
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Make the most of your Climax
I’ve spoken about Witch Time already, but the Umbran Climax is really where you’re going to deal out massive damage, especially during boss encounters. With some bosses, it can feel as though the only time you’re actually making progress is when the Umbran Climax is active, and for that reason alone it’s hugely important to dash toward a target and start unleashing hell immediately upon activation.
Alternatively, you can spend your magic meter on torture attacks, and for large mobs that contain more than one especially powerful enemy, these attacks can be a lifesaver. My personal favorite is the guillotine, but there’s also a purgatorial woodchipper, among others. Of course, you don’t get the showy demonic summons this way, but don’t worry -- you’ll Climax frequently enough to see them plenty often.
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Learn one thing at a time
As Bayonetta acquires new moves and abilities, you’d be smart to realize that they’re not going to help you much if you haven’t mastered them. It’s hard enough to develop the discipline to not devolve to desperate button mashing when things get hectic, and that’s just dealing with the standard punch and kick combos.
Early in the game I purchased the Stiletto, and it wasn’t until a chapter or two later that I realized I’d been neglecting its most useful use case. Beyond just dealing damage, the move actually sends Bayonetta zooming toward a targeted enemy, perfect for use immediately after a dodge to dish out some hefty damage before Witch Time runs out. Many other abilities have similar nuances, and getting the most out of them is what will really improve your game. Though admittedly, collecting them is fun too.
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New isn’t always better
Bayonetta is famous for wielding guns strapped to both her hands and feet, and this time around a set of automatic pistols known as Love is Blue are replacing her trademark Scarborough Fair. When I first acquired a new weapon to strap onto Bayonetta’s limbs in place of her azure firearms, I immediately jumped at the opportunity. Equipped with deadly Rakshasa blades, I confidently strutted into battle.
… And immediately died. It’s a small change, but like most things Bayonetta 2, a change not nearly as simple as it seems. I continued toying with the Rakshasas over time, but in the end I came back to Love is Blue, even for some of the game’s final stages. You’ll likely want to try everything for the fun of it, but when it comes to scoring Gold medals or earning top marks, you’ve got to go with what works. The beauty of the game is that this will likely be different for everyone.
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Embrace your heritage
Bayonetta 2 is constant, high-paced adrenaline, and though it’s a hilarious and charming rush 90% of the time, there are those moments where the schtick gets old. To mix things up, I’ve been spending a lot of time with the game’s Nintendo outfits, and boy are they fun to mess around with.
If you haven’t seen the trailers, Bayonetta’s Star Fox, Samus, and Princess Peach garb sets aren’t just tacked-on gimmicks -- they’re full costumes, complete with their own animations and movesets. While donning the Varia Suit, Bayonetta can even go into Morph Ball mode, taking advantage of Power Bombs and other sci-fi weaponry. In an odd twist, I actually ended up logging a record performance replaying one of the game’s early chapters in my Star Fox gear. Sometimes relaxing and trying something new can work wonders.
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Practice makes perfect
If you’re the type who intends to Platinum or even Pure Platinum every chapter in the game, I’ll tell you what you already know -- there’s a long road ahead. Still, repetition is the key to that sort of success, and entering the zen-like state mentioned in a previous slide is absolutely crucial when it comes to completing battles both quickly and unscathed. There’s not much more to say on this topic, as players with such lofty goals in mind probably already know what they’re doing. Just keep grinding, loosen your grip, and hope for some lucky breaks.
