The Umbrian witch is back to kick some angelic demon as anywhere and anytime for the Nintendo Switch in Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2. Piece together your hazy memories and the history of your culture in the former, then rescue fellow witch, Jeanne, in the latter.

Does Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 have a climatic flair, or will it be stuck in Purgatorio? Find out in our review after the break!

Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2
Nintendo Switch
Developed by Platinum Games
Published by Nintendo
Released: 16th February 2018
Review copies provided by Nintendo

Both games revolve around the titular witch, Bayonetta, in a hack and slash adventure which is crude, over the top, but most importantly, totally badass. The first game follows Bayonetta as she tries to piece together her lost memories, while also figuring out the downfall of her Umbrian clan. Unfortunately, the angelic demons of Paradiso are royally pissed at you, most likely because you’ve teamed up with those from Inferno to provide you with insane powers.

Bayonetta 2 on the other hand takes place during the Christmas period. Bayonetta and Jeanne are preparing for some sort of party when, all of a sudden, Paradiso angels attack… with a fucking huge jet! Though you are able to dispatch these angels easily, one of the demons you summon ‘kills’ Jeanne which forces you to set off to find the real gates of Hell to save Jeanne’s soul. Oh, it also has a much improved UI.

Equipped with a range of guns and swords in your hands and feet, you can perform a range of interesting combos to defeat your foes. As the game progresses, you will likely need to be more thoughtful about which combos you perform as some of those bastard angels can be really tough, I ended up dying at least five times in chapter two on normal difficulty. Technically Bayonetta is nude for the majority of the game. Even though it may look like she is wearing clothes that is actually her hair. Funnily enough, her hair is the source of a lot of her powers, and can even be used to summon demons of Inferno to chomp your enemies down to size.

As you build up your magic meter, you’ll be able to perform a Torture or Climax attack. Not only is this OTT and gory, but they are incredibly powerful moves. You can also go into Witch Time whenever you dodge an attack correctly, this will slow time down, allowing you to really rack up some sweet, sweet combos. Witch Time can also come in useful while roaming the level to gain access to specific areas

The structure of each chapter is pretty simple, you get to explore a huge area, and every once in a while you will get trapped and a wave of Paradiso angels will come at you, this is called a Verse. Each chapter has quite a few of them, including several hidden Verses which are very well hidden. At the end of the Verse, you will be rewarded a trophy based on your score, time taken, and damage received. You’ll also gain Halos when defeating enemies which can be traded with Rodin in The Gates of Hell bar for weapons, techniques, and more.

When you aren’t fighting, you can roam around the level and find cool little secrets, such as diary pages which expands the game’s lore. I am really impressed with the amount of detail put into the lore, there are even entries for each angel or demon you fight. You can also collect different ingredients which are used to create powerful concoctions to aid you in battle.

One of my favourite elements of both games is the writing. It’s crude, it’s over the top, and it’s absolutely hilarious. From Bayonetta’s sassy one liner’s to Enzo’s signature ‘foregetaboutit’, the writing makes the game even more fun to progress through.

With the Nintendo Switch version of the titles, the most significant difference is the fact the the game mostly runs as smooth as butter and looks better than ever when compared to the PS3, XBOX 360, and Wii U versions, especially undocked. I actually enjoy playing the games better in portable mode. The touch screen controls have also been improved, offering much more precise input. Though having the touch controls is pretty neat, it’s still a lot easier to use the traditional controls.

Though Bayonetta 2’s Tag Climax Co-Op mode does not support split screen, you can still play it online or via local console connection, assuming both parties own the game of course. Finally, Bayonetta 2 now has Amiibo support, which allows you to can up to 32 Amiibo a day where you will receive helpful items, as well as some pretty neat outfits. Don’t worry though, all the outfits the Amiibo unlock can still be accessed through regular game progressed, so there’s no locked content here.

Overall Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 are both brilliant and fun games. It’s great to see the chaotic Ā action finely tuned and polished as well as the fact that you can now brawl angelic forces on the go. Nothing is better having some climatic action on your transit to University in the morning.

Anyone who isn’t a fan of hack and slash games with crude content are probably best to steer clear of the games, however if that’s your thing and you love Bayonetta to pieces, then I fully recommend Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 on the Nintendo Switch. I would recommend to purchase the physical version as it will come with both Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2!

Final Rating – 4.5 out of 5

Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 are out now for the Nintendo Switch

Leon Fletcher

I am a huge Nintendo fan, hence why NintyBuzz exists. I especially love all things Zelda and Metroid. NintyBuzz was started by me back in the Summer of 2014, it started out mainly as a hobby, though the site has gradually grown, and I hope it grows for many years to come!