LogFAQs > #951967502

Bayonetta (Wii U)
Bought this (with Bayonetta 2, obviously) on launch date back on October 24, 2014. I apparently played up to Chapter 6 back then. Finally went back to play through the game once and for all, since I have had my Wii U hooked up. So let's talk about it, huh?

Wow. To say that I was even remotely good at this game would be giving my self infinitely more credit than I deserved. I was awful. I died constantly. I had to use items constantly (beginning in Chapter 5 when I figured out how to use them). I got almost all stone awards, with three bronzes and a silver in the prologue. While I definitely figured out some good techniques and combos, a lot of the time I felt like I was just mindlessly mashing buttons. I was very thankful that they offered checkpoints even on the bosses. I don't think I ever would have beaten a couple of them without them, like the final Jeanne battle. And that final boss? I cursed up an absolute storm on that thing I died so many times (I found it very difficult to dodge the attack that turned you into the baby). Frankly, going in I wasn't sure I was even going to be able to finish. My history with finishing games, especially ones known for above-average difficulty, is pretty poor. But hey, I beat it, right? Somehow, someway, I mustered it up and finished it up. Surprisingly my time was almost right on par (HowLongToBeat suggests about 12 hours for a standard first-time playthrough, I was just under 13 hours). But enough about how much I suck as a gamer. How was the game?

Well it was quite fun! I really enjoyed the nonstop battles with very little cooldown time (basically just enough to get to a slightly new location). It was a thrill each time I dodged perfectly to get Witch Time so I could go kick the crap out of the thing I just dodged. I really enjoyed the big, nasty, ugly-as-sin and unrelenting bosses. It was a joy to destroy them with a climax and watch them get ultra-violently sent back to hell where they belong.

I loved the visuals (and I DON'T just mean Bayonetta). I actually thought the scenery and level design was really great. The characters were mostly pretty great. Bayonetta, Jeanne and Luka were fantastic, and I really liked the writing for all three. Actually the writing and humor in general was pretty good. Loved all the sexual innuendos. Crazy to think this is basically a Nintendo series now, huh? The villain was eh and the baby got annoying at times. I was disappointed that Enzo and Rodin didn't have larger roles.

I'm generally not a fan of boss rushes near the end of games. They feel kinda lazy, redundant, and particularly frustrating if there's a boss you struggle with and now have to face it all over again. And it wasn't any better than usual in this one. Specifically, I despised the part with the falling tiles. That was torture, especially since my worst boss (save the two endgame bosses I mentioned in the second paragraph) was at the top with no checkpoint before the fight. So that's a complaint.

But minor complaints and my lack of gaming skills aside, the game was great. I'm glad I finally played through it and it feels like a very satisfying win. Although I want to take a break with some different games, I will absolutely be playing Bayonetta 2 (and 3 when it comes out).

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darkx
Games beaten in 2021 - 18; Most recent - Bayonetta