Bayonetta 2 review: style and substance

Within the first 10 minutes of Bayonetta 2, our titular heroine has had her Christmas shopping interrupted by a group of angels riding on a fighter jet, the Samuel L Jackson-esque Rodin — in full Santa outfit — has driven his lowrider up the side of a building to offer support and a floaty, jazzy rendition of Moon River has already established itself as one of the most relentlessly catchy theme songs of the year.

To say this game is saturated with style is a significant understatement, but even though Bayonetta 2's bombastic thrills, grindhouse tone, impressive visuals and huge, ridiculous set pieces help it stand head and shoulders above most action games, the thing that makes it a must-play is its peerless combat mechanics.

Beginning with the simplest of bases — one button for punch, one for kick — the system branches out into a game experience both elegant and satisfying. After memorising a few basic combinations, you can mix things up by launching enemies, pulling off aerial combos, pausing for some extra damage with a few shots from your hand- or stiletto-mounted guns and maybe finishing things off with a cinematic and gruesome torture attack.

It all flows so logically and intuitively that even when new mechanics are introduced (like the ability to transform into a sprinting panther or hovering crow) there's no challenge in integrating them into your fighting style.

Tying it all together is the return of "Witch Time", an essential mechanic that slows time if you dodge a split-second before an enemy hits you. This creates a hugely satisfying loop of hitting combos, watching for your enemy to signpost an attack, dodging, and then punishing with big-hitting combos and finishing moves.

Of course not everything about the game is as buttery smooth. The nonsensical story about witches, angels, demons and an abstract war between dimensions has its charm, but the narrative cutscenes can be a huge bore. Bayonetta herself is over-the-top sassy — which is fine in small doses — but much of the supporting cast (especially Enzo, an exaggerated stereotype of a Goodfellas parody who screams "forgetaboutit!" about 7200 times) tend to grate almost instantly. I eventually forsook the story in favour of skipping straight to the action where possible.

As with the original game, the characterisation of the female characters (especially Bayonetta) has proved divisive, with some commentators defending as "empowering" what others deem objectification.

Sex is rarely part of the game or narrative in a direct sense, but the art direction and camerawork is unavoidedly fixated on Bayonetta's body and the way she uses it to dispense acrobatic, often semi-nude violence.

I personally found Bayonetta's self-aware sexiness to be completely in line with the world of extremes in which the game is set (and matched if not exceeded by the extremity of the bloodshed), and it's offset by her super-confident, super-independent characterisation.

To linger too much on the story or costumes or characters though would be to miss the point. It's all really just super-stylish window dressing compared to the core experience of playing the game.

This is probably the smartest, fastest, purest action since the original Bayonetta (which you can get for free when you pick up Bayonetta 2, by the way), and for this reason alone deserves to be experienced.