When we first reviewed Bayonetta 2 in 2014 on Wii U, we gave it a 9.5. Here’s what we said about it then:
“Every aspect of Bayonetta 2 feels polished and focused. At times, the writing feels ridiculous, but I still love how it plays. The superb pacing and combat are just that good. By the end I was convinced: This sequel builds on everything that made the original great, and delivers one of the most satisfying action games I've played.” Read the full Bayonetta 2 for Wii U review.
The Switch version delivers that same action-packed experience, while smoothing out some rough edges.
Executing combos feels even more natural, making it much easier to pull off long string attacks.
By far the most significant change for the Switch version of Bayonetta 2 is the frame rate. The Wii U version notoriously dips into the 40s, but here everything moves at an almost steady 60 frames per second. I still noticed a few minor slowdowns during intense moments, but overall, executing combos feels even more natural. That makes it much easier to pull off long string attacks on groups of enemies.
However, we don’t get a bump in resolution for the Switch version of Bayonetta 2. It still runs at 720p while playing both docked and undocked, so it ends up looking significantly better while playing in handheld mode.
While there doesn’t appear to be any anti-aliasing, it looks like there are subtle improvements to shadows and texture filtering.
Touchscreen controls work just like they did on Wii U, except with greater precision and a few minor improvements to the AI-controlled camera. I still wouldn’t recommend using them past easy mode, though.
Tag Climax also makes its return, which works online or locally with another Switch, but sadly there’s still no way to play in split-screen mode.
Other new features for the Switch version of Bayonetta 2 come in the form of amiibo support. Which you’ll now be able to use to unlock the same Nintendo themed costumes from the Wii U version. The main unlocks come down to Samus, Fox, Link, Peach, Daisy, and both Bayonetta Smash Bros. amiibo - each of which carries their own set of unique sounds, halo skins, and animations. After playing through the first few chapters, I switched into the Samus costume and never looked back. Dropping bombs with the Morph Ball is awesome!