The first two entries into the cult hit Bayonetta franchise are out now on Nintendo Switch. Acting as direct ports rather than HD remasters, the new versions of the games provide Switch owners with slightly updated graphics and performance from the originals and new Nintendo exclusive costumes for lead heroine Bayonetta.

Bayonetta 1+2 is a 2018 direct port of the 2009 & 2014 games of the same name, it is developed by Platinum Games and published by Nintendo, and is available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.

Editor’s Note: These reviews for Bayonetta 1 & 2 will be written as original playthroughs due to being first time reviews written for Otaku Dome.

The now Nintendo exclusive Platinum Games series is on Nintendo Switch.

In preparation of the new and returning wave of fans the quick success of the Switch will likely bring with the upcoming release of Bayonetta 3, Nintendo & developer Platinum Games has released ports of the first game alongside the Wii U exclusive sequel. In Bayonetta 1, Bayonetta is revived from a twenty year slumber and teams up with an informant named Enzo. She then meets a mysterious woman named Jeanne, who like her is an Umbra Witch, yet Jeanne has seemingly teamed up with the angels while having her own plans in mind for Bayonetta. Taking place merely months after the events of the first game, Bayonetta 2 has our titular lead (sporting a new hair do) in the middle of Christmas shopping when angels attack. Suddenly Jeanne’s soul is taken to Inferno, and one of Bayonetta’s contracted demons strangely betrays her.

While one wouldn’t expect there to be any significant changes on a direct port, Bayonetta 1 and the sequel especially performs far better on the Switch than their original respective releases.

THE GOOD: While there aren’t any major changes in gameplay barring some Nintendo exclusive costumes for both titles, one thing that will become abundantly clear when playing either Bayonetta titles on the Nintendo Switch is that it has had a huge rise in overall performance. Both games perform at a locked 1080p with full 60fps. Small gameplay mechanics such as bullet time and transformations look absolutely gorgeous at full detail. The annoying slow downs in frame rate (beyond what was done on purpose of course) that the original game suffered from during bullet time & other gameplay scenarios is gone.

If you’ve ever wanted to see Bayonetta cosplay as Link (for whatever reason) now’s your chance.

Something I didn’t expect is that playing Bayonetta 2 immediately following a playthrough of Bayonetta 1 is one of the greatest treats the Switch has ever gotten me. Bayonetta 1 is more or less the vert same game I played on Playstation 3 in 2009, but upon finishing it and jumping in to it’s sequel the synchronizing of the two stories is just grand. Bayonetta 2’s story takes place about three or so months after the original game’s and it deals a lot with time travel. Bayonetta must once again face off against the angels while attempting to retrieve Jeanne’s stolen soul and protecting Loki; a young man who’s evil twin Loptr is looking to use their powers to bend reality to his will. He also enlists the aide of a younger Balder in an attempt to assassinate Loki. Unfortunately, due to the quality of my ISP, I wasn’t able to get any play time of the multiplayer features, but it’s my understanding that Platinum actually took the time and effort to make these modes feel like something Bayonetta fans would desire to play along with their friends.

Platinum Games continues it’s mastery of action game development in Bayonetta 1 & 2 on the Switch.

THE BAD: The story of Bayonetta 2 while enjoyable can also be a bit all over the place. As mentioned earlier it takes place only a few months after the end of Bayonetta 1 and with both games heavily featuring time travel, it makes a ton of call backs to the original to the point where it feels like it’s dependent on it. I get that the story involves multiple versions of characters from different time lines, but I still don’t think it was necessary for so much reused footage of the first game. With Bayonetta 3 on the way, I’m really hoping they avoid time travel this time around.

Bayonetta 2 provides an optional, but well designed tag team mode.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Bayonetta 1+2 on the Nintendo Switch is a surprising touch up on the Platinum classics with noticeable upgrading. Even with it not being an exact HD remaster of these games, it serves as a canvas for what these updated games should strive to be.