The first time I played Bayonetta I tried to not mash buttons and think deliberately about the moves I was making, but I must admit I wasn't thinking very hard about the choices I made. Looking at my combo usage, there are a few that I used over a hundred times and lots that I used less than ten times, and not much in-between.
After I finished the game on normal, I tried to play on hard but got my posterior handed to me. The game defaults to hard as soon as you finish your first playthrough which I feel is a mistake. Platinum's games tend to have high skill ceilings; it's impossible to get the most out of the game's systems on the first playthrough. Playing Bayonetta on normal for a second time would be an elevated experience.
Years later, while longing for Bayonetta 3 and expecting it not be released soon if ever, I played Bayonetta on normal again on a new save-file, but this time I was armed with knowledge I'd found by watching YouTube videos, and I had a totally different experience, where the combat was a lot more satisfying.
- A beginner's guide to getting the most out of bayonetta (lukusridley)
- How to Enjoy Bayonetta (Matthewmatosis Extra)
- Bayonetta: Pure Platinum Explained (yoshesque)
I would like to summarise my opinions and advice from playing Bayonetta a second time. A lot of useful information isn't directly conveyed by the game. I don't think anything is spoiled by getting basic advice.
Finding your Feet
Spend time in the practice mode getting a feel for the mechanics, trying to reliably execute the combos shown. You can press minus/select/back to stay in practice mode on a loading screen.
The number of combos you start with can feel overwhelming, but you should study the list to get a feel for what patterns of moves are combos. You don't need to remember them all. You may notice things like: Most aerial combos start the same; only 3 combos start with a kick; if I start with these moves, I can follow it with pretty much anything.
The final hit of a combo can have one of a few special effects: e.g. hitting the enemy into the air, doing big damage with a wicked weave, doing small damage to a wide area. There are several combos that produce each effect. Keeping in your head one combo for each effect can be useful.
Holding your punches and kicks to shoot does noticeable damage and is more worth it than it first appears. It's good for when enemies are out of reach; you can deal damage and carry on your combo. Later on, you will unlock ways to quickly close the gap on enemies, meaning you can use short range weapons without feeling that you lack range.
Take your time with the Angel Attack mini-game. The best item to buy from it is the Blue Witch Heart, which gives you much bigger max health in the next level without an item penalty. This is better than using lollipops because the health bonus persists after death.
If you press dodge while the punch or kick button is already being pressed, you can continue your combo sequence; whereas if you press dodge on its own, your next attack starts a new combo. This is called 'dodge offset'. Some enemies attack so often, you'll need to use this to perform the longer combos. It's worth being in the habit of using it because there's no downside.
Don't Be Hard on Yourself
It's normal to get a stone award at the end of pretty much every chapter. I did on my first two playthroughs because the ranking system is quite harsh. At this point I've dabbled in the first few chapters a third time and now I'm getting decent ranks.
Some Alfheims (bonus challenge areas inside a level) are not doable early on in the game. You may only be able to complete an Alfheim using a subset of the unlockable weapons.
The quick time events can be a bit bs.
Upgrades
Most of the purchasable techniques are not very useful and you could instead save for something else more expensive. These ones are effectively essential:
- Air Dodge
- Bat Within
- Stiletto / Heel Slide
- After Burner Kick
- Crow Within
The unlockable weapons tend to do more damage than your fists. But you'll notice that some weapons change the valid combo sequences slightly. It's possible to effectively use two different sets of combos during a single playthrough, but you will probably want to mostly stick to one of them.
The weapons are all general purpose, but sometimes slower weapons are harder to make work against faster enemies. Be sure to experiment to find your playstyle. You will probably want to keep one of your loadouts as something you're comfortable with while you're getting used to using a new weapon.
Unfortunately you can only change your loadouts within a level, even though the best places to practice are in the loading screen and the shop, so prepare your loadout for practising before a level ends or practice in an Alfheim.
I've not used most of the accessories, so you can decide for yourself. 'Moon of Mahaa-Kalaa' sounds the most fun, and 'Selene's Light' sounds like something hopefully no one wants to use.
Getting a Good Score
A good score is about: time to complete a fight, damage taken, and combo score. The first two will improve with experience. Getting a good combo score is mostly about keeping your damage streak going. Aside from punching and kicking: You can use your gun (left face button) to keep a streak going; you can taunt to keep a streak going, which is more useful between waves of enemies.
There are hidden fights and Alfheim portals in most levels. These contribute to your score for the chapter every time you play it. It is annoying to try to find these and I wouldn't go out of your way to try to find them on a normal playthrough. On a later playthrough where you want a good score, I recommend looking at their locations online: Bayonetta Hidden Verse List.
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