Of all the major releases coming to the Nintendo Switch in 2022, one of the most eagerly anticipated is the return of the action-fantasy franchise Bayonetta. It’s been eight years since gamers were treated to a new Bayonetta, guest appearances in Super Smash Bros. not withstanding, and 2022 sees the long-awaited launch of Bayonetta 3. With so much time having passed between installments, even the games’ biggest fans could use a bit of a refresher one where the story left its gun-toting protagonist and the battle between the light and darkness that she finds herself caught up in the middle of.
Here is a recap of both Bayonetta games to help players prepare for the franchise’s epic return this year as Bayonetta leaps back into action, with her twin pistols, magical hair and a wicked pair of high heels capable of kicking the most terrifying demons straight to kingdom come.
The Story of Bayonetta
Released in 2009, the first Bayonetta takes place in the fictional European city of Vigrid, with the eponymous protagonist awakening from a 500-year slumber and suffering from amnesia. Bayonetta finds the world divided by the forces of light and darkness, with the Lumen Sages representing the former and the Umbra Witches representing the latter. The balance between the factions is held within two relics, the Eyes of the World, with the artifacts controlling the passage of time. The game’s world is set between three divine realms, Paradiso, Purgatorio and Inferno, inspired by Heaven, Purgatory and Hell.
As she sets out to find the Eyes, Bayonetta learns her name was Cereza and she was the daughter of an Umbra Witch and Lumen Sage named Balder. Balder intends to use the Eyes to resurrect the creator deity Jubileus to cataclysmically unite the realms together, revealing Bayonetta herself is the Left Eye. The Eye within Bayonetta is activated when she regains her memories, resurrecting Jubileus, who immediately consumes Balder. Bayonetta and her best friend, Jeanne, join forces to destroy Jubileus once and for all and save the world in a death-defying showdown.
The Story of Bayonetta 2
Released in 2014 for the Wii U, Bayonetta 2 begins several months after the first game, with Bayonetta and her friends in the fictional Middle Eastern land of Noatun and the nearby sacred mountain of Fimbulventr. After saving Bayonetta’s life from an attack by angels, Jeanne’s soul is condemned to Inferno, and Bayonetta vows to rescue her friend. She meets an amnesiac boy named Loki and promises to help him regain his powers and memories if he helps her venture into Inferno.
After saving Jeanne, Loki loses control of his powers and transports Bayonetta and a younger, time-displaced incarnation of Balder 500 years into the past at the height of the Witch Hunts that led to Bayonetta’s lengthy slumber. Teaming up with her mother Rosa in this past timeline, Bayonetta faces Loki’s evil doppelgänger Loptr, who corrupted Balder and manipulated him in becoming the villain he appeared as in the first game.
After Rosa is killed by Loptr, Bayonetta and younger Balder pursue him to the present timeline, eventually destroying him before he can use the Eyes to transform into a god to rule over humanity. Though successful, the battle ultimately corrupts Balder before he returns to his own timeline, effectively setting the events of the first game in motion as his daughter and Jeanne continue their well-deserved shopping trip.
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