Bayonetta (universe)

Bayonetta (universe)
Developer(s)	PlatinumGames
Publisher(s)	Sega (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) Nintendo (Wii U, Switch)
Designer(s)	Hideki Kamiya Hiroshi Shibata Masaaki Yamada
Genre(s)	Third-person action game
Console/platform of origin	PlayStation 3/Xbox 360
First installment	Bayonetta (2009)
Latest installment	Bayonetta 2 (2014)
Article on Wikipedia	Bayonetta (universe)

The Bayonetta universe (ベヨネッタ, Bayonetta) refers to the Super Smash Bros. collection of characters, stages, and properties that hail from the Bayonetta series developed by PlatinumGames and owned by Sega.

Franchise description

Having previously planned and directed the first two installments of Resident Evil for Capcom, respectively, video game designer Hideki Kamiya explored action-adventure game design as the director for the introductory installment of Capcom's Devil May Cry series. Following his directorial and writing roles for the Viewtiful Joe series, his last role at Capcom was as the director of another action-adventure, Ōkami. Moving onto the then-recently-founded PlatinumGames, Kamiya was tasked to direct a "stylish action game" as a successor to Devil May Cry's formula for Sega. In a move that would later spawn no small degree of debate in the press, Kamiya deliberately went for an over-the-top slant towards feminine fan service in the design of the eponymous lead character of his game, Bayonetta. The game, Bayonetta, was released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2009, and garnered critical praise for its deep-yet-accessible third-person-combat and unapologetic camp factor. Though it would sell over a million units worldwide and become PlatinumGames' best-selling title, it did not beat the company's sales expectations.

Though Kamiya had ideas for sequels and spin-offs for Bayonetta - one idea of which bore fruit in the 2013 anime film Bayonetta: Bloody Fate, a mostly-faithful retelling of the game - he originally doubted that a sequel would ever be released, and he worked his next role as director for Nintendo's 2013 Wii U title The Wonderful 101. Bayonetta 2, however, was announced late in 2012, and the reveal garnered outcry from fans because it was announced as an exclusive for Nintendo's Wii U, not to see any release on either of the systems its predecessor was released for - therefore potentially forcing many players to convert to a different next-generation console brand. PlatinumGames' producer responded to the controversy by explaining that the game would not have existed had it not been for Nintendo's offer of financial partnership.

Regardless, Bayonetta 2 was released late 2014 to near-universal critical acclaim, with reviewers commenting that it refined problematic elements from the first game, such as improved art direction, tighter pacing, and the removal of frustrating Quick-Time Events. The game's Special and First Print Editions included a Wii U port of the original Bayonetta as a separate disc inside the case. However, as of 2015, Bayonetta 2 had only sold roughly the same number of units on the Wii U as its predecessor had on each of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. During and following this release, Kamiya had repeatedly shot down questions and requests on social media on whether Bayonetta herself would be included in the roster of Nintendo's crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. 4 - released roughly the same time - but despite this, Bayonetta was revealed as one of the final downloadable-content characters for the game a year later, at the end of 2015.

The Bayonetta series follows the over-the-top adventures of the eponymous heroine, who is initially unaware of the origins of both herself and her spectacular powers as an "Umbra Witch" - powers which not only afford her superhuman combat skills equal parts brutal and graceful, but more outwardly supernatural endeavors such as slowing time, shapeshifting into animals, and summoning demons. Her own hair is used for some of these techniques, which by default literally composes her skin-tight uniform; as a result, her outfit becomes more revealing as she uses "Wicked Weaving" techniques. Starting out in a fictional European city, Bayonetta becomes convinced that a mysterious gemstone in her possession, one of a pair called the "Eyes of the World", must be reunited with its counterpart to retrieve her memories. Many twists and developments await her as she battles through a large variety of menacing, marble-skinned angels from one of three alternative planes of reality separate from mankind's own. These three planes - directly borrowed from Dante's Divine Comedy - are visited throughout both games, and as the second game progresses, Bayonetta must contend with demons as well.

During the 2017 Game Awards, after the announcement that Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 would be ported to the Nintendo Switch from the Wii U, Reggie Fils-Aimé asked the host, Geoff Keighley, if he "thought [he] came all the way up here [to the side stage] for only one announcement"; almost immediately following this, a third Bayonetta title was announced as an upcoming game for the Switch, with an unknown release date.

In Super Smash Bros. 4

Characters

• 
  Bayonetta: The main protagonist of the series was announced to be added as the final DLC character on December 15th, after being one of the most highly requested characters in the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot. She fights using various weapons, techniques, and demons from the two Bayonetta games.

Stages

• 
  Umbra Clock Tower

Music

• Let's Hit the Climax: The music that plays when Bayonetta summons an Infernal Demon in Bayonetta.
• Theme of Bayonetta - Mysterious Destiny: A remixed, instrumental version of Bayonetta's battle theme from Bayonetta.
• Tomorrow is Mine (Bayonetta 2 Theme): A remixed, instrumental version of the main theme of Bayonetta 2, with a saxophone playing in place of vocals.
• One of a Kind: The music in the opening of Bayonetta, where the history of the Lumen Sages and Umbra Witches is narrated by Antonio Redgrave.
• Riders of the Light: Bayonetta's second battle theme from Bayonetta.
• Red & Black: Jeanne's second battle theme in Bayonetta.
• After Burner (∞ Climax Mix): The music that plays during the Chapter "Route 666" of the first game, which is a remix of the music from After Burner, an arcade game by Sega.
• Friendship: The music that plays when Jeanne rescues Bayonetta in the first game, and when Bayonetta goes to save Loki in the second.
• Let's Dance, Boys!: The music that plays during the ending dance sequence of Bayonetta.
• The Legend of Aesir: The music in the opening of Bayonetta 2, where Luka narrates the history of Aesir.
• Time for the Climax!: The music that plays when Bayonetta summons an Infernal Demon in Bayonetta 2.
• Victory! Bayonetta: The first few notes of Let's Hit the Climax.

Trophies

• Bayonetta
• Bayonetta (Alt.)
• Infernal Climax
• Jeanne
• Rodin
• Bayonetta (Original)
• Cereza

Other

• Gomorrah, Devourer of the Divine: A demon summoned from Inferno through Bayonetta's hair that devours anything it's set on destroying. It's somewhat of a "pet", and is part of Bayonetta's Final Smash, Infernal Climax.
• Madama Butterfly, Mistress of Atrocity: A demon from Inferno that has made a pact with Bayonetta to lend her supernatural abilities. Her limbs make an appearance as Wicked Weaves for Bayonetta's smash attacks.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Characters

• Bayonetta: She returns after being DLC in Smash 4 as an unlockable fighter.

Assist Trophy

• Rodin: Rodin makes his debut as an Assist Trophy.

Stages

• Umbra Clock Tower: Returning as a retro stage after its stint as DLC in Smash 4.

Music

• "Let's Hit the Climax!": the popular battle theme of the original Bayonetta returns as part of her character trailer and was also used as the song for her reveal trailer in Smash 4 but is currently unknown if it returns in the final game.

Trivia

• Bayonetta is the most recently created third-party universe to have a playable character.
• Bayonetta is the only universe whose game of origin launched on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game later re-released on the Wii U & Nintendo Switch and was also included in the initial copies Bayonetta 2.
• Bayonetta is one of two third-party universes with games published by Nintendo worldwide, as Nintendo published Bayonetta 2 and the Wii U and Switch versions of the first Bayonetta game. The other is Final Fantasy, as Nintendo also published Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles for the Nintendo GameCube.
• Bayonetta is the only third-party franchise represented by a female character.
• Bayonetta is the only universe whose games are all rated Mature by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).
• Bayonetta and Castlevania are the only two universes to introduce a playable fighter from a game with significant religious design elements.

External links

• The Bayonetta Wiki