E3 2014 Hands-On: Bayonetta 2 and Hyrule Warriors

Two big Japanese studios, two action games, two wildly different properties. Alex goes hands on with both.

Bayonetta 2

Bayonetta 2 was finally playable on the show floor and it did not disappoint. There were three gameplay segments available, with the first being a scripted tutorial that teaches players the basic moves available in Bayonetta’s (the protagonist) arsenal, such as her melee-based kicks and bullet-based gunshots. The game then moved onto to an actual level, an airship flying through the city.

The action was swift, and given the limited time available, I was unable to really master some of the special attack combinations in the game, instead randomly attacking the angelic/demonic enemies. However, the game would provide visual cues as to which button combinations to press in order to yield which attack. Graphically, the title has appealing visual art direction, with a semi-realistic, semi-animated look, although the graphics, while pretty, do not deviate very far from the standards set by PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 action titles.

Overall, it was an entertaining short experience, and a good preview into the ingenuity of the action gameplay, which Wii U gamers should appreciate given the lack of games in that genre for the platform.

Hyrule Warriors

Hyrule Warriors combines the world of the Legend of Zelda with the swarm-attack gameplay of Tecmo Koei’s Warriors series. I took control of Link in the demo, and battles through hordes of enemies, allowing rupees to be collected for arsenal and ability upgrades, which I were unable to test out in the demo. The game did not seem difficult, with the final boss of the level, a white insect-shaped creature, not being much of a challenge. I think Link may have been overpowered for the purposes of the demo.