As we all know, the Super Smash Bros. series is a chaotic and colorful homage to Nintendo’s most beloved franchises. Its status as a fighting/party game is still hotly disputed, but there is a whole lot of fighting involved. Even so, it’s fighting of the silliest, cartoony-est, most Nintendo type you can imagine. That doesn’t mean more ‘adult’ characters aren’t welcome on occasion, though.
The inclusion of the legendary Solid Snake of Metal Gear Solid fame seemed a little jarring next to the rest of the cast, but the addition of Bayonetta was more surprising still. The Umbra witch has changed quite a lot as a Smash fighter since she was introduced, but her unorthodox style still makes her a lot of fun to play in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. If you’re looking for some tips to improve your Bayonetta play, look no further!
10 First, Accept That She’s Been Toned Way Down
Sadly, we’ve got to kick this mini-guide off with some bad news: Bayonetta is not the character she was in the previous instalment. Seasoned Super Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS players will remember that she was the absolute scourge of the game, sporting infamous ladder combos that allowed her to take her foes on a one-way trip to ragequit city aboard the Star KO Express.
There’s no doubt that a character as dominant as Bayonetta needed to be nerfed, but those accustomed to dominating with Bayonetta are first going to have to get used to just how hard she’s been hit. Let’s take a closer look.
9 Know Her Weaknesses
Bayonetta’s mobility has always been rather average, and her high speed in the air combined with her light weight and tall design mean she has to battle even harder than other lightweights to avoid taking hits. With her low overall damage and poor frame data, she also struggles to net those KOs.
A lot of these weaknesses were heightened in the transition to Ultimate. Landing lag can be deadly for Bayonetta, and ending lag has also been increased on some of her moves. The same’s true of her KO power, with decreased knockback forcing her to work even harder. Witch Time also has a far less drastic effect than it did in the last game (more on that later).
8 Know Her Strengths
In short, experienced Bayonetta players wanting to jump back into the fray as her in Ultimate are in for a rude awakening. However, don’t be discouraged from picking her up/back up. She isn’t the overwhelming and oppressive force she once was, but that’s a probably for the best. She still remains a heck of a lot of fun to play, boasting a range of unique strengths no other character on the roster can offer.
Her primary strength lies in the fluid way that her attacks can be linked into each other. They’re not very damaging in and of themselves, but she’s capable of racking up damage very quickly. She can also recover in a variety of unpredictable ways thanks to her special moves and aerial mobility, while offering unique tools like her guns –which aren’t to be underestimated, especially against an opponent struggling to recover—and still rather potent Witch Time.
7 Remember That She’s Combo-Centric, Not Damage Per Hit
In many ways, Bayonetta is quite typical of a lightweight Smash character. She doesn’t land slow, thumping blows like a heavy, but specialises in comboing smaller hits together to quickly build that damage percentage.
For Bayonetta, though, combos are even more of a focus. She can’t perform elaborate insta-doom combos like she used to, but handy tools like her up tilt can conveniently lift the foe into the air to begin the assault. Practise chaining her tilts, and special moves in particular are key to success as Bayonetta.
6 Don’t Get Tilt-ed
Speaking of tilts, they’re one of the most important parts of Bayonetta’s moveset. Generally speaking, she doesn’t really want to be on the ground (her opponents are much more vulnerable when she has them airborne), but when she is, these are the moves she wants to be using.
As we’ve said already, up tilt is designed to pop her target above her at the optimal angle. Forward tilt is a combo in and of itself if repeated, and as the damage of these hits is individually rather low, they won’t tend to launch opponents out of your reach. Spend some time in the lab familiarizing yourself with the range of these moves, when they’re safe to use and when they aren’t.
5 Her Special Moves Are Great Too
A lot of special moves, like Ganondorf’s Flame Choke, are handy for tech chases and the like but don’t directly combo into anything else. Some of Bayonetta’s B button arsenal, however, seems to have been created for this very purpose.
Not only do Witch Twist and After Burner Kick give her great maneuverability in the air, they also allow her to further trap foes in her little witchy vortex of pain, anguish, steadily increasing damage percentage and salt. Practise using them to get back to the stage from a variety of positions, as well as linking them together in combos.
4 Know How Witch Time Works (And How It Doesn’t)
Connoisseurs of the Smash series will know how the mighty overlord Sakurai’s mind works: when it’s a little tough to implement a Down B move, he will go right ahead a slap a counter on there. Does it seem like he cares if you have a problem with that? That’s because he doesn’t.
Witch Time behaves a little differently, though. It’s a counter, Jim, but not as we know them. If you’re familiar with the Bayonetta series, you’ll know that the titular witch is able to briefly slow the passage of time for her enemies, leaving them ripe for a beating. This is the effect that Witch Time emulates, dealing no damage by itself but allowing the user to deal a counter blow themselves. For Ultimate, it was heavily nerfed; it’s no longer effective for long at all and is much slower to use. It can still be effective but is a lot harder to use well.
3 Know Her Best KO Options
So, you’ve mastered some nifty combos and you’ve got your latest opponent at a dangerously high damage percentage. Your next dilemma is this: how do I send this darn Mario careening off of the stage to infinity and beyond?
Well, as of Smash Ultimate, you’re going to want to start with said opponent at a very high range. Her down and forward throws can both get the job at a high enough percentage, while the same’s true of her back air (and down air, if you can pull that off successfully). As for her Smash attacks, things get a little messy there so they’ll need their own entry.
2 Know How To Use Her Smash Attacks
Well, naturally, that’s rudimentary advice for using any Smash character, but it’s even more important when it comes to Bayonetta. Her Smashes see her unleashing those iconic Madame Butterfly limbs and they have some unique properties.
Unlike most of the witch’s arsenal, her smashes have a lot of reach, but they’re quite slow and their recovery can be brutal. This makes them hard to land and very punishing to whiff, but careful use can pay dividends.
1 Stay Unpredictable, Stay Versatile (Especially When It Comes To Recovery)
This is also crucial general advice, but it’s worth closing things out with. As is often the case with lighter characters in fighting games, Bayonetta is more adept at avoiding damage but tends to pay more heavily for making a mistake.
You’ll inevitably find yourself launched off the stage, which is when your resourcefulness and practise will come into play. We’ve already touched on the fact that Bayonetta’s special moves can send her back towards safety in a variety of ways (horizontally in particular), so make sure you know what you’re capable of. Don’t rely on the same predictable recovery method, as your opponent will quickly adapt and try to exploit it. That goes for Bayonetta’s whole gameplan in general.