Sure, every time a new Smash Bros. character is announced, everyone on the Internet likes to jump to the conclusion that they’re “overpowered” just based on neat clips in a trailer, which are absolutely no indication of how a character will stack up in the end. So, when Bayonetta and her built-in combos were first shown as the fan-selected DLC character in the Wii U and 3DS versions, a grain of salt was advisable.
Fast forward a few months to today, and it turns out that—just this once—players may have been justified in their initial knee-jerk reaction. Bayonetta has become a huge force to be reckoned with in the game, with parts of the Smash Bros. tournament community calling for her to be banned from tournaments if she’s not toned down through patches. Others argue that she’s only that good against a player who doesn’t know how to properly counter her. Whichever side one falls on, it’s hard to deny that she has some unique advantages in the form of aerial combos that can lead to instant death—not to mention her Witch Time counter move that often leads to free, powerful hits on opponents no matter the strength of the attack she’s countering.
However, with development on the recent Smash Bros. titles having officially ended, it’s unknown whether players can hold out hope for another balance patch or they’re stuck with this version of Bayonetta forever. The possibility that a patch will come is still open, as the last patch arrived more than a month after game director Masahiro Sakurai announced that development was over, but that could very well have been intended as a final tweak after all characters had been released and play data could be collected. The patch even addressed some of Bayonetta’s strengths, but not enough to keep problems from arising.
So, with the possibility that no further changes will be made to balance the game’s characters, it’s up to the players to figure out how to deal with Bayonetta. Strategies are constantly evolving, and it was recently discovered that one of her most potent kill combos is avoidable—if she doesn’t manage to carry you too far off the top of the screen before you break out. If you’ve been having trouble against Bayonetta, watch the video above from Eric “ESAM” Lew for what may be the best advice yet on how to survive.
(via Sethlon on Twitter)
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