When the original Bayonetta launched in 2010 it was hailed as an exceptionally well-crafted action title with stunning set-pieces, precision-engineered combat and it featured a bewitching female lead character with an overtly sexualised style who managed to turn more than a few heads for all of the right reasons. Upon finishing the epic tale revolving around the Umbra Witches and Lumen Sages, who battled fiercely over five-hundred years ago, many were left wondering if there would ever be a sequel as it was certainly wanted. Upon revealing that Bayonetta 2 was being developed exclusively for the Wii U caused many outcries across the entire gaming community. Now that the dust has finally settled though just how did the finished game turn out? Much better than even the biggest Bayonetta fans could have ever hoped for as it happens, so hold onto your hair and prepare to be flown to the moon as the hype-train derails, disembarking completely into the realms of chaos, lunacy and of the downright demonic. Be assured that you're in for one hell of a ride so don't forget to stock up on lollipops.

Everything starts rather irreverently after the first game, while I don't wish to spoil anything major regarding the excellent story let's just say that our favourite Witch starts off in a dress before ending up in her usual attire while battling on top of a jet as it soars across the skies while you dispatch enemies like flies. This is a rather standard scenario for this franchise, so don't expect things to level out at any point because as you progress it seems as if you're ever-ascending to new heights of lunacy while simultaneously discovering the deep, dark depths of despair that prove detrimental to the themes of light/dark or heaven/hell that feature so prominently. This is still Bayonetta after all, so you can expect the tone to be frequently lightened through the gloriously over-the-top cutscenes, equally loveable yet unpalatable characters...

For those of you who may be new to this, play the original game first. The core mechanics are very similar to Bayonetta; you have your hand weapons assigned to 'X' while the ones attached to your feet are controlled with 'A' so these become your combo buttons, while 'Y' always shoots no matter what weapon you have equipped. 'B' is of course your jump button, but perhaps the most important of all are the triggers because the left enables you to perform quick reactionary moves in conjunction with other button presses while the right trigger being used to dodge. Dodging is the single-most important move you can perform because using it at the very last possible moment lets you activate 'Witch Time', where everything slows down for a few seconds, enabling you to deal more damage with style.

You are also graded on how you performed in each battle which takes into account time, damage taken, combos and item usage netting you anything from a Stone award - if you did terribly - right up to a Pure Platinum - which you only get for performing flawlessly - so while it might be tempting to use lots of those lollipops that you can find from breaking things open, as they can restore your health, protect you or deal more damage, to name but a few, but you will be automatically lowering your reward at the end. The same goes if you die, which will likely happen a lot if you decide to start off on Third Climax mode like I did, but go for it if you like a good challenge, otherwise though I'd advise going for First or Second Climax if you're new to the game.

Bewitchments are the games reward system that you get for meeting certain requirements while playing. You can also track down Umbran Crows that will give you a stamp for each one that you can catch. You can keep track of all of this on the main menu. Work your way through Story Mode to unlock Verse Cards that allow you to play more stages in Tag Climax mode, which I'll go into later. There is also a fantastic element of exploration present; wandering off the 'set path' will see you richly rewarded with secret areas if you have a keen eye, it's the only way to see everything in the game and it scratches that same adventure itch that you get in Zelda titles. Hideki Kamiya knows this only too well through his past game design experience and it certainly shines through here. You can even the odds a little by finding witches tombs that will often contain part of a Witch Heart - to extend your life - or even half of a Moon Pearl - adds on to your magic meter - though some of these will require you to reassemble five parts in a timed challenge before you can acquire the contents.

Speaking of challenges, you might also come across portals to the mysterious Muspelheim where you must defeat enemies in a mini arena under set conditions for rewards, which can range from just getting rid of enemies quickly to only being able to do damage with enemy weapons or even fighting on platforms without being allowed to touch the ground. There are yet more ways in which you can make things a little easier on yourself by obtaining more animal transformations. You begin with Panther, which allows you to run fast by double-tapping the dodge button. Others include the Crow, which lets you turn into bird form in mid-air, and the Bat, which will receive damage mitigation.

Enemy designs still draw heavy inspiration from otherworldly ideas. When each new Angelic or Demonic being descends for the first time you are presented with an introductory sequence showing their page in the 'Book of Angels' - which all your lucky first-print owners will no doubt be familiar with - accompanied by the hallowed track 'Demons Descend' by Satoshi Igarashi that always leaves a lasting impression. This gives you an insight into how your foe might behave, which is useful as every enemy has its own attack pattern so over time you learn which ones to take out first while perhaps avoiding the trickier ones initially. Boss battles are beautifully brutal. The beasts you will face off against are nothing short of magnificent and it's hard not be in awe of them, regardless of who's winning.

Once you get used to dodging at the right time, then building up your magic meter, you'll be making use of that full power by either using a torture attack that punishes your enemies in sadistic ways or going for a climax - pressing L - which will enable you to use a combo that stuns. Once you get your enemy down to virtually no health it's time to finish them off by pressing both main action buttons, which will summon forward one of your powerful wicked weaves - essentially demons formed out of the hair that Bayonetta wears - and some of the callous creations that spawn can be genuinely horrific, but just watch yourself revel in the destruction they cause as you hammer those buttons in order to get the maximum effect of the Megaton or Gigaton attacks that will put an end to any boss battle in a brutally efficient manner.

Just when you think that things can't become any better they improve tenfold, then tenfold again, until at the end you are left with an experience that leads to an unbelievable climax. Once it's over you'll wish that it wasn't, but the sheer amount of joy that you get from playing is quite simply incomparable to anything else. This feeling is amplified all the more if you have played the original Bayonetta. Underneath all of the stylised sexualisation, carefully chained together with copious cultural references, there is a terrific tale that has been wickedly well woven and its one that every gamer should get to experience.

Owning a Wii U is the only way to experience both Bayonetta titles in one place, which quite honestly is a masterstroke which I'm sure Nintendo is well aware of, though all credit for the game is still well deserved by Platinum for crafting such magnificence. Ultimately though, Bayonetta actually feels more at home where it is now much more than it ever did on previous machines thanks to the controls. The Wii U controller has something that is of huge benefit to Bayonetta in particular - digital triggers. This may seem like an odd thing to praise, especially where others famously moaned about them before launch, but being able to merely tap the triggers is especially useful being that one of them is your default dodge button. This might seem small to some, but having played the original game on a console with analogue triggers I can tell you that there were a lot of missed inputs.

In Tag Climax mode you can play with friends or other players to fight powerful enemies. You bet halos while fighting through six consecutive battles, winning earns larger halo bonuses and the more halos you bet the more challenging the battles. Sending requests to other players can be a bit hit and miss, but once you are in a game everything is really solid. I played some games with our very own RedShell, where we soon learned just how fun and frustrating co-op can be. All of the on-screen action is fluid, just like in the main game, only all the more manic as there are two of you in on the action. While it would have been nice to have the entire game available for two players, it is clear to see why this was not done. Besides, being able to battle against most of the enemies in the game in smaller arena based combat is more suited to co-operative play.

You only get one weapon set to use in this mode, so choose wisely. Even though you are working together in this mode, there is a friendly competition as the highest scoring player is crowned the winner at the end of each round, which then earns them the privilege of choosing the verse card - that you collect as you progress through the story - which are basically the scenarios for the battle. They also get to choose how many halos are bet. This mode is fantastic fun in addition to being a brilliant way to earn some more halos, which you can then use to further your progress in the main game because you will certainly be needing a lot of them if you wish to unlock everything.

Visually astounding from the very start, this is a creation that has fantastic art direction that goes against convention, making for some really striking set-pieces. You get to see such sights as an ancient city with a vast underwater section and as you journey further along you will discover a dark, twisted forest from Hell. Each animation is rendered with such tremendous detail that it's hard not to be impressed even when you falter or fail. The loading screens are fairly lenient, plus they double up as a way of mastering various combat moves. It is hard not to smile at all of the small attention to detail, including your characters butterfly wings or an Okami-like trail following behind your wild cats tail.

All of the music on the scintillating soundtrack is simply unbelievable as it eclipses even that of the original. Some of my favourite tracks include The Legend of Aesir, A Butterfly Against The Storm, Moon River Climax Mix, Tomorrow is Mine and the aforementioned Demons Descend. I've listened to the soundtrack on its own a few times as it's that good - but coupled with all of the slicing of blades, clanging of steel, bullets galore and that stomping heel, it's impossible to not feel completely engrossed or even entrapped in the whole experience.

It really is nigh on impossible for me to not give Bayonetta 2 anything less than the positively glowing reception that it deserves. Featuring an excellent plot that has a standard start to it - by Platinum's standard at least - with more than enough substance to the proceedings, plus enough twists and tidying up of loose ends to satisfy fans of the original, coupled with the suitably refined combat system that keeps all of the best bits while making room for a whole host of extra additions. With tonnes of extras to uncover including tomes to collect, Umbran Crows bearing Miiverse stamps to catch, some extra special costumes, weapons, extra characters and much more, not to mention the fact that you're getting the original game too for next to nothing if you purchase the double pack... Bayonetta has her wicked way with the Wii U and has come back for more in what is most certainly her finest witching hour that is quite simply one of the most satisfying climaxes in gaming history.