Sorry for taking so long to respond. I disagree that Bayonetta has the best combat mechanics in any fighting/action game because of the systems it employees. Bayonetta places far more emphasis on style over substance. Its core mechanics have purposely been designed with accessibility over depth and balance. Im not going to go into heavy discussion about: level design, pacing, enemy ai, bosses, camera, frame-rate, cutscenes, difficulty balance
etc. Unless you want me to.
Canceling Systems in Fighting/ Action games:
I want to start out by discussing the canceling systems in action/fighting games because the canceling system impacts the foundation of the entire combat system. I want to talk about the three main action games before Bayonetta came out. Devil May Cry, God of War, and Ninja Gaiden. All three of these games use their cancel systems differently and the cancel systems dictate how the games play and feel.
There are many different types of cancels, however there are two main categories they fall under. Complete cancels and partial cancels.
A complete cancel lets the player cancel their animation at any time. While a partial cancel only lets the player cancel their animation at a specific time.
God of War I believe uses complete cancels for the majority of its animations, while Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden use partial cancels. Im going to mostly discuss God of Wars cancel system and how its relevant to the topic.
God of Wars Canceling System:
Out of all the actions above God of War has by far the most lenient cancel system. It uses complete cancels for the majority of its animations and allows the player to instantly cancel actions. In God of War every attack can be canceled at any time; the only exceptions that I can remember are these:
L1 + X button (Ground)
L1 + X button (Air)
L1 + Square (Ground)
L1 + Square (Air)
L1 + Triangle (Ground)
L1 + Triangle (Air)
L1 + Circle (Ground)
L1 + Circle (Air)
R1 (Ground)
R1 (Air)
R1 R1 R1 (dash attack)
Prsssing X during evasion (flip attack)
The triangle button launcher
Throwing (only a complete cancel in the original God of War)
The triangle button finishing attacks at the end of a combo.
How the Complete Cancel System effects the Combat System/ Mechanics:
What the complete cancel system does to the core combat mechanics is that it allows the player to play without thought or strategy and not be punished. You do not have to think about what attacks you do and when you do them. Because if you're ever in danger of being hit or countered you can instantly cancel into either a guard or evade. With exception to the abilities I listed above. Essentially almost every single move in God of War is completely safe and there is no risk to executing any move because it can be canceled instantly into a guard or evade.
Example:
Imagine you are playing checkers against an opponent. You move your checker piece and eventually it sinks into your head that you have just made an incredibly stupid move that will leave you wide open to your opponents next move. Your opponent picks up their checker piece and begins to double jump you to take advantage of your mistake, you scream REDO and move your piece back to where it previously was positioned. That is essentially what the complete cancel system is.
The complete cancel system makes the game easier to use and far more accessible to people at the expense of depth and strategy. It is designed for people who don't want to learn techniques, strategize and learn the concept of risk vs reward. The complete cancel system simplifies the entire foundation of the combat mechanics.
More Information about Canceling in Action/Fighting games:
Heres an article on gamasutra that goes further into detail about cancel systems and their applications. From professional combat/systems designer Eric Williams.
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/17215/Combat_Canceled_God_of_War__Action_Game_Design.php
Eric Williams (professional combat/systems designer) on God of Wars combat system/canceling system:
Eric Williams said:
God of War, unlike the other two games (hes referring to DMC and NG), allows for many Pre-hit frame cancels, and incorporates several of the methods found in the other two games. The main difference is that it is not trying to be a hardcore game from either a technical or flashy point of view. Its just smash-and-kill fun.
It still has some goodies tossed in under the hood, of course, for the fans of the other games that gave us a shot while they waited for the next installment of Ryus or Dantes saga. The rules for canceling are all over the place - but for good reason. Our intended audience does not want to learn the techniques. They just want the game to play the way they think it should, because combat is not the only focus unlike the other two games.
Bayonettas Canceling System:
Hmmmm. Let me see, what type of cancel system does Bayonetta use again? Oh thats right, the exact same one as God of War. However there is a difference between Bayonettas and God of War complete cancel system. Bayonettas use of the complete cancel is even more widespread then God of Wars cancel system. In Bayonetta as far as Im aware everything is safe and completely cancelable with the exception of:
1.) descending afterburner kick (post frame cancel only)
2.) the kick button in mid air (post frame cancel only)
3.) The final wicked weave kick in the PPPPPK combo (post frame cancel only)
4.) The kick launcher (post frame cancel only)
To put it simply Bayonetta has simplified its use of complete canceling to an even further degree than God of War.
Bayonettas Canceling Thought Process:
Not only have all of the moves been made completely safe and cancelable (with exception to the above), but the entire canceling thought process has also been simplified as well. In God of War when you cancel to avoid taking damage from an enemy you are occasionally forced into Nitaku (two choice) situation. Depending on whether the enemies attack is blockable or unblockable you must make a decision between guarding or evading. If you choose wrong you could take damage. In Bayonetta there is one perfect answer to everything, evasion. So not only has the canceling system been simplified but the critical decision making process has been streamlined down to one answer as well.
Bayonettas Evasion System:
The canceling thought process has been simplified down to one perfect answer, but thats not all. The one perfect answer, the evasion system, it too has been simplified. When you evade in GoW/DMC/NG you must not only time your evasion. But you must evade in the correct direction as well. Or you will be punished and take damage. In Bayonetta you dont have to evade in the correct direction. You only have to time your evasion presses. So the core evasion system itself has been simplified.
Bayonettas Evasion systems input timing:
The input timing for Bayonettas evasion system is even more lenient than other action games. The system has been simplified so that you do not have to evade in the correct direction of an attack due to the numerous invincible frames in the evade animation. You can flow right through enemy attacks. According to Bayonetta the Official Guide you must dodge within 5 frames of being hit to activate witch time. So by basic logic we know that the evasion animation has more than 5 frames of invincibility to it.
Because we all know you can dodge an attack, not get hit and not activate witch time (because you were not within the five frames of being hit). With this many invincibility frames added to the evade animation the timing is far easier than other action games.
Also unlike other action games, where there is a small recovery from each evade animation. Bayonetta simplifies the evade system further and allows the evade animation to be canceled with more evades up to four times in a row all while maintaining invincibility. During the fifth evade in a row the player is left vulnerable (when playing Bayonetta).
What this does to the system is that it allows players to mash the evade command without properly timing or thinking about their button presses and still remain invulnerable to incoming attacks. They can even reset the evade count by shooting, parrying, or attacking for a second, then they can continue to mash the evade command for more invincibility frames.
When we add in other abilities such as Bat Within the input timing to avoid damage is even more lenient. Not only can you avoid damage by mashing the evade command but even during the fifth evade you can still avoid damage during the vulnerability of the last evade.
Not to mention if you trigger bat within during mashing the evade button it resets the evade count and allows the player to evade four more times in rapid succession while maintaining invincibility. So with this added ability the input timing has been further streamlined. And the player can just guess with their evades hoping they activate bat within to reset their evade count so they are able to keep dodging.
When we throw in the Beast Within ability to the game, you can mash the evade button to cancel into beast within for a second (while remaining safe) and then instantly cancel back into evading which resets your evade count. Making you invulnerable without even needing to time your evades and without forcing the player into vulnerability with the fifth evasion flip or guessing with bat within.
As if the evasion system wasnt already simplified enough we even have the completely broken Umbran Portal kick which can be looped for infinite invincibility frames. While evading you can hold the B (kick) button which starts the Umbran Portal Kick which is completely invincible and then cancel it into an evasion which is also invincible and just keeping looping them over and over again. The one system that the game utilizes to deal with all offensive threats is an unbalanced mess that can be completely exploited without any real thought or skill.
Bayonettas Parry System:
Bayonettas parry system is easily the most unbalanced parry system that I have seen. I have no idea what they were thinking when they put this mechanic into the game. The parry system has no risk vs reward concept behind it. The parry system is all reward and no skill. You dont actually have to precisely time your parries or be punished as in other action games because inputting the parry command does not interfere with other commands the player inputs nor does it place the player in harms way. The player is at no risk and they are free to input the parry command as much as they want without any repercussions.
The games parry system is specifically designed to allow players to mash the parry command without thought or skill. You can just mash the parry command (left analog stick) repeatedly in the direction of your enemy while button mashing attacks and the parry will execute automatically and you will be completely safe and with complete frame advantage over your enemy. There is no penalty to mashing away at the parry button. Even God of War punishes the player for mashing the block button in an attempt to parry. But not Bayonetta, the system is designed for the user to mash away instead of actual thinking.
Bayonettas Evasion System + Parry System:
The evasion system is already completely unbalanced. But adding the unbalanced evasion system with the broken parry system turns the game into a mess. Because while you use the evasion system you can input parry commands at the exact same time so you are completely covered from being hit. And you can attack away mindlessly while mashing the parry command and win fights without even being hit. And you know those 4 moves I listed above as not being safe. Well with the parry system and the bat within ability they are now quite safe.
Dodge Offset:
This is probably the most interesting new mechanic in the game. You can store combo inputs as you hold the attack button down while evading. It slightly reminds me of buffering or guard buffering in Virtua Fighter. Dodge Offset allows the user to store up to four combo inputs for Bayonetta (Unless you reset the evade count).
What Dodge Offset does (on Alfheim challenges or Infinity Climax fights where you can not directly hit an enemy), is it makes the player think about the attacks their inputting. Of course you can instantly cancel out of an attack and be safe. However when you attempt to dodge offset a 5 hit combo string or higher the game forces the player to think about whether they should let their attack animation occur (so they can reset the evade count) or cancel into an evasion and possibly go over the evade limit exposing themselves.
There is a little risk vs reward concept going on in this very specific circumstance. If the player evade cancels their attack animation over 4 times without resetting the evade count then they are exposed to attacks and lose all the inputs they have previously stored. If the player lets an attack animation occur to reset the evade count at the wrong time then they are hit and lose the inputs they were storing. So the player has to be careful when offsetting a long combo string. However even if the player is at risk during both circumstances they can still avoid damage with the parry system and bat within ability. So the risk has been diluted quite a bit. But at least there is still a risk vs reward concept happening in this specific circumstance thanks to the dodge offset mechanic.
Beast Offset:
The dodge offset mechanic required skill to use when inputting long combo strings and attempting to remain safe from enemy attacks. It introduced a risk vs reward concept to the game and required good judgement to execute long combo strings safely. Then in chapter 5 they introduce the Beast offset and spit all over the best mechanic the game had to offer. By switching in between normal form and beast form Beast Offset allows the player to maintain combo inputs without any evade count limitations and evade limitations. It essentially allows the player to input combo strings without needing proper timing and judgement. The player does not need to remember how many times they evade canceled and whether or not their combo string input will be ruined by going over the evade count limit. The player is given infinite chances to hold combo inputs and evade cancels as long as they are not hit. So basically the best mechanic in the game has been dumbed down so the players dont have to plan.
Bayonettas Combat Mechanics:
Practically all of Bayonettas combat mechanics has been watered down for accessibility and player empowerment at the expense of depth and balance. The very foundation the combat system the cancel system is designed for mindless playing without penalty. The witch time mechanic is designed for accessibility to give the player, free time to attack/experiment while the enemy sits there helplessly. The large list of moves/combos/attacks require no thought or skill to use because everything is completely safe and cancelable. The core canceling thought process has been streamlined down to one answer for all enemy attacks. With no two choice situations and decisions in canceling thought processes.
The evasion system is unbalanced and has multiple exploits that allow the player to remain invincible. The evasion system also has by far the most lenient evasion input timing in an action game, which is once again designed for accessibility. With added abilities Bat within, Beast within and Umbran Portal kick the incredibly lenient evasion system is further broken. The parry system has been completely unbalanced and it allows the user to mash the parry command in the enemy direction without thought, skill and penalty.
Even simple features such as locking on stuns enemies and stops them from attacking. Even jump canceling off enemies has been made easier than DMC due to the large amount of time Bayonetta stays in the air while jumping. Even Dodge offset is streamlined with the inclusion of Beast Offset which allows the player to store combo inputs while having infinite evades. The inclusion of the boring disconnected QTEs that take control away from the player are far worse than other games QTE's.
Practically ever single combat mechanic in Bayonetta is a dumbed down streamlined mechanic from another game. The input timing for almost ever single mechanic has been made more lenient. Just time the input for the different mechanics and test the cancel system you will see how far the game has been simplified. Platinum Games were obviously attempting to go for a more mainstream audience with the way they designed the games mechanics. And it shows through the basic game design.
Bayonetta is a fun action game with cool stylish combos to string together and some of the enemies put up a nice fight. Ideal for posting flashy combo's on you tube. But best combat in any game ever? Definitely not. Not even the best designed combat in the action genre. Combat wise Bayonetta is a classic example of style over substance.
