3. Witch Time
It may seem a bit funny to devote a whole category to a special move, but Witch Time is so unique, and so integral to Bayonetta's fighting style, that it would be stupid not to give it its dues. When you're fighting, and you dodge an attack with perfect timing, Witch Time sets in. The world around you slows down for a short while and allows you to get in a quick few moves on your temporarily vulnerable enemy before it knows what's going on. I suppose it's a little like the hugely overused Bullet Time that was made popular by The Matrix and infected almost every medium for a decade after its conception, most popularly in Max Payne and its sequels. But unlike Max Payne and its sequels, Witch Time isn't a commodity that you can pick up off the floor or out of a medicine cabinet and store for use when you most need it, it's a skill that you have to earn on the fly. If you're fighting an enemy that's getting the better of you and you panic, unleashing a barrage of mostly unsuccessful attacks on it, then chances are you're going to die quickly and horribly. If, however, you take a breath and attack with calm and purpose and use Bayonetta's athletic disposition to your advantage, you'll be rewarded with an upper hand that will get you out of trouble time and time again. I know what you're thinking, how good can a combat game be when you constantly have access to a move so one sided and devastating? How hard can it be when all your enemies are trapped in time-treacle around you just waiting to be sliced to death? Well, like I said before, very. Because your power doesn't rely on the strength of your punches, or the speed of your feet. It relies on your ability to keep a clear head, un-panicked fingers, and a focused mind, and that's ever so much more easier-said-than-done when you're getting swarmed by legions of Heaven's finest who want nothing more than to pull your face off.