Witch Time
| Witch Time / Bat Within | |
|---|---|
.jpg) .JPG) Witch Time (top) and Bat Within (bottom) | |
| User | Bayonetta |
| Universe | Bayonetta |
Witch Time (ウィッチタイム, Witch Time) is Bayonetta's down special in Super Smash Bros. 4.
Overview
Bayonetta performs a backflip, and if struck at frame 5 or later, activates Witch Time, which slows down nearby opponents (including any who did not attack) dramatically for up to four seconds, leaving them open to a counterattack. It can be activated by projectiles, but will not slow down the user if they are too far away. Its effect is comparable to that of the Timer item. This is accompanied with the visual effect of a purple vortex and a clock surrounding the victim. The slowdown duration is signified by the clock's hand, and upon making a full revolution, the effect wears off. If Bayonetta flinches during the effects, it wears off immediately.
The duration of the slowdown varies based on the victim's damage percentage and how frequently the move is used (which can reduce the slowdown time to as low as only half a second, as of version 1.1.5), regardless of whether it's successful or not. The move will fully recharge after 21 seconds without use. Though the hit used to activate will be nullified, any other hitboxes produced by the affected character will still be considered active under Witch Time, meaning that multi-hitting attacks can still potentially flinch Bayonetta and stop the slowdown if she is not quick enough to intercept. This can notoriously cause a KO on Bayonetta when she would have had the upper hand, such as against Charizard's Flare Blitz, since it can still land with full power if she walks into Charizard.
Witch Time does not work against grabs, though attempting the move gives the user intangibility frames which will make grabs miss, just like Lucario's Double Team. Futhermore, unlike all other counters, it can activate on non-grab unblockable attacks. It can also affect opponents while they are invincible, but not when they are completely intangible. Bosses and enemies can be affected by the move as well, but with the exception of the Master Shadow form of Master Core, they will not display the clock visual effect.
If Witch Time is activated right before the counter frames run out, Bat Within activates instead: Bayonetta will transform into a swarm of bats and travel in any direction the player wishes, while also reducing the amount of damage taken. This mechanic technically gives Bayonetta the least vulnerable counter. It is also possible to activate both Witch Time and Bat Within at the same time, since the activation time for both moves overlaps within 5 frames of each other. When they are both activated, however, the slowdown time is reduced, but Witch Time then has a slightly shorter recharge time at 20 seconds, and Bayonetta will take the halved damage.
Interestingly, the damage increase by charging on Bayonetta's smash attacks is less significant against opponents under the effect of Witch Time. [1] For example, while the late part of the second hit of her down smash usually deals 21% damage when fully charged, it will only deal 18% under the same circumstances againt a slowed down opponent. While hardly noticeable at first, this is likely in an attempt to balance out opponents' higher vulnerability as a result of the slowdown effect, as it gives Bayonetta enough time to successfully land charged smash attacks on them.
Formula
Taking into account Witch Time's maximum duration (240 frames), minimum duration (30 frames), base duration (180 frames), penalty per use (75 frames), scaling to the opponent's percentage (divide by 10) and recharge speed (0.06 frames per frame since last use), the duration of Witch Time (t) can be expressed as t=(180-75+(0.06f))x(p/10), where f is the number of frames since last used, p equals the opponent's percentage and 30<t<240. At the start of a match, f would equal 1250 frames, Witch Time's total recharge time.[1]
Customization
Special Move customization was added in Super Smash Bros. 4. These are the variations:
| 1. Witch Time |
|---|
 |
| "Avoids an enemy attack and slows down the flow of time for them. The effect lessens with repeated use." |
- Witch Time: Default.
Like the other DLC characters, Bayonetta lacks custom move variations.
Origin
Witch Time is a major mechanic in Bayonetta, where Bayonetta/Jeanne slows down time while moving freely within it. It is used to traverse terrain that would otherwise be inaccessible, such as water or rock fragments. It can be activated in a variety of ways, primarily by dodging enemy attacks at the right time, as well as being activated by various accessories. Lumen Sages possess a similar ability called Light Speed, which also lets them slow down time. Various other releases by PlatinumGames and its predecessor, the Capcom subsidiary Clover Studios, also feature slowdown powers, such as the Bangle of Time in Devil May Cry, the "Slow" VFX ability in Viewtiful Joe, Veil of Mist in Okami, "Focus" in Transformers: Devastation, "Blade Mode" in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, and both Unite Bomb and Hero Time in The Wonderful 101.
Bat Within is a technique purchasable from the Gates of Hell. By dodging at the last second, Bayonetta instead activates Bat Within, transforming her into a swarm of bats to escape, while also negating the damage taken from the attack and slowing down time for an extended duration.
The way Bat Within works in SSB4 during Witch Time is the opposite to how it works in Bayonetta; it instead activates as Witch Time ends, and reduces slowdown time if both are activated instead of increasing it. Interestingly, Bat Within triggers in the first four frames of her air dodge and sidestep, and from the 3rd to 5th frame of her roll, which is more in line with the technique's original intended use, though in every case, it only halves the damage she would have taken, rather than completely negating it.
Witch Time as seen in Bayonetta.
Bat Within as seen in Bayonetta.
Bayonetta activating Witch Time & Bat Within at the same time.
Trivia
- Witch Time can activate on Final Smashes, excluding Peach Blossom and Final Smashes that are grabs (the Black Hole portion of Black Hole Laser, Dedede Burst, Dream Home, Poltergust 5000, Psystrike, Super Pac-Man, and Triforce Slash). However, Bayonetta is still intangible to everything until the activation time for Bat Within begins, though some Final Smashes (Mega Laser portion of Black Hole Laser, Final Edge, Full Blast, PK Starstorm, Super Diffusion Beam, Three Sacred Treasures, Wii Fit and Zero Laser) render it useless due to their lasting hitboxes.
- Witch Time cannot slow down the Landmaster, Octopus, Super Dragon, Super Sonic or Mega Charizard X, despite these Final Smashes only providing invincibility (or super armor for Mega Charizard X), but can slow down Wario-Man, Giga Bowser, Giga Mac, and Mega Lucario due to them still being treated as characters, whereas the other Final Smashes are actual transformations and have significantly different properties.
