Remembrances of Time

The Remembrances of Time are an important concept that appears in ''Bayonetta 2. ''They are described as a 'supernatural occurrence that allows someone to view things from the past as they truly happened, untainted by history'. Certain individuals can see these visions and their presence is able to be sensed by angelic or demonic beings or ones who have the Eyes of the World.

The God of Chaos, Aesir, originally created the Remembrances of Time after he felt that existence should be preserved despite the unending flow of time. He created them from his observations of the human world to try and remember every detail of human life. Whilst he kept most of them in the Garden of God, an area beneath the town of Noatun which resided near his holy mountain, Aesir eventually created so many Remembrances that even he forgot about them as they were scattered across the Earth.

As one half of Aesir, Loki has some control over the Remembrances of Time. He can use it to manipulate the environments of Noatun and Fimbulventr as if reversing the destruction of certain features, similar to the hourglasses in the first game, by bringing back the state of buildings and structures to how they used to be in the past.

Fragments of Memory
"Strange events sometimes work their way into our everyday lives. Stories abound: flashbacks from places you have no memory of, a kid who suddenly starts speaking a foreign tongue, or a voice in your head that ends up saving your life... The list goes on and on and on.

''These are said to happen when people come into contact with the remnants of memory left behind in this world by God. The God of the human realm had special eyes that could see all existence and happenings across the Earth. They could see the fate of whomever they gazed upon--their present, past and future. Everything. God loved the human world, and his kind heart began to feel sadness for mankind. He decided to commit to memory every detail of their fleeting lives, almost like you'd take a photo.''

''He ended up doing it so much that eventually even he forgot about them, and these records were left scattered across the Earth. These are known as the remnants of memory. They usually can't be seen or felt, but the truth in these memories could be anywhere: you could be standing withing God's memories right now."''

Garden of God
"In the past, God watched over the human world all by himself. The human world is always in a state of fluc. Time flows endlessly, bringing death and new life. That which disappears is eventually forgotten. God felt mercy for existence and tried to grant them eternity with the Remembrance of Time. At intervals, he would quiet appear in the human world and observe creation, slowly building Remembrances of Time. He created a special place to store the great deal fo memories he had created. This was known as the Garden of God and described in the children's stories as a place in the depths of Lake Noatun.

''It is said to be full of the places and things found in the lives of ancient civilizations cut off from the ebb of time. Something tells me it woudn't be the best place for your normal citizen to go wandering around in. Even if the whole thing is just made up, I wouldn't be me if I didn't at least try to find it."''

Bayonetta 2
When Bayonetta arrives in Noatun, she takes encounters a glowing portal and notes the immense magic coming from it, when she steps through, a blocked off hallway is restored to its former glory, allowing Bayonetta to continue her journey. In Chapters I and II, Bayonetta is able to use a special diamond-shaped ramp that controls the gravity, this device allows her to Witch Walk during the day.

The Remembrances of Time are first mentioned by Valiance when Bayonetta first arrives in the city of Noatun. The angel claims he can sense the power around him and hints that it is connected to Loki who had fled just moments earlier.

After Bayonetta meets with the boy, he is able to use a Remembrance of Time to conjure a gigantic wave to run across, taken from the tsunami that had destroyed most of Noatun in the past. He is also able to conjure flights of stairs and structures for the pair of them to progress inside the ruins of the city. When Bayonetta enquires as to how he can perform such feats, Loki says he won't share his secrets though does reveal that he 'seems' to be able to control it. Bayonetta questions his answer, finding it curious that the boy would not know what he is capable of. Loki later uses his power to use the Ark, an ancient device that allows passage to the Gates of Hell.

Loki uses the Remembrance to create special poles that Bayonetta can spin around on, these allow her to restore the Bridge to the Heavens above the Cathedral of Cascades and much of the Garden of God under Fimbulventr.

A Remembrance is later used by Loptr to show Bayonetta the true nature of her mother's demise and the Witch Hunts. Though unable to believe it at first, Loptr explains that it is the truth and she is able to see it because she possesses the Left Eye.

The Remembrances of Time are also responsible for Bayonetta being able to see the new state of Umbran Resting Places. The new Resting Places are reflections of how they existed in the past, before they were broken up and flung into rifts of time and space. The Remembrances shows all of the pieces that made it up and allow them to be gathered up once again. If Bayonetta collects them all in a set time limit, the Resting Place is reformed back to normal and she may collect the treasure inside.

Trivia

 * The Remembrances of Time being used as a major plot point in Bayonetta 2 is reflected in the use of clocks instead of a film strip motif in the 'static' cutscenes of the game. It is also further backed up by hints that there is only a set time limit to rescue Jeanne's soul from Inferno and the truth of the origins of the universe.