In Bayonetta, a witch named… 'Bayonetta' has awoken from a 500 year slumber. She has no memory of her past but the game’s prologue opens up with a story about two powerful clans and how they fought evil and maintained the order of the universe. That is, until a war breaks out between them and that order is disrupted. Bayonetta is the last of the witches and is continuously attacked by monsters ironically called ‘Angels’. She sets out on a journey to learn about her past, fight the angels and yes, save the universe from destruction.
We won’t go into too much detail but Bayonetta has a surprisingly interesting story with plenty of twists and substance, especially as you learn more about Bayonetta and meet interesting people from her past. These include an old rival, a journalist whose father she apparently murdered and even her daughter. The story is well told with plenty of action, humor and dramatic moments in between. The cinematography is stellar, the pacing is break-neck and the dialogue delivery, while very cheesy, can also be very witty and amusing. The plot is entertaining and is filled with moments that will make you smile, just because it can be so over the top and explosive.
We love you Bayonetta!
Bayonetta is a fun, smart mouth and arrogant type, much like Dante from Devil May Cry, but later on you do get to see a more serious side. She is as explosive as the game itself. This is all good and well, but the gameplay is where Bayonetta really shines, as it is in fact one of the most visceral action games you will ever play with a deep and varied combat system that is easy to grasp. You have two attack buttons, another one for fire arms and some buttons for evasive and jumping maneuvers. The control scheme is very simple and we’ve seen it done before but it works beautifully as it is very precise and responsive. A good action game needs a flawless and responsive control scheme to allow players to let their imaginations run wild when creating combo attacks, and Bayonetta succeeds at providing just that.
The range and variety of attacks available for use is staggering and immense. The amount of combos you can perform and create is remarkably diverse, and is among the most robust of the genre. As simple as a punch and kick button may sound, you can really mix these up to create some truly breathtaking combinations. This requires pressing them in a certain sequence and changing the timing of the presses, holding down buttons and even changing the direction of Bayonetta during a combo can create a new variation of it.
Bayonetta can pull off all sorts of insane finishers using her hair. Yes, her hair. In case you missed the memo, Bayonetta can use her hair as a weapon, and these are usually the final strike at the end of a combo. When she uses more of her hair, the less remains on her body (and yes, she wears nothing but her hair) so there is a plenty of fan service to distract us (Ed: well some of us). Other than that, she can punish and torture enemies in very unique ways depending on the enemy type. For example, she can repeatedly stomp an enemy while it is on the ground and she can summon a tombstone to smash it. These attacks are very over the top, unorthodox and they get more unusual as you progress through the game. In addition, there are climax attacks and these are mainly performed during boss battles. Basically, Bayonetta uses her hair to create behemoth creatures that then proceed to tear the boss apart. Thankfully, these attacks are all show and are simple to pull off.
Talk about a bad hair day...
Bayonetta can pick up and equip melee weapons and they add a whole range of new attacks and combo possibilities. Certain weapons are permanent and remain a part of her inventory, such as the Katana (which was our favourite and most used weapon) and then there are temporary weapons you pick up from fallen foes, such as axes and spears. Bayonetta can use fire arms and she has guns for not only for her hands but for her heels as well. Also, by using the analog stick gamers can shoot multiple targets with ease, courtesy of a handy targeting system that makes switching easy. Like the melee weapons, Bayonetta can use different types of fire arms such as a shot gun.
She can dodge attacks with the shoulder triggers both on ground and in midair, and these are the most important maneuvers in the game. If you can dodge an enemy attack right before it connects, the game world will temporarily slow down and Bayonetta can then perform extra strikes and even do things like walk on water and avoid fast projectiles/traps with ease. The opportunities for slowing things down are very frequent and the more you do it, the easier the game will become. Oh and did we mention that she can transform into animals such as panther, crow and even bats? And that she can run up walls and ceilings? We didn’t? Well she can! The sheer variety and range of her skills and abilities keeps the game consistently fresh.
Bayonetta is fresh and engaging from start to finish and feels like an insane roller coaster ride that gets better as you go along. The cut scenes are fun to watch, the platforming bits, while simple are quite exciting, the boss battles are phenomenally huge and even more entertaining. There are some unique action sequences and the minor puzzles that come along the way, but they do not hurt the pace of the game at all (unlike Devil May Cry 4). Bayonetta is an action game that just keeps on giving and will keep you hooked and entertained at every moment, even the credits sequence is loaded with plenty of action and memorable moments. The game takes around 10-15 hours to complete but the length is never a problem since the quality of the game is outstanding and it is vastly re-playable.
An action game that just keeps on giving.
If you remember how annoying it was to die and start a level from the very beginning in Devil May Cry 3, then you will be pleased to know that Bayonetta is far more forgiving. The game has frequent check points and saves, these occur even during a boss fight. It makes the game more fun instead of frustrating. That said, it doesn’t pay to die ten times in a stage because like any proper action game Bayonetta has a ranking/award system. The game also has some subtle references to games made by Sega and Hideki Kamiya. Sonic the Hedgehog, House of the Dead, Super Fantasy Zone and other classic Sega games have been referenced. Not surprisingly there are references to Hideki Kamiya’s Devil May Cry and even Okami, but our favourite one was the Viewtiful Joe reference.
Graphically the game looks really nice, it won’t be the best looking game you will see this year but the art direction, animations, character models and character designs are impressive. For a game that features so much action and chaos, the graphics are just right as they allow for a more fast paced experience. The game runs really smoothly with only a few minor hiccups (note: the Xbox 360 version is being reviewed here and reports are that the PlayStation 3 version has significant technical issues). The soundtrack of Bayonetta has an infectious blend of jazz and pop and features some unforgettable vocal tracks. The soundtrack is groovy to say the least but that said, there are some darker and haunting tracks to compliment the more serious moments of the game.
Bayonetta is easily among the best action adventure games and features one of the best fighting system we have experienced. Bayonetta not only has immense depth and variety for hardcore gamers, but casual gamers will also be able to get into this game very easily and have a fantastic time. Bayonetta is pure unadulterated entertainment at its finest. It is a game that will provide a stylish action experience that makes most other games in the genre feel redundant.
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