Bayonetta

Written by Adam Woolcott  on January 25, 2010

Review: Welcome to my fantasy zone... well no, not mine Ц Bayonetta's.

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Bayonetta also offers tons of secrets and helpful items to get through the game. Throughout each level are Umbra Witch resting places; finding them and opening them up reveals items, mostly heart pieces to increase health and moon pearls to increase magic, but sometimes give out handy items or halos (the in-game currency) especially if you're opening the grave a second time when replaying a level. Also scattered about are Alfheim Portals, which are like the secret rooms from the Devil May Cry series. These secret areas almost always require some kind of skill, be it killing enemies by using Witch Time, beating enemies without it, or killing everyone with a certain amount of button presses. Indeed, these can be really difficult for even expert players. It's also possible to stumble upon records Ц Angelic Hymns Ц that you can trade with Rodin, the undead salesman and proprietor of the Gates of Hell bar for new weapons like a whip, shotguns, or even ice skates. Rodin also sells heart and moon pieces to increase health and magic, accessories to make things easier or let Bayonetta use a certain spell, and handy items to recharge health and the like. You can also find pieces of items lying around every level, and Bayonetta can make the same items for free using the concocting screen Ц she is a witch after all, though I'm not sure where she keeps the cauldron for whipping up said items.



Though Bayonetta is a fun, deep, and challenging action game, it has some issues. As mentioned, the combat can get pretty hectic, enough that more than a few battles might seem unfair just trying to manage everything. Because the controls are so tight and the animations are so smooth it's easy to navigate the choppier waters, it's easy to forgive this and blame yourself, but at times the game definitely wants to annoy you. Two chapters greatly deviate from the established formula Ц one is a simple but fun driving sequence, and a more complex Space Harrier-esque shump sequence that can border on frustrating, especially if you die because it has the least amount of checkpoints of any level. Though it's nice to see some variety to break up the standard action, it could have been handled better, as they can be kind of monotonous after a while. The rest of the game is pretty much perfect however, and is the kind of action game that anyone can get into thanks to all the accessibility features they tossed in. The idea works well Ц make it more forgiving and you're more likely to actually spend time learning the game and getting better, compared to a game that is brutal and unforgiving to the point that you just don't care anymore. The multiple unlockables greatly increase replay, and the ability to go back and play older levels for a better score and to find missing portals and items will get the completionists going.

As Bayonetta takes place in a fictional part of Europe, the game captures European architecture with its visuals. It all takes place in a modern setting too, though Vigrid doesn't really show it until you reach the final area in the game. The game looks decent enough technologically, though the PS3 version is low-res and a bit choppy in areas... it's the animations that make the game go. Bayonetta herself is fluid and lifelike Ц spend a few minutes in the loading screen (by pressing select to get into practice mode) and you might see some stuff that you might not have come across yet. In addition, the various torture attacks are extremely well done, and the crazy УclimaxФ attacks at the end of boss battles Ц where Bayonetta summons her hair demons Ц go from ordinary Уbig demon comes to eat youФ to bizarre Уmultiple hair hands play volleyball with the ball-like enemyФ to badass Уpractically surf the enemy into a demon tidal waveФ like things. This is one of those Уwait what?Ф kind of games when the things you do almost become unbelievable, and the graphics do a good job of demonstrating the insanity around you.

Bayonetta's story is completely over-the-top, and thus so is everything else. The voice acting is suitably crazy, with faux-seriousness and bizarre mashups, and it's all done really well. Ridiculous at times, yes, but still good... at least when you can understand it; some of the enemies sound like the alien creatures in Star Wars. The music follows a pattern of being poppy jazz, and even has a modern version of УFly Me to the MoonФ that often plays during fights. It moves away from the cheese-rock we're used to in Japanese action games Ц and that's good. The best part of the audio presentation is the constant homages to other games Ц mostly Sega games, but at least one Capcom game that many of you bought for a high price. The merchant Rodin tends to steal the show, talking about how he's Уalways wanted to be a bald space marineФ or mocking the Resident Evil 4 merchant. Outside of that, there's references to Dr. Eggman (the Joe Pesci act-alike Enzo is basially human Eggman), Afterburner, Space Harrier Ц and even Outrun. In the case of Outrn, the old classic music from the game is used during the motorcycle driving sequence. Fan service is alive and well at Platinum Games.