The year 2009 was a big one for sequels. Some of them stuck to their guns and released on time but more than a few were consciously pushed ahead to avoid being steamrolled by the juggernaut that was Modern Warfare 2. New IPs like Demon Souls and Borderlands did make their mark but for the most part it’s the brand new year that brings with a slew of new and exciting properties. So what better way to kick of the year than with Bayonetta. The trailers certainly piqued our interest and the game’s director Hideki Kamiya being the one behind the original Devil May Cry series, the game was certainly on every action fans’ radar. However the subtle accentuation of the lead characters’ physical aspects made us wonder if it would turn out bean overly sexualized yet shallow action romp or a case of style over substance. Turns out all our doubts were for naught. Bayonetta kicks of the gaming new year with a bang. It’s certainly one of the most explosive, energetic and most polished action games you’ll play this year and one likely to stand the test of time on this generation of hi-def consoles.
Bayonetta starts with the leading lady fighting angels that are ugly as sin on an exploding clock tower. You are literally thrust into the chaos of battle and it takes a few seconds to get your bearing. The story revolves around an age old battle between two warring factions, the Umbra Witches and the Lumen Sages. Decades of conflict nearly wiped out both factions and you play as Bayonetta, a recently resurrected Umbran Witch. Your singular objective is to obtain something called the Eye of the World. That is pretty much all you need to know about Bayonetta’s story to enjoy the hell out of it. Most of the fluffy narrative is told through flashbacks presented in the form of fully animated cutscenes and some partially animated comic style panels set against a filmstrip background. The animated cutscenes are completely over the top and filled to the brim with comical moments and suggestive poses. Some of them also feature some impressively choreographed fight sequences that are fun to watch. The panel styles cutscenes, however, are a drag to watch and usually go on for much longer than desired. The more interesting story bits are in fact told through books that you collect at different points in the game. They usually explain the abilities you acquire and different locales you encounter throughout the game
Once you cast aside the passable story you get to the meat of Bayonetta which is the glorious, frenetic and ridiculously easy to control combat. You have the standard punch, kick, shoot and evade controls like any other action game. It’s what Bayonetta lets you do with these controls that elevate the game to above average. Firstly the sheer number of combos at your disposal using just the combination of Y and B buttons is remarkable. While you will master a few easily, the ones that just pop out at you in the heat of combat will surprise you pleasantly. The harder ones will require precision to pull off but the rewards are always highly satisfying both visually and physically. You can practice these combos on all of the game’s loading screens which is a simple yet useful feature. You can equip two sets of weapons at any time with the 2nd set attaching to your feet. Quad wield is something only Bayonetta could pull off so well. At different points in the game you can also enter a shop located in Hell where you can buy some special abilities and new techniques with the Breakdance move being our favorite. All of Bayonetta’s action is a joy to watch thanks to responsive fluid controls and silky smooth movement. You can also wield the weapons of fallen enemies.
Though they are good for only a few shots their destructive effect is awesome. Bayonetta has a few more neat tricks up her sleeve. If Bayonetta is able to evade an enemy attack at the right moment, Witch Time gets activated which is basically a slow motion mode where you can unleash some major destruction for a limited time. It’s an interesting mechanic which allows the player to bring down the pace of the game whenever he or she desires and calls for the player to wait till an enemy attacks. During some sections, the Moon reveals itself. During these limited periods Bayonetta can walk vertically in her environments and it is used to good effect during specific boss fights. Bayonetta also has a magic gauge that gets filled up while fighting regularly. When the gauge is filled, Bayonetta can summon Torture devices which appear through a portal. These devices are all suitably brutal and take of a huge chunk of enemy heath if they aren’t finished off already. These torture devices vary depending on the enemy it is summoned upon. Torture attacks are easily called by just a simple two-button press when close to an enemy and are some of the most visually entertaining parts of the combat. A limited number of objects in the environment can also be picked up to hurl at enemies.
Bayonetta also features gaming’s best boss battles. Many take place on constantly moving environments with gigantic enemies. While these battles are impressive in scope, it is the human sized bosses that are the most frenetically paced with the fast boss movement and pulsating music adding up to some of the most adrenaline filled boss fights in gaming history. Bayonetta does start reusing some bosses towards the end however they are encountered in completely different environments and require different tactics to dispatch. Also, when the boss is almost completely finished Bayonetta uses her hair to summon gigantic demons through a portal that literally chomp and completely consume them. These endings of boss events are hugely entertaining to watch. Bayonetta’s graphics are mostly on the positive side. It features fast fluid and dazzling combat animations and beautiful environments in most levels.
There are a few levels that are inexplicably bland and certainly make you wonder how they made into a game that wows your visual senses the remaining time. The enemy characters and the boss set pieces are wonderfully designed with only the last boss seeming a little uninspired, at least visually. The game also ran on the Xbox 360 version with absolutely no slowdown during the entire playthrough, no matter how much chaos was occurring onscreen. Audio wise Bayonetta stays away from a heavy metal soundtrack like you would find in the Devil May Cry games and instead adopts wider range of music from light and airy to suitably pulsing during boss fights. The soundtrack just seems to fit most situations very well. Bayonetta features some on rails sequences like riding a motorcycle and a missile that go on for far too long, and a few seconds into these sequences you’d be pining for it to be over with so that you can get back to pure combat. There are also a few quick time events in the game that just don’t work very well. They just seem completely filler in the game and could easily have been done away with entirely.
The Final Word: Bayonetta is every action gamers dream come true and will certainly be remembered as one of the finest gaming experiences of this new decade. The game is an intense and joyous experience that took us about 11 hours to complete. Even after you are done with it you will want to go back to it almost immediately to try out the numerous techniques and equip the accessories that you just couldn’t get the first time around.
Presentation: 9/10.
Graphics: 8.8/10.
Sound: 8.2/10.
Gameplay: 9.5/10.
Lasting Appeal: 9.4/10.
Overall (Not an average): 9.2 /10.
- By SSP