Title: Bayonetta
Publisher/Developer: Sega/Platinum Games
Platforms: PS3 and XBOX 360
Release Date: 01/05/10
Number of Players: Single-player
I’m going to start by saying I’ve NEVER played any of the “Devil May Cry” games. I’ve heard a lot of early previews say that this is either “Devil May Cry done right,” or “a good successor to Devil May Cry.” Since I’d never played any of them (I know, shun me), I wanted to give Bayonetta a try. I have a hard time comparing this to any other game, to be honest. It’s not due to my lack of gaming knowledge, it’s because the character concept for Bayonetta is so unique. She’s a gun wielding witch that can do nifty fighting techniques. Okay, let me amend that, the character concept reminded me of the game, “Bullet Witch” a lot. Bayonetta runs around with 4 handguns, two in hand and two strapped to her ankles. Her common attacks are based around a mix of melee, weapon and magical hair-based attacks. As you progress through game, you’re able to pick up other guns and melee weapons. As you get different types of weapons, you can have custom weapon loadouts. These different loadouts will change the basics of her attack combos and what attacks they do.
Most of the game is centered around Bayonetta’s search for her past…all the while fighting different ranks of Angels. The story is told as an old, serial-type movie. The cutscenes are grainy, dark and in a sepia-type tone. This was both a plus and a negative for the game. Although the between chapter cutscenes were not fully animated, they did feature voice acting for them. This is where the negative comes in, the voice acting is terrible. Most of it was rife with sexual innuendo and poorly scripted. Watching them, however, gave me the feeling feeling of nostalgia, watching an old, black and white action movie, like “Amazon Women in the Jungle of Despair.” The in-game movies
did a slightly better job. They were both fully animated and in full color. The scripting, however, was just as bad.
Now, I want to be clear on the hokey-ness of the cutscenes. A lot of them ended up reminding of of a John Woo gun fight. Guns swinging around, bullets flying and fists and feet whipping around only to end with the two characters point guns at each other. Some of these deal with Bayonetta’s guns on her feet and this is where suspension of
disbelief has to play a huge role. Although I can believe that someone is flexible enough to do some of the acrobatic combat maneuvers that she pulls off, the “shooting guns from the ankles and maintaining balance” part doesn’t really fly with me. It’s very hard to swallow, even for a fantasy game.
The gameplay is where this game excelled. Sega has never disappointed when it comes to actual gameplay. Most of this is done in a standard, run-and-gun style. There are some puzzles in the game, but they are few and far between and not very difficult to solve. Combat involves a combo-style system that usually involves punching and kicking the bad guys. As more weapons are acquired, though, you can change the dynamics of your fights. One of the first melee weapons you can get is a katana, this allows for a longer reach than the punches and kicks as well as new attack combos.
I really enjoyed the character/creature design of the game. The creatures, on the other hand, were absolutely gorgeous. All of your enemies are some form of Angelic Host. Most of the bosses looked like a mix of Angelic statues and something by H.R. Giger. They all looked both horrifying and beautiful at the same time. The generic enemies
didn’t seem so Giger-inspired. Most reminded me of a generic Angel or Cherubim. Bayonetta reminded me of a cross between Lara Croft and the Baroness. Whereas Luka, one of the antagonists, reminded me of an adult version of Link (from the Legend of Zelda series).
The graphics are beautiful, the scenery flows well into each new setting. The majority of the game takes place in a “slightly out of phase with ‘reality’ world”. A lot of this is going to sound similar to the upcoming, “Dante’s Inferno”. This “mid-world” is called Purgatorio and is the middle between Heaven (Paradiso) and Hell (Inferno). Although you never actually head into Inferno, you do spend the majority of the time in Purgatorio and occasionally visit Paradiso. I think that Paradiso was one of the best settings for a game. It really kept a feel of being Heaven but also kept the sinister aspect of the overall world of Bayonetta.
The music of this game, though, is campy. I don’t mind J-Pop. Some of the music is kind of catchy and you can really get into the game. The combat music, on the other hand, is where the game loses a LOT of style points. It’s considered the “theme song” of the game, as that’s how it’s listed when you unlock the music player. The box states that you can change the soundtrack around, however nothing is mentioned in the Instruction Book and it’s not in the basic “Options” menus.
Bayonetta offers some nice additions to the action genre. As an Umbra Witch, you gain the ability to walk up and along walls at certain points of the game. Doing so re-orients the game so the wall is now “down” instead of you seeing things from a sideways view. You can also transform into a panther for quick movement. Although this, isn’t new to the genre, you are able to quickly shift back into your human form for combat by pressing the attack button. When you go into “Witch Time” (their version of Max Payne’s Bullet Time), you’re able to walk on water and enemies are left vulnerable to all attacks. Witch Time is activated by dodging an attack at the last moment which makes combat more than the “attack until opponent is dead” that most games have.
Other items in the game seem to be lollipop based, with Bayonetta having a penchant for sucking on them during the videos. These items primarily serve the purpose of Health and Mana Potions, although there are other types of candy that can be used. Some do damage to your opponent while others give you a protective shield. Although these all serve to aid you in the game, most of the time, you can carry these for most of the game and never need to use them. In fact, you will get bonus points towards you rank if you don’t use any items. Playing through the game on the “Normal” difficulty mode shouldn’t bring too much hassle for most players of this genre and even if you should die, the game will automatically reload at the last checkpoint.
Lastly, on the subject of items, there are the costumes and characters that can be unlocked. Although most of the costumes are, in some way other another, fetishistic, they add something a little more fun than the generic get up of Bayonetta. The primary character that is unlocked is one of the antagonists, Jeanne. She, too, is an Umbra Witch and has the exact same weapons and abilities as Bayonetta. Although the Costumes cannot be accessed until you’ve beaten the game on “Normal” difficulty or higher, I’ve found that playing through on “Normal” and then going back through on “Very Easy” or “Easy” to get anything you missed. This allows you to find what you need without having to deal with enemies swarming you.
My final bit about of this game is that it really earns it’s “M” Rating from the ESRB. Honestly, it’s one of the few games that I’ve ever seen that actually earned it. This isn’t due to the non-stop violence of the game nor is it the rampant profanity that permeates the dialogue and movies. This is one of the few games where they really go overboard on the blatant sexuality and innuendo. Half of the talks between Bayonetta and a male character involves something sex related. This can even be seen when you complete a level and earn a Platinum Trophy, Bayonetta’s voice pipes up with, “I should have been a Pole Dancer,” as well as during the end credits where, not surprisingly, she is pole dancing. I’m not a prude, but if you’re look at this game for kids or teens…I’d recommend something like the “Devil May Cry” series, where it’s just animated violence.
The Review:
So, was this a good game? Indubitably. It kept a good pace for action, a decent (if not predictable) storyline that holds onto you and it has very good gameplay. Even though you can get through the actual game in probably 10 hours of play, you will definitely miss out on the fun weapons (Tonfa Rockets, FTW!!!) and additional Costumes. Although to story doesn’t change from difficulty level to difficulty level, there is enough variety and hidden gems in the game to keep you coming back for more.
Story:
Who am I? Where do I come from? Why are little Angelic versions of me beating me with whips (to paraphrase the Tick [SPOON!!!])? Who is this little girl and why is this reporter following me? All these questions can be answered if you cleanse yourself of all worldly possessions. Well, they’ll be answered, at the very least…don’t cleanse yourself of your worldly possessions…or if you do, can I have your stuff?
Gameplay:
I really enjoyed the way this game moved, the flow of one combat action into the next as well as the allows for a “Dodge Interrupt” for doing attack combos. Although there needed to be a one-button, Auto Lock-On feature, combat itself isn’t flawed. Although this wasn’t an exact nod to, there is a motorcycle ride along a bridge that made me feel like I was playing Final Fantasy VII again (but with better graphics).
Sound/Music:
Sound…the sounds are great, but there’s nothing really original about the actual “sounds” of the game. The voice acting in the game is pretty decent, there aren’t any glaring script errors. The music, however, is terrible. Although they managed to do a cover of “Fly Me To The Moon”, the cover sounds terrible as a J-Pop song. As I stated before, I’m not a big fan of J-Pop, I’m glad that the game features the ability to mute the music.
Graphics:
Wow…just wow. The graphics on this are stunning. The backgrounds look incredible, the various character models are gorgeous and the enemies/bosses…just stunning.
The Good:
I enjoyed the simple controls and gameplay. I enjoyed the storyline and the character interactions. What I really enjoyed was the unlockable content. It’s nice to see a game that actually rewards you for playing through a game more than once.
The Bad:
You know, the bad of this game is mostly insignificant. Predictable storyline, bad voice actors. But, those are very minor when compared to the rest of the game.
The Ugly:
Can you PLEASE, for the love of ALL that is (un)Holy, please give a clear answer on how to change the music to your Custom Soundtrack. If I have to hear the music one more time, I think I’ll keel over. Oh wait, thankfully you can mute the music.
Overall:
All in all, I loved this game. It drove my wife somewhat nuts. But, with everything they’ve put out about this game, it really seems to be a “guys” game. It has a solid combat system, a sexy Heroine and guns…big, fun guns. This seems a lot like Devil May Cry (or so I’ve been told), but that’s because it was directed by the creator of Devil May Cry.
Final Vote: 4/5
I have to give this a solid 4 out of 5. The only thing that gives the game a dark blemish on its rather perfect record is the music. Oh, if I could figure out how to change the soundtrack, or if that was clearly documented in the Instruction Manual, it’d probably get a 4.5/5. All in all, I’ve got to say this is a great game and I recommend playing through it if you’re a fan of Action/Shoot’em Up games. If you’re not, then I recommend renting this game to see if you like it.
Tags: Micorsoft, Platinum Games, Playstation 3, Sega, Sony, xbox 360
