The man behind Devil May Cry, Viewtiful Joe and Õkami brings us a witch with poise, passion and a whole lot of personality
Format: PS3, Xbox 360 (version played) Dev: Platinum Games Pub: Sega
Out: 08/01/10 Players: 1
Why? People confine their own freedoms with such a droning, one-word question. How about why not? Why not pitch the player as an over-sexualised witch, wearing a suit formed by her hair, who can turn into a panther, use her hair to spawn monstrous behemoths, perform majestic acrobatics, and bring it all together to fight angels? This is Bayonetta: why the hell not?
The plot is the first sign that all is not conventional in the minds of the developers. There are two opposing witch factions; Bayonetta is introduced as the last of the Umbra witches. After being awoken from her tomb after 500 years, she sets out to find out about her past and combat the creatures of heaven (“Luman Sages”) to finish a centuries old war.
This leaves room for an amnesia plot and a love interest too, but that’s really not the point of this game. You’ll love everything about the game… except for the plot. The storyline is ridiculous, but it’s a hell of an excuse for some kickass action. And when you start seeing in-game references to Resident Evil 4, Viewtiful Joe and even Sonic, you can’t help but crack a small nostalgic grin.
Director of Devil May Cry, Hideki Kamiya, isn’t known just for his stories though; it is the gameplay that truly shines through. If you don’t care for context sensitive cutscenes or fast hack-n’-slash combat, prepare for more of the same. That does make it sound somewhat negative, but play it and you’ll love it for one simple reason: you actually feel in control.
This may sound very nonsensical, but combat as lightning fast as what you get in this genre usually reduces the average player to button-mashing followed by a quick death or fluke survival. Bayonetta, on the other hand, is fortunately a very different matter.
Controlling Bayonetta, the graceful, hyper-confident witch, is extremely tight and perfectly balanced. Attacks and the combo system are both simplistic and complex, they start off easy and you feel compelled to learn many more (if only through the loading screen ‘training area’). Player customisation extends to attaching a weapon to each individual limb (six-inch death heels included), creating masses of opportunities for hundreds of different combos and fighting styles to match each gamer.
You also feel genuine progress and true knowledge of the game’s workings as you progress. A testament to this can be found as you progress later into the game, an enemy that was a level-end boss earlier is merely a stopgap now. The difficulty curve is pitched just right to not be too gradual or too steep.
A new gameplay mechanic that rightfully deserves to be highlighted is Witch Time. When you evade an attack successfully, you will enter a slow-motion phase for a few seconds to pummel your enemies into pieces. This definitely works: first for the character because it promotes you to share the “toying with the enemy” mentality she holds, and it shifts the playing field in your favour temporarily.
This, along with the insanely over-the-top, but oh-so-sweet torture attacks, adds some brilliant depth to this already impressive title. Nothing feels insurmountable or impossible in Bayonetta. It’s a benchmark for beat-’em-up gameplay.
What you will most assuredly notice while combating multiple enemies is just how good it all looks. Textures are rich, lighting effects accompany each scene wonderfully. But it’s not just about the technicalities. Platinum Games have really pushed the boat out creatively, bringing some gigantic enemies along for the ride.
The soundtrack is ever so slightly more questionable. As you start to hear a J-pop version of ‘Fly Me to the Moon’, along with an eclectic mix of pop, funk and jazz, you start to detect a degree of mind-warp to this recipe. But instead of ruining the game’s credentials, it complements the quirky atmosphere that’s been commendably realised.
One gripe would be the over-sexualising of it all. Everything from attacking enemies by spinning around a pole in a provocative manner, to having a pose/taunt button in-game. Some would call it parody, but some of it does come across creepier than funny. Plus the Danny DeVito sound-alike (and lookalike) is much more annoying than funny, but screen time is only limited so he doesn’t detract.
Unfortunately, the PS3 version (converted in-house by Sega) suffers from slow load times and brief pauses when accessing the inventory or pause menu. There are also frame rate issues which can severely lessen your enjoyment of the game’s fast action. If you have the option, the 360 version is the best choice performance wise.
What we are presented with here is not a question of why, but of why not? Through this, Platinum Games have shattered the boundaries of what we expect from an action game. Bayonetta is a juggernaut, tantalising aesthetics, some not-so-subtle nods to retro classics, and some of the best gameplay of this generation. Near flawless in quality. A definitive title, that blows Kratos and Ryu out of the water.
Jason England
Tags: action, bayonetta, beat-em-up, sega
