Whether or not you think Bayonetta looks like Sarah Palin she certainly kicks angel ass in this over-the-top title from Platinum Games. It’s catching a little bit of a bad name for how sexual it can be at times, but we’ll get to that.
Bayonetta is the latest game from Hideki Kamiya, the creator of Devil May Cry. Unlike in Devil May Cry, where you are a person who is part demon killing demons, you play as a witch who kills angels and ‘warriors of heaven’ throughout the game. While it is an original IP, it feels like a sequel in some ways. Mainly in the theme of the game , and it’s combo-heavy combat system.
YAY :
- The combat is the main reason most people are going to want to play this game, and it is a damn good reason to do so. The combo system is fantastic. There are different moves to buy in the store and different weapons you unlock as you play through the game. You can also pick up some pretty high powered weapons dropped from angels that you defeat by torture attack. The weapon you have equipped also changes the available combos. Back to torture attacks; once you get enough magic in your magic bar from dishing out combos, you can perform torture attacks which dispatch an enemy in a very over-the-top way. Some examples of torture attack devices are iron maidens, guillotines, and spiked wheels. They’re brutal, yet very satisfying. The game’s slo-mo mechanic, witch-time, is easy enough to use and essential to your success.
- Most of the bosses are giant ‘heavenly’ creatures that pose a serious threat but don’t seem cheap. Sure, some of them are pretty powerful, but they usually have a distinct move set you can learn and don’t do too much that can wipe out your health bar in one blow. Grace and Glory are sub-bosses and some of the encounters with them are more brutal than a few of the main boss fights. They do a great job of keeping you on your toes.
- Like I somewhat mentioned, it never feels harder than it needs to be. The game on normal provides a good challenge. You can carry items that will heal you, increase your attack power temporarily, make you invulnerable for a period of time, raise your magic, and one that will even fill your health bar after it’s depleted. Bayonetta definitely gives you an adequate amount of tools for success.
- Some enemies may die by orgasm, I’m not really sure. When you do finishing moves on large bosses and have to summon a creature to do so, Bayonetta’s hair flies off of her into the sky and allows the player to see her mostly nude. When she finishes certain moves she poses and you hear the shutter of a camera. If you don’t think all of those things are kind of funny, kudos to you, but I do. I think Bayonetta is a very funny game, whether it’s funny on purpose or they thought all of that was really cool and it’s just funny by accident.
- Did I mention how satisfying the combat is? There’s a move you can unlock where you breakdance while shooting all of your guns simultaneously. Yes, this deserves its own bullet point.
NAY :
- The story is definitely the weakest link of the entire game. I watched all the cut-scenes and listened to what the characters said in them, but when the game was over I wasn’t entirely sure what had just happened throughout the game. I think there’s an OK story within the game, but you have to try REALLY hard to follow it. I also never really got a grasp on who the hell Enzo or Rodin were. Prepare to be confused.
- Some of the cut-scenes are voiced while you look at pictures of the characters on film strips. I don’t know if they did this to make it easier for them to translate it from Japanese to English or because they got lazy, but it takes away from the cut-scenes. It reminds me of back in the day when they didn’t have the technology to do it any other way. There’s also, what I believe to be, too many cut-scenes in a game this combat heavy. Especially since the story is so ‘meh’.
- I played the 360 version of this, but I have seen the PS3 version and it actually just looks like a bad part of a 360 game.
- The music is pretty terrible. I used to really love the song “Fly Me to the Moon”, it’s a Frank Sinatra classic. Bayonetta has helped me like that song a whole lot less by playing it (for what seemed like) at least 10 times throughout the game. Also, the other music is just bad. No offense to the Japanese, but it has the sound of bad Japanese pop music sung in English.
- This isn’t TOO much of a Nay, more like a moment to reaffirm a disclaimer. Mature is on the box for a reason. Yes, we live in a prude American society(for those of us who live in America), but sometimes the game can be pretty sexual and isn’t something you’re going to feel comfortable playing in front of people like your parents, no matter how old you are. If you don’t believe me, finish Joy off with a torture attack and you’ll know exactly what I mean. (I actually found a video of Bayonetta killing Joy with a torture attack and embedded it below.)
There you have it. Bayonetta is great if you’re the type of player who loves combo heavy action games and aren’t phased by crazy stories. I actually recommend anyone who is a fan of action games give this a spin. Just make sure you play it on the 360, if you can, and that you don’t play it in front of someone who’s easily offended by sexual content.
