Bayonetta review.
Intro and Influential Information
Platform: 360
Money Paid for Game: £35
When I got it: Day of Release
Straight from the same mind that brought you the Devil May Cry series comes Bayonetta; a third person action adventure game with an emphasis of over the top stylised action. Sound familiar? Well it should, the premise is basically the same as the DMC series with everything swapped out for something new, everything from the on-the-fly weapon switching, incredibly well thought out boss fights, over the top cut-scenes and even collecting four shards of a broken object to upgrade your health is in here.
All that is not a bad thing, while similar to DMC in almost every way Bayonetta is still an incredible achievement that is both a must have for any action game fan and defiantly old-school.
Story / Characters
Well, this is definitely the downside to this game. The story is very hard to follow despite the abundance of cut-scenes that are used to tell it and apart from Bayonetta (oh yeah, you play as her) all the characters are somewhat annoying.
However, if you do understand the story when all is said and done it is a good one and serves as motivation for the game, there was just no need to make it as complicated as they did. At its core this is a revenge story, that’s more than enough for any action game with action in it as good as this one.
Presentation
This is a very vibrant game, no doubt about it. This is not a game that is meant to look gritty or realistic, this is supposed to be a slick and sexy looking game from top to bottom (no pun intended) and it does it well.
Everything about this game looks incredible, the bosses definitely steal the show a little and Bayonetta is easily the best looking of the characters. However these examples of quality only compliment just how good everything else is in general. There is the odd part that won’t look quite right or just a bit bland, but they are very few and far between.
Audio is a similar case, all the weapons and attacks sound appropriate, the soundtrack is definitely a unique one but somehow manages to go perfectly well with slicing up the forces of heaven. Voice acting is a little lame though...
Gameplay
Well, this is a weird case here, there is definitely a lot I could say about the gameplay in Bayonetta but ultimately this is just Devil May Cry...
But wait!!! Before you go saying how it’s nothing but a copy of DMC read on a little...
Yes, the gameplay is very similar, but is it good? Hell yes it’s good, this game plays amazingly well, the controls just as responsive as in the DMC games, the main difference from DMC however are the enemies. They are a lot more aggressive than the ones found in a DMC game, that small change alters the pace significantly.
You’ll start out with basic punch and kick attacks enhanced by Bayonetta’s guns that are strapped to her hands and feet. You’ll quickly earn new abilities and weapons as you progress through the game, most of them are pretty standard but there’s a couple that stand out, like rocket launcher tonfa for example.
You can use a variety of the weapons you have at any one time and swap between them in real time like you can in DMC. This makes way for insane over the top combos where your imagination will be the limit, well, that and the enemy’s health bar.
There are a number of difficulty modes to choose from in Bayonetta, ranging from very easy to very hard. The easier titled modes will do combos and weapon swaps automatically with just pressing the Y button, being a true veteran of action games I have never bothered with these modes but the real fun is creating your own combos.
The difficulty curve is perfect for the most part, however on the very hard setting you quite literally have a game mechanic taken away from you. Witch time, normally you would trigger witch time by dodging an enemy attack at the last second everything will slow down except you. This is a crucial part of the game all the way through and then suddenly having to adapt without it on top of having the toughest enemies in the game thrown at you like balloons, it can be a bit too much at times.
Replay Value
This aspect of action games walks hand in hand with the quality of the action in the game. Thankfully, the action in Bayonetta is more than enough to warrant numerous playthroughs and due to the chapter select ability you can play your favourites until they bore you.
The upgrade system won’t add much time as you get the best stuff without needing to upgrade, but this is where you’ll unlock the hidden collectables that do add a great deal of value and enjoyment to the overall package.
The combat is the appeal of this game, no question about it. It is a safe assumption that if you didn’t like DMC for whatever reason then you won’t like Bayonetta, however if you have taste in games then there’s plenty to like here. The action is fun and challenging and the pacing and level design create a journey that doesn’t get stale nor seem too hard to overcome.
If you consider yourself a fan of action games then there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t pick up this game. The undeniable feminine appeal may put some off, but it’s easy to get past that once everything is in full motion.
Platform: 360
Money Paid for Game: £35
When I got it: Day of Release
Straight from the same mind that brought you the Devil May Cry series comes Bayonetta; a third person action adventure game with an emphasis of over the top stylised action. Sound familiar? Well it should, the premise is basically the same as the DMC series with everything swapped out for something new, everything from the on-the-fly weapon switching, incredibly well thought out boss fights, over the top cut-scenes and even collecting four shards of a broken object to upgrade your health is in here.
All that is not a bad thing, while similar to DMC in almost every way Bayonetta is still an incredible achievement that is both a must have for any action game fan and defiantly old-school.
Story / Characters
Well, this is definitely the downside to this game. The story is very hard to follow despite the abundance of cut-scenes that are used to tell it and apart from Bayonetta (oh yeah, you play as her) all the characters are somewhat annoying.
However, if you do understand the story when all is said and done it is a good one and serves as motivation for the game, there was just no need to make it as complicated as they did. At its core this is a revenge story, that’s more than enough for any action game with action in it as good as this one.
Presentation
This is a very vibrant game, no doubt about it. This is not a game that is meant to look gritty or realistic, this is supposed to be a slick and sexy looking game from top to bottom (no pun intended) and it does it well.
Everything about this game looks incredible, the bosses definitely steal the show a little and Bayonetta is easily the best looking of the characters. However these examples of quality only compliment just how good everything else is in general. There is the odd part that won’t look quite right or just a bit bland, but they are very few and far between.
Audio is a similar case, all the weapons and attacks sound appropriate, the soundtrack is definitely a unique one but somehow manages to go perfectly well with slicing up the forces of heaven. Voice acting is a little lame though...
Gameplay
Well, this is a weird case here, there is definitely a lot I could say about the gameplay in Bayonetta but ultimately this is just Devil May Cry...
But wait!!! Before you go saying how it’s nothing but a copy of DMC read on a little...
Yes, the gameplay is very similar, but is it good? Hell yes it’s good, this game plays amazingly well, the controls just as responsive as in the DMC games, the main difference from DMC however are the enemies. They are a lot more aggressive than the ones found in a DMC game, that small change alters the pace significantly.
You’ll start out with basic punch and kick attacks enhanced by Bayonetta’s guns that are strapped to her hands and feet. You’ll quickly earn new abilities and weapons as you progress through the game, most of them are pretty standard but there’s a couple that stand out, like rocket launcher tonfa for example.
You can use a variety of the weapons you have at any one time and swap between them in real time like you can in DMC. This makes way for insane over the top combos where your imagination will be the limit, well, that and the enemy’s health bar.
There are a number of difficulty modes to choose from in Bayonetta, ranging from very easy to very hard. The easier titled modes will do combos and weapon swaps automatically with just pressing the Y button, being a true veteran of action games I have never bothered with these modes but the real fun is creating your own combos.
The difficulty curve is perfect for the most part, however on the very hard setting you quite literally have a game mechanic taken away from you. Witch time, normally you would trigger witch time by dodging an enemy attack at the last second everything will slow down except you. This is a crucial part of the game all the way through and then suddenly having to adapt without it on top of having the toughest enemies in the game thrown at you like balloons, it can be a bit too much at times.
Replay Value
This aspect of action games walks hand in hand with the quality of the action in the game. Thankfully, the action in Bayonetta is more than enough to warrant numerous playthroughs and due to the chapter select ability you can play your favourites until they bore you.
The upgrade system won’t add much time as you get the best stuff without needing to upgrade, but this is where you’ll unlock the hidden collectables that do add a great deal of value and enjoyment to the overall package.
The combat is the appeal of this game, no question about it. It is a safe assumption that if you didn’t like DMC for whatever reason then you won’t like Bayonetta, however if you have taste in games then there’s plenty to like here. The action is fun and challenging and the pacing and level design create a journey that doesn’t get stale nor seem too hard to overcome.
If you consider yourself a fan of action games then there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t pick up this game. The undeniable feminine appeal may put some off, but it’s easy to get past that once everything is in full motion.
