Community Review: Bayonetta

By blazemanx — June 9, 2011
Tags: bayonetta pictures ps3 review sega video xbox-360

One of the best action/adventure games out there.

Bayonetta is a very enjoyable game. This game is done by the same writer/director/producer/leader/boss/president/whatever-he-is guy of the 1st Devil May Cry game. I've only played DMC 4 and didn't really like it. The combat of this game is largely the same but moves much faster and is more fun to me. I am a huge fan of the Ninja Gaiden games, and Bayonetta offers combat just as intense and intricate, but without having to hold down the block button pretty much constantly. However, it does offer about the same in the area of female appearance ridiculousness, but I'll get to that later. Onto the review!

Story:
Every review that I have read has complained about the story being either incoherent or hard to follow. These reviewers have a mindset that is more and more prevalent in each review I read: they have a game set in their mind about what they think a game should be, instead of playing the game for what the game is. Here's the skinny on the story:

You're a witch. You woke up 20 years ago after a 500 year slumber. Unfortunately, you forgot everything that happened before you were Rip-Van-Winkled. You are now investigating to find out who you are and what you should do about it.

That's it. There's the story. The rest of the details are revealed throughout many cut scenes. Do events make sense right away? No. Do they make sense by the end of the story? Yes. There are a few loose ends that don't get tied up, but for the most part, it is a complete story that makes sense given the game's created universe. It's also a very interesting story. You'll probably want to keep playing the game just to find out what happens next. There is also quite a bit of comedy as well as references to earlier Sega games. This game will make you laugh out loud if you get into it.

Graphics:
The environments are gorgeous. The detail is good, the scenery is great, and the animation is smooth. And now for the character models…

Bayonetta is a girl. A very tall girl I might add, with a small head. She has the same body parts as any other girl has. She also sheds her clothing, which is made of her hair, frequently. Which brings me to my theory of game programmers and scantily clad women in video games.

Game programmers are typically cast as nerds. Nerds don't typically have many people skills, especially with women. Therefore, they program women in video games to be the ideal woman that they know they could never talk to. And then proceed to make them take off their clothes as often as they can get away with. There you go; explanation for Bayonetta's design.

(I know programmers aren't really like this, probably. I also know that most of them are probably married and very cool dudes. It's just a theory. If you have another one, I would love to hear it!)

Anyway, the character models, aside from how uncomfortably sexual they might be they do look very good. The design of the enemies are well detailed and have characteristics that link them together so they all look alike while still being different. I like when a game uses this kind of congruency.

Bayonetta also has many different costumes that you can purchase. Although, when you use an alternate costume, she doesn't get more naked as you get higher combos. Which might make the game less enjoyable, if you're into that sort of thing.

Gameplay:
Bayonetta's gameplay is where this digitized romp really shines. It is fast, simple, and elegant. Bayonetta's fighting mechanics are centered around evading attacks with an evade button, and if done at the right time, engages Witch Time. Witch Time slows everything down except for you, allowing you to beat on enemies for a few seconds to gain the upper hand. It becomes more tricky as you progress to the higher levels with more powerful enemies. I can't tell you how many times I've died trying to wait until the last second to evade an attack, only to be late and get hit. This evasion emphasis forces you to be good at this game, and in turns rewards you with fluffy feelings of accomplishment.

You have a punch and a kick button, but you'll start pretty much every combo with a punch, as kicking is too slow when you start an attack with it. The gunplay is performed with one button to rapid fire. The only really useful application of this is to hold down this button to shoot bosses when you can't get close to them. Not very much damage, but does keep the battle engaging even when you're waiting for a boss to make a move. You have guns in your hands and on you're legs, and can hold down a punch or kick button to fire that weapon. The game designers coupled this feature with being able to dodge while holding down an attack button, and then continuing the combo after the dodge. It takes a lot of getting used to, but hitting an enemy, shooting him a few times, then dodging his attack and reentering your combo after you've engaged Witch Time, is very satisfying. With that said, the guns are useful, but not really as a stand alone attack.

There are many different weapons to collect throughout the game, with some being more useful than others. You can also buy accessories at the “Gates of Hell,” the shop in the game. Most of the accessories don't seem very useful to me, but maybe that's because I was expecting an accessory that simply “boosts your defense” or something like that. Every accessory has a unique quality that helps in other ways. You can also buy new fighting techniques, healing items, and secret stuff. I used the healing items sparingly, as the game has frequent check points, and it was easier to die and come back with full health than use a bunch of healing items.

The levels are pretty linear, with a set number of encounters in each one. After you finish battling in each separate encounter, you are given a medal ranking based on your performance. One thing that I found strange is that if you go through the level and even find all the “off the path” areas, you still won't engage in every battle. You have to back track to find them. Problem is, there is really no reason to back track except to find these extra battles. In some levels, I still haven't found every encounter (maybe I need an accessory I haven't bought?). This is odd to me, but doesn't hurt the gameplay unless you yearn to get every medal.

There are some collectibles, but no side quests or anything like that. You play this game to fight and listen to the story, and there's not much beyond that. I really enjoyed the simple-ness of it, but if you need more variety from a game, you might not like Bayonetta.

Sound:
The voice acting is superb across the board. Every character is voiced perfectly and is given plenty of chances to talk, as this game is flooded with cut scenes. The music is mostly J-Pop, which some people might not like, but it fits the mood of the game nicely. This game is meant to be played with a light-hearted attitude, and the music bolsters that. There are multiple sections in the game that made me laugh out loud because some character said something that was immediately followed by an infectious J-Pop beat and camera shutter sound. A tad ridiculous at times, but overall, it fits the game.

Final Verdict: BUY IT

Bayonetta is a great game. I understand where people wouldn't like it, but that makes it better for us who do like it. The game designers had an idea, stuck with it, and didn't try to make it everyone's game. They made a really good beat ‘em up game that stands tall right next to games like Ninja Gaiden. Good work Sega, and I'm looking forward to a sequel.

So let us know what you think about the game and the review and don't be a jimmy.

Verdict: Buy It

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Community Review: Bayonetta

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