Bayonetta is just one of those games that I instantly fell in love with. The wit, the charm, the sex appeal, and the campy-ness of said sex appeal. Just everything about Bayonetta oozes with glory to gaming, and what the media can actually do. The sad thing is though, the majority of gamers I know didn’t really know about this game, and I was already pretty late to finding out how awesome Bayonetta actually was. The only real notable flaw I see with this game is people not really knowing about it, sure it gets some critic attention, but most people probably see it as just a blatant sale for eye candy. When in reality it is only using sex as a lure to get people into a super action, jam packed adventure, nearly identical to the kind the Devil May Cry series (featuring Dante) has been known for. Granted the game can be a bit graphic at times, with both sex and gore, but what is really played up in this game is the campy-ness of it all. Bayonetta is constantly the kind of character to roll her eyes at people, make witty comments, and just do a bunch of silly things, all while fighting a horde of angels. And that’s kinda the magic of Bayonetta, it doesn’t take itself seriously, despite having a rather detailed storyline, it just drags everything out of proportion and makes itself a really neat spectacle to look at. Despite how nonchalant it actually brushes off its story throughout the cutscenes, mostly opting for Bayonetta to say something witty or charming, the game constantly gives subtle hints to what is actually going on. By simply finding all the notes the game leaves you to read through the game, and paying attention to what the characters say and looking back to compare the majority of the game’s story is constantly laid out there, but it’s just so incredibly subtle and complex about it that it never ever feels like the game just stops to explain to you any situation, in a good way. Of course, the majority of people out there, including me, may have to replay Bayonetta and make sure to pay attention to fully understand what exactly is going on though.
Thankfully Bayonetta is the kind of game that practically requires you to replay it, otherwise you’d be missing out on a lot of cooler weapons and different ways to actually play the game. While many first timers will stumble around in the normal and easy(and easier) modes in Bayonetta, the harder modes require a certain amount of skill, otherwise you pretty much won’t be able to advance through the story. What this basically sets up is learning to actually combo and dodge enemies well enough that you will eventually not need one of the game’s most primary mechanic, Witch Time. Witch Time being a fairly useful mechanic, and one that helps a lot of players learn how to do basic combos essentially slows down time, and makes you nearly invincible against your enemies. Witch Time essentially means that you are able to hit your enemies no matter the state they are in, and they will not be able to retaliate against once you start combo-ing them. Witch Time is also used throughout the entire game to solve minor puzzles, but for the large part you will not see Witch Time once you go through hard mode and Infinite Climax runs. Bayonetta, thankfully, does give a bunch of ways to deal with the harder runs that have little to no Witch Time to fall back on though. Giving many different techniques and accessories at the shop, Hell’s Gates, to use throughout any given run, although learning what to actually spend your Halos (Bayo’s currency) on is a task to look into. But even with mindless spending or the need to simply see Bayonetta in different skimpy outfits happens, the game gives you a bunch of different item power ups to help you along in case the enemies get a little too trying. These power ups come in the form of lollipops, and can give you different powers, like invincibility, increased attack, and more health. These lollipops can also be made with the raw ingredients found throughout chapters, from the shop for halos, or by scoring well in the mini-game, Angel Attack. Pretty much, Bayonetta gives a bunch of tools for the player to use in hopes that they eventually learn how to combo and dodge well and thus can score better, making replaying the game even more fun by going for Platinum ranks; which are given when you beat the areas by clearing it faster than usual, taking no damage, and combo-ing like crazy. Basically the game is constantly giving the tools you need to become just as awesome and stylish as Bayonetta presents herself throughout the game.
Course with that being said, the game itself looks so amazing both ascetically, and graphically. While it certainly was released in the earlier days of the 360 and PS3, the game still makes me swoon over how beautiful Paradiso can actually look. Many of the enemy characters in the game are also given a bizarro and yet appealing look at what angels may actually look like. As well, many of the subtle references throughout the game, both Biblical and Wicca, are actually very closely related to original source of lore, giving Bayonetta a very authentic sense of both texts and worlds. The soundtrack in this game is also quite amazing, with much of the game’s track coming from rather jazzy entries, mainly “Fly Me to the Moon”, making the actual fights in Bayonetta oddly fitting and pretty despite the constant gore and blood being shown. Unfortunately despite all this obvious devotion and love Bayonetta got, the PS3 version was programmed incorrectly, and has considerably long loading times between deaths and cutscenes. The 360 version thankfully doesn’t suffer from the same fate, and oddly enough remains superior to the PS3 version, but on either console the game is well worth getting, but if you have the option, get the 360 version.
Final Thoughts:
Bayonetta remains one of my top favorite games of all time and for a bunch of good reasons. Aside from the charm of Bayonetta herself, her sex appeal, the amazing design of the enemies, the great soundtrack, the graphics, or even the gameplay itself; you can really just feel the love and care this game was given by its team that created it. It’s a wonder how well this game was designed and given such a great living breathing world with great characters, but here we are.