I gotta say, this game was fucking great!
Y'all ever just get stuck in a rut where you get paralyzed by choices and have no clue what to play? That's where I was a few years back when I first got Xbox Game Pass. I decided to play this because fuck it, and although I never beat it, only making it about halfway through before it was pulled from the service, I really enjoyed myself... even during that one time my older sister watched me play. That went... about as well as you expect. Cut to a few years later, I'm just as wise (not at all) and just a bit less good looking, and I panic buy the Wii U double pack, expecting it to be good, but not as good as I remember. The only wronger assumption would be that I had any braincells when I thought this.
The game focuses on the Umbra Witch known as Bayonetta. What's an Umbra Witch? Good question, I dunno either to be perfectly honest. What I do know is that they wear their hair as clothing, and that they can summon giant fucking fists and heels with their hair, and the cost of fanservice. Bayonetta also is required to kill angels every day, else she'll die, leading to a very active lifestyle, which also leads to me questioning the lack of muscle in her. Along her journey to pretty much just kill some gods, she meets Luka, a ladies-man journalist played by Yuri Lowenthal out to learn everything he can about the Umbra Witches, Cereza, a little girl who's convinced Bayonetta is her mom, and Jeanne, who's pretty much just female Virgil. The story itself is very entertaining, with fun writing, entertaining characters, and varied settings that keeps the game from going stale.
The game looks alright. It definitely looks like a mid-7th gen game, with the somewhat muted color palette and being in 720p, and there were certainly better looking games out at the time, but it's a pretty good effort for Platinum Games' first HD title. The character designs are rock solid, however. I'm not a fan of fanservice-y character designs, but I think Bayonetta was made tastefully to look sexual, but not perverted. The black and red color palette suits the witch well. The angel designs also look just the right amount of angelic and demonic at the same time. They're creepy and imposing, but not terrifying.
The soundtrack isn't a major part of the game. The game's rendition of Fly Me to the Moon does sound rather nice, and Bayonetta's theme is memorable as well, but everything else is really forgettable. The soundtrack moreso blends into the environment, which is perfectly fine, but doesn't make for the best external listening.
Now what makes the game a fucking baller in my eyes is the gameplay. Before this game, I had played some of Platinum's joints, such as Metal Gear Rising, and I thought the games were fun, but not the most compelling to get me to replay. Despite being only their second character action game, they made a goddamn slap of a title. It takes some inspiration from Devil May Cry, as Hideki Kamiya worked on some of those games, but adds it's own spin on other things. The game is a character action title where you beat the everloving shit outta some holy hoes. You start with punches, kicks, and guns on 4 limbs, but if you ever get bored, you can always mix up the fun by unlocking other weapons, like a sword, or a shotgun replacement for your guns. You can also slow down time by dodging an enemy attack at just the right moment, which is very satisfying to pull off, especially in the Wii U version when the framerate shits itself when you use Witch Time on some bosses. The combat is extremely fun, and a nice difficulty on normal, being not too easy, but not too hard. Of course, if you found normal too easy, there's always hard mode when you beat the game, and harder difficulties down the line. The Wii U version also has a touchscreen mode where you control the game on the touchscreen, the game doing combos for you and stuff, so if you want your 4 year old daughter to be playing fucking Bayonetta, you can let her with the touchscreen while you question your priorities. The game also runs mostly well on Wii U, but there are some drops. My only problem is when the game goes for gimmick sections sometimes, like near the end when there's a segment which is just a massive nod to Space Harrier. It's fun at first, but goes on for way too long.
Overall, the game is the definition of F U N. The story is entertaining, and while the presentation isn't cutting edge, the gameplay surely makes up for it by being one of the best action games I've ever played. 9.1/10, could use some work with the presentation and gimmick areas.
If you want to play the game, you have some options. The PS4, Xbox One, and PC remasters run flawlessly, and the Switch version is near flawless. Wii U and 360 run comparably and well enough most of the time, though 360 gets a boost when being played via backwards compatibility on Xbox One. Every version of the game is great... except for, uhh, yeah. That PS3 version. Just kinda don't bother. Runs at half the framerate (but still unlocked) or even worse than all the other versions.
Y'all ever just get stuck in a rut where you get paralyzed by choices and have no clue what to play? That's where I was a few years back when I first got Xbox Game Pass. I decided to play this because fuck it, and although I never beat it, only making it about halfway through before it was pulled from the service, I really enjoyed myself... even during that one time my older sister watched me play. That went... about as well as you expect. Cut to a few years later, I'm just as wise (not at all) and just a bit less good looking, and I panic buy the Wii U double pack, expecting it to be good, but not as good as I remember. The only wronger assumption would be that I had any braincells when I thought this.
The game focuses on the Umbra Witch known as Bayonetta. What's an Umbra Witch? Good question, I dunno either to be perfectly honest. What I do know is that they wear their hair as clothing, and that they can summon giant fucking fists and heels with their hair, and the cost of fanservice. Bayonetta also is required to kill angels every day, else she'll die, leading to a very active lifestyle, which also leads to me questioning the lack of muscle in her. Along her journey to pretty much just kill some gods, she meets Luka, a ladies-man journalist played by Yuri Lowenthal out to learn everything he can about the Umbra Witches, Cereza, a little girl who's convinced Bayonetta is her mom, and Jeanne, who's pretty much just female Virgil. The story itself is very entertaining, with fun writing, entertaining characters, and varied settings that keeps the game from going stale.
The game looks alright. It definitely looks like a mid-7th gen game, with the somewhat muted color palette and being in 720p, and there were certainly better looking games out at the time, but it's a pretty good effort for Platinum Games' first HD title. The character designs are rock solid, however. I'm not a fan of fanservice-y character designs, but I think Bayonetta was made tastefully to look sexual, but not perverted. The black and red color palette suits the witch well. The angel designs also look just the right amount of angelic and demonic at the same time. They're creepy and imposing, but not terrifying.
The soundtrack isn't a major part of the game. The game's rendition of Fly Me to the Moon does sound rather nice, and Bayonetta's theme is memorable as well, but everything else is really forgettable. The soundtrack moreso blends into the environment, which is perfectly fine, but doesn't make for the best external listening.
Now what makes the game a fucking baller in my eyes is the gameplay. Before this game, I had played some of Platinum's joints, such as Metal Gear Rising, and I thought the games were fun, but not the most compelling to get me to replay. Despite being only their second character action game, they made a goddamn slap of a title. It takes some inspiration from Devil May Cry, as Hideki Kamiya worked on some of those games, but adds it's own spin on other things. The game is a character action title where you beat the everloving shit outta some holy hoes. You start with punches, kicks, and guns on 4 limbs, but if you ever get bored, you can always mix up the fun by unlocking other weapons, like a sword, or a shotgun replacement for your guns. You can also slow down time by dodging an enemy attack at just the right moment, which is very satisfying to pull off, especially in the Wii U version when the framerate shits itself when you use Witch Time on some bosses. The combat is extremely fun, and a nice difficulty on normal, being not too easy, but not too hard. Of course, if you found normal too easy, there's always hard mode when you beat the game, and harder difficulties down the line. The Wii U version also has a touchscreen mode where you control the game on the touchscreen, the game doing combos for you and stuff, so if you want your 4 year old daughter to be playing fucking Bayonetta, you can let her with the touchscreen while you question your priorities. The game also runs mostly well on Wii U, but there are some drops. My only problem is when the game goes for gimmick sections sometimes, like near the end when there's a segment which is just a massive nod to Space Harrier. It's fun at first, but goes on for way too long.
Overall, the game is the definition of F U N. The story is entertaining, and while the presentation isn't cutting edge, the gameplay surely makes up for it by being one of the best action games I've ever played. 9.1/10, could use some work with the presentation and gimmick areas.
If you want to play the game, you have some options. The PS4, Xbox One, and PC remasters run flawlessly, and the Switch version is near flawless. Wii U and 360 run comparably and well enough most of the time, though 360 gets a boost when being played via backwards compatibility on Xbox One. Every version of the game is great... except for, uhh, yeah. That PS3 version. Just kinda don't bother. Runs at half the framerate (but still unlocked) or even worse than all the other versions.
Bayonetta is pretty much everything you could want out of an action game.
The game's combat is right up there with the best games in the character action genre with how much experimentation the various weapon combinations give you and it doesn't take long until you start stringing together combos that destroy an enemies whole healthbar in one go. What makes Bayonetta stand out though, is how equally fun it is to dodge attacks as it is to execute them due to the game's witch time system which has Bayo slow down time if you manage to narrowly avoid an attack. Visually, it's sick with how elegant it makes Bayo look as she dances around her enemies and is also a cool way of rewarding the player for learning an enemies timing and attack pattern. Getting these timings down is going to be pretty necessary since Bayonetta can be pretty challenging at times but never does it feel unfair or annoying (except for the Golem enemy, fuck that thing), if anything it just made the game feel more rewarding to beat.
With gameplay this good, I'm confused as to why the game has some gimmick stages like one where you ride a motorbike which drags on and on or one which is just a poor man's starfox level. These don't really do anything for the game other than take attention away from its strengths and it feels like Kamiya just wanted to cram stuff in there without thinking if it would make sense. I think the same can apply to the game's presentation, it's just a bit all over the place like with the board game-esque chapter select screen or the way some cutscenes are presented as if they're on a film reel. There's no real rhyme or reason to these and it comes off as a little jarring but it's not a huge deal.
On the topic of cutscenes, when they're not concerned with telling the story and are just showing Bayo being badass, they're awesome but the game does try to have a story and I couldn't care less for it. It's just really hard to follow since you see things only from Bayo's perspective and she suffers from amnesia so things that don't make sense to her also don't make sense to the player and it's hard to get invested. I stopped caring about it not long into the game.
In conclusion though, you don't play these games for the story, you play them for the combat, the bossfights, the spectacle and overall fun factor and Bayonetta checks all of those boxes.
The game's combat is right up there with the best games in the character action genre with how much experimentation the various weapon combinations give you and it doesn't take long until you start stringing together combos that destroy an enemies whole healthbar in one go. What makes Bayonetta stand out though, is how equally fun it is to dodge attacks as it is to execute them due to the game's witch time system which has Bayo slow down time if you manage to narrowly avoid an attack. Visually, it's sick with how elegant it makes Bayo look as she dances around her enemies and is also a cool way of rewarding the player for learning an enemies timing and attack pattern. Getting these timings down is going to be pretty necessary since Bayonetta can be pretty challenging at times but never does it feel unfair or annoying (except for the Golem enemy, fuck that thing), if anything it just made the game feel more rewarding to beat.
With gameplay this good, I'm confused as to why the game has some gimmick stages like one where you ride a motorbike which drags on and on or one which is just a poor man's starfox level. These don't really do anything for the game other than take attention away from its strengths and it feels like Kamiya just wanted to cram stuff in there without thinking if it would make sense. I think the same can apply to the game's presentation, it's just a bit all over the place like with the board game-esque chapter select screen or the way some cutscenes are presented as if they're on a film reel. There's no real rhyme or reason to these and it comes off as a little jarring but it's not a huge deal.
On the topic of cutscenes, when they're not concerned with telling the story and are just showing Bayo being badass, they're awesome but the game does try to have a story and I couldn't care less for it. It's just really hard to follow since you see things only from Bayo's perspective and she suffers from amnesia so things that don't make sense to her also don't make sense to the player and it's hard to get invested. I stopped caring about it not long into the game.
In conclusion though, you don't play these games for the story, you play them for the combat, the bossfights, the spectacle and overall fun factor and Bayonetta checks all of those boxes.
I've only played the prologue but that was probably the best game opening i've seen in my entire life
(Played on PS4 not the bad PS3 port)
One of the best character action games ever made that not only rivals DMC but surpasses it at times. It's got a similar intricate stylish combat system but it's unique in being heavily based around long aerial combos and slowing down time with perfect dodges. You spawn torture devices out of thin air and summon demons with your hair to execute your enemies. Of all things, the level design is reminiscent of Mario Galaxy with all its walking on walls and planetoids. It's all very wacky and gory and a non-stop adrenaline rush.
It's also brutally difficult, but it allows you a sense of power if you can keep your enemies in the air and have perfect reflexes. For the most part I think the challenge is fair and the mechanics are balanced, that power is earned with your own skill and spamming will get you nowhere. (I say all this because these are key elements the sequel lost.) I don't care for the story but Bayonetta herself is a very enjoyable character, her English voice actor really brought her to life. I loved all the references to Capcom and SEGA stuff.
In my eyes this is the most consistent and complete game Platinum ever put out, it has so much soul and it meant all their games I've tried since have left me with varying degrees of disappointment. That's not to say it doesn't also have some pretty glaring flaws of its own, such as the instant death QTEs and the obscenely long missile shoot em up level (that's attached to the best boss in the game) but I can overlook them.
One of the best character action games ever made that not only rivals DMC but surpasses it at times. It's got a similar intricate stylish combat system but it's unique in being heavily based around long aerial combos and slowing down time with perfect dodges. You spawn torture devices out of thin air and summon demons with your hair to execute your enemies. Of all things, the level design is reminiscent of Mario Galaxy with all its walking on walls and planetoids. It's all very wacky and gory and a non-stop adrenaline rush.
It's also brutally difficult, but it allows you a sense of power if you can keep your enemies in the air and have perfect reflexes. For the most part I think the challenge is fair and the mechanics are balanced, that power is earned with your own skill and spamming will get you nowhere. (I say all this because these are key elements the sequel lost.) I don't care for the story but Bayonetta herself is a very enjoyable character, her English voice actor really brought her to life. I loved all the references to Capcom and SEGA stuff.
In my eyes this is the most consistent and complete game Platinum ever put out, it has so much soul and it meant all their games I've tried since have left me with varying degrees of disappointment. That's not to say it doesn't also have some pretty glaring flaws of its own, such as the instant death QTEs and the obscenely long missile shoot em up level (that's attached to the best boss in the game) but I can overlook them.
i will beat this one day i promise (im really bad)
Bayonetta is unlike anything I have ever played before. Not only is this game hilarious it is so fun and fairly challenging.
Unfortunately there are a handful of issues due to the games age. Examples would be the lack of control options, poor camera and some game design elements.
I'm so glad I tried this and I can't wait to play the sequel.
Unfortunately there are a handful of issues due to the games age. Examples would be the lack of control options, poor camera and some game design elements.
I'm so glad I tried this and I can't wait to play the sequel.
A gem of an action game only let down by a few annoying gimmick sections, asinine secret missions, and rough boss fights. There's nothing else quite as Platinum as Bayonetta.
Went back to this after being gravely disappointed by Bayonetta 3 and wondering if I was looking at it through rose-tinted glasses and...it's a definite no. Bayonetta is still fucking incredible.
I'm not going to make this write-up long or put it on a different document first so I can copy-paste it here, I'm just going to be completely frank.
I came into this game genuinely excited because my friends are very into it, and I was looking forward to a genuinely good and entertaining ride but now having finished it I'm just... tired.
I know that's going to get me a lot of flack and my complaints aren't so much that the game is hard, I didn't expect myself to be good at it but y'know it's made me reflect on things I just don't appreciate about the developer.
Platinum Games' self-mastubatory approach to scoring is just something I genuinely dislike as someone who enjoys playing games simply for the sake of having a good time and having a distraction from the real world. The constant reminder every 5 minutes or less about how well I did in each encounter is both annoying and demoralizing. It's not something I can so easily ignore either given that it takes up the entire screen while blurring it for about 5 seconds.
This constant repeated need to show the score to the player wouldn't be a bad thing if it was either A. Smaller, or B. Something I could turn off, but it isn't and because it happens so frequently it just grew to be more and more irritating as the game progressed.
I already know I suck at the game, I do not need to be constantly reminded that I suck at the game, I can already tell. Having a finger pointed at me and laughed at by the game is just fucking annoying.
Another issue is simply that the game fucking drags so fucking long at points, especially with certain levels which are just entire minigames. I do not think I need to go into excruciating detail into just how awful the After Burner tribute level is, and how it takes what is already unpleasant control change and stretches it to the point of utter absurdity and misery.
I did not buy this game to play fucking After Burner, and having to play it for what feels like 25 minutes is fucking exhausting, especially when the camera angles were giving me motion sickness and I felt like I was going to throw up.
Boss fights are also a fucking drag because Bayonetta's mechanics change to suit these large scale fights and it again, just drags. The only boss fights I genuinely enjoyed were the ones with Jeanne because those don't change the inherently good combat mechanics to compensate for size.
The introduction of new enemies is also cool, but what sucks is how most of the time they're introduced and are already attacking you in the cutscene, which makes the transition back to gameplay where you're expected to immediately dodge extremely fucking awkward and unfair to the player.
And then of course, there's the QTEs, which on the PC version, don't fucking function properly, making some QTEs flat out impossible to pull off.
Does this make Bayonetta a bad game? No, but it was a game that quickly exhausted me with these issues, and really left me wanting to replay DMC1 instead, a game in which I didn't even understand the fundamentals of its combat and yet still had a better time.
A lot of these problems aren't so much reflections of Bayonetta but reflections of Platinum Games' mentality of putting arcade like elements into their games without understanding the inherent satisfaction of that style.
Putting a motorcycle section in your game is cool, making it last 15 minutes is not.
Bayonetta does have style however, and that's something I can't take away from it, but honestly it feels like they put more emphasis on the style than on making the game enjoyable.
I think the reason people think so fondly of another Platinum title, Metal Gear Rising, is that despite that games absolutely abysmal gameplay, it is a far shorter game with less mini-game focus, and boss fights that genuinely feel cathartic and freeing. Bayonetta is the opposite of this, a game with gameplay that is genuinely engaging but is marred by an obsession with avoiding that playstyle for lengthy periods of time, while not having nearly as enjoyable boss design.
I didn't come into this game intending to dislike it, and in fact even now I don't fully dislike the game, but the problems it has, or rather the problems that Platinum themselves have are the reason I don't see myself coming back to this game, or playing Bayonetta 2, at least for some time.
I really, genuinely wish I had enjoyed my time with this, but if I'm playing a score centered video game from now on, it's going to be Ultrakill and not this.
I came into this game genuinely excited because my friends are very into it, and I was looking forward to a genuinely good and entertaining ride but now having finished it I'm just... tired.
I know that's going to get me a lot of flack and my complaints aren't so much that the game is hard, I didn't expect myself to be good at it but y'know it's made me reflect on things I just don't appreciate about the developer.
Platinum Games' self-mastubatory approach to scoring is just something I genuinely dislike as someone who enjoys playing games simply for the sake of having a good time and having a distraction from the real world. The constant reminder every 5 minutes or less about how well I did in each encounter is both annoying and demoralizing. It's not something I can so easily ignore either given that it takes up the entire screen while blurring it for about 5 seconds.
This constant repeated need to show the score to the player wouldn't be a bad thing if it was either A. Smaller, or B. Something I could turn off, but it isn't and because it happens so frequently it just grew to be more and more irritating as the game progressed.
I already know I suck at the game, I do not need to be constantly reminded that I suck at the game, I can already tell. Having a finger pointed at me and laughed at by the game is just fucking annoying.
Another issue is simply that the game fucking drags so fucking long at points, especially with certain levels which are just entire minigames. I do not think I need to go into excruciating detail into just how awful the After Burner tribute level is, and how it takes what is already unpleasant control change and stretches it to the point of utter absurdity and misery.
I did not buy this game to play fucking After Burner, and having to play it for what feels like 25 minutes is fucking exhausting, especially when the camera angles were giving me motion sickness and I felt like I was going to throw up.
Boss fights are also a fucking drag because Bayonetta's mechanics change to suit these large scale fights and it again, just drags. The only boss fights I genuinely enjoyed were the ones with Jeanne because those don't change the inherently good combat mechanics to compensate for size.
The introduction of new enemies is also cool, but what sucks is how most of the time they're introduced and are already attacking you in the cutscene, which makes the transition back to gameplay where you're expected to immediately dodge extremely fucking awkward and unfair to the player.
And then of course, there's the QTEs, which on the PC version, don't fucking function properly, making some QTEs flat out impossible to pull off.
Does this make Bayonetta a bad game? No, but it was a game that quickly exhausted me with these issues, and really left me wanting to replay DMC1 instead, a game in which I didn't even understand the fundamentals of its combat and yet still had a better time.
A lot of these problems aren't so much reflections of Bayonetta but reflections of Platinum Games' mentality of putting arcade like elements into their games without understanding the inherent satisfaction of that style.
Putting a motorcycle section in your game is cool, making it last 15 minutes is not.
Bayonetta does have style however, and that's something I can't take away from it, but honestly it feels like they put more emphasis on the style than on making the game enjoyable.
I think the reason people think so fondly of another Platinum title, Metal Gear Rising, is that despite that games absolutely abysmal gameplay, it is a far shorter game with less mini-game focus, and boss fights that genuinely feel cathartic and freeing. Bayonetta is the opposite of this, a game with gameplay that is genuinely engaging but is marred by an obsession with avoiding that playstyle for lengthy periods of time, while not having nearly as enjoyable boss design.
I didn't come into this game intending to dislike it, and in fact even now I don't fully dislike the game, but the problems it has, or rather the problems that Platinum themselves have are the reason I don't see myself coming back to this game, or playing Bayonetta 2, at least for some time.
I really, genuinely wish I had enjoyed my time with this, but if I'm playing a score centered video game from now on, it's going to be Ultrakill and not this.
bayonetta is a documentary btw. this all happened.
Bayo's pretty good. It's been a hot couple years since I last played it, and I'm not really super impressed, but it's still a cool game that makes you feel pretty cool.
When the game is in it's pure combat against normal enemies it's at its best. I dont think I enjoy this game's combat system as much as say, DMC5, but when a lot of action games lately have just become Light > light > Light > light > heavy + stealing witch time dodges it's still refreshing. One of the biggest issues with normal combat is that the game gives you the best + coolest weapon in the game as your second weapon (shoutouts to the katana, though the fire/lighting claws are also really fun). Infact they kinda frontload the weapons because katana/claws are so good but everything after fell kinda flat for me. In terms of enemies there isn't a huge variatity but there's still enough and the only ones I really don't like are the ones that you can't witchtime lol. The camera can also be funky but I dont think it's really as bad as some people make it out to be.
By far bayo is at its worst when it's gimmick section time. It's a very 7th gen game thing where they push a lot of weird gimmick sections to add "variety" and "break up the pace". A controversal opinion of mine is that I don't like most of those sections in 7th gen games in particular and rather just have more interesting standard encounters, and bayonetta reinforces this thought of mine.
The motorcycle/kamiya's love for Space Harrier sections are Okay at best, but then we start getting things like fighting a boss on a turret that's just complete ass, or the on water boss. Infact most of the bosses in this game, past the visual spectacle part, are pretty mid to fight. Things like Jeanne and Balder are pretty good, but then you fight stuff like Golem and Lustitia that just blow. I didn't do all of the bonus stages, but most of those were either really easy or just really obnoxious gimmick. I love having to protect an NPC me when enemy's will just spawn next to it.
(also, this might just be me but the visual spectacle the game's praised often for just kinda floated off me this run. maybe it's because I have played the game before/know whats going to happen, but outside of the few things that are still pretty pog i was kinda checked out for the cutscenes. I don't really consider this a negative cuz I'm sure it was cool as hell back inthe day and everything's a little less cool when you know what' going to happen)
Also there's a story. yeah it's there. There's some nonsense about time travel at the end but the story is simply an engine to give you some cool cutscenes and watch bayo and jeanne kill angels. The game still looks nice tho, obviously being a ps3 game there's age but some fantastic animation work and enemy visual design doing some insane weight lifting.
Bayonetta has problems, a lot of it I put in how games were made back during gen 7, and even if it's not my favorite bayo's combat is still miles above most of it's compatriots in the genre. If you like action games you should go play Bayonetta, cuz a lot of games have been ripping this game off for a while.
Bayo's pretty good. It's been a hot couple years since I last played it, and I'm not really super impressed, but it's still a cool game that makes you feel pretty cool.
When the game is in it's pure combat against normal enemies it's at its best. I dont think I enjoy this game's combat system as much as say, DMC5, but when a lot of action games lately have just become Light > light > Light > light > heavy + stealing witch time dodges it's still refreshing. One of the biggest issues with normal combat is that the game gives you the best + coolest weapon in the game as your second weapon (shoutouts to the katana, though the fire/lighting claws are also really fun). Infact they kinda frontload the weapons because katana/claws are so good but everything after fell kinda flat for me. In terms of enemies there isn't a huge variatity but there's still enough and the only ones I really don't like are the ones that you can't witchtime lol. The camera can also be funky but I dont think it's really as bad as some people make it out to be.
By far bayo is at its worst when it's gimmick section time. It's a very 7th gen game thing where they push a lot of weird gimmick sections to add "variety" and "break up the pace". A controversal opinion of mine is that I don't like most of those sections in 7th gen games in particular and rather just have more interesting standard encounters, and bayonetta reinforces this thought of mine.
The motorcycle/kamiya's love for Space Harrier sections are Okay at best, but then we start getting things like fighting a boss on a turret that's just complete ass, or the on water boss. Infact most of the bosses in this game, past the visual spectacle part, are pretty mid to fight. Things like Jeanne and Balder are pretty good, but then you fight stuff like Golem and Lustitia that just blow. I didn't do all of the bonus stages, but most of those were either really easy or just really obnoxious gimmick. I love having to protect an NPC me when enemy's will just spawn next to it.
(also, this might just be me but the visual spectacle the game's praised often for just kinda floated off me this run. maybe it's because I have played the game before/know whats going to happen, but outside of the few things that are still pretty pog i was kinda checked out for the cutscenes. I don't really consider this a negative cuz I'm sure it was cool as hell back inthe day and everything's a little less cool when you know what' going to happen)
Also there's a story. yeah it's there. There's some nonsense about time travel at the end but the story is simply an engine to give you some cool cutscenes and watch bayo and jeanne kill angels. The game still looks nice tho, obviously being a ps3 game there's age but some fantastic animation work and enemy visual design doing some insane weight lifting.
Bayonetta has problems, a lot of it I put in how games were made back during gen 7, and even if it's not my favorite bayo's combat is still miles above most of it's compatriots in the genre. If you like action games you should go play Bayonetta, cuz a lot of games have been ripping this game off for a while.
The fast pacing of Bayonetta is probably the biggest selling point of this game, but after a fair amount of practice, working your way through the combos should be enough of a breeze. But if there's anything else that makes Bayonetta work as well as it does, it never really punishes you after dying but another case of trial-and-error battling in which you're made to find another fighting combo that works best for you. It always keeps you on your feet, it's very addicting, and above all, the title character is always a blast to play as, whether it just be from her design or her one-liners.
It takes a lot of time to get used to the nature of those quick time events, because if you end up messing those ones up, they cause dire consequences - from losing a bunch of your health or in other cases, instant death, but thankfully they're not severely punishing to that point it ruins the game. Unfortunately, the fact that some of them are so frequent can be a bit of a drawback for some, yet it feels nice to be quick on your feet.
As someone who was never big on hack-and-slash games, this was a nice refresher.
It takes a lot of time to get used to the nature of those quick time events, because if you end up messing those ones up, they cause dire consequences - from losing a bunch of your health or in other cases, instant death, but thankfully they're not severely punishing to that point it ruins the game. Unfortunately, the fact that some of them are so frequent can be a bit of a drawback for some, yet it feels nice to be quick on your feet.
As someone who was never big on hack-and-slash games, this was a nice refresher.
It's really fun and pretty much what I was looking for in an H/S title, but it's ultimately unforgiving when it comes to unlocking stuff. Because of that, it doesn't have much of a replay value unless you're revisiting the story.
It hit all the right notes for me. The only problem is those stupid out of nowhere QTE in the cutscenes. Cheap and completely pointless instant deaths.
the graveyard opening scene is oscar deseving it should be mandatory to watch it at school
Bayonetta has ended up being one of the biggest disappointments I've had in gaming for quite a while and it's honestly not even close. Basically everything about this game screams pure greatness on paper, but then you need to actually play it and properly experience what this game has to offer, and it honestly falls flat almost across the board for me. Almost every element of this game feels as if it severely falls short of the mark and just has me thinking "why?". On the surface, this game seems like yet another character action game with super flashy combos and an insane sense of scale that manages to outdo itself at every turn, but the dynamics and mechanics that are built upon feel consistently ill conceived and end up falling far below the mark of what this genre can typically provide.
That's not to say that this game is without virtues however, there are definitely some fantastic things I can appreciate, especially the game's style. I love the really excessive, self-aware tone that Bayonetta brings to the table at some points that creates a manic, over the top experience that has the hype completely flow through the player. You know that a game starts off well when the opening sequence involves summoning angels just to kill them with a coffin of guns, all while an upbeat, jazzy rendition of Fly Me To The Moon plays in the background, or that time where you're fighting a boss in the middle of a tornado. Basically, when the game wants to, it brings forth some jaw dropping setpieces that make full use of pure spectacle. Where this falls flat is the way that the narrative itself, both the plot and the way it's delivered, feels completely nonsensical even for crazy action game standards, often feeling obnoxiously stupid while also being completely incomprehensible. For as much as Kingdom Hearts gets relentlessly (at times rightfully) mocked for its writing, at least it's told in a way that doesn't feel like it's intentionally keeping things hidden while also feeling like it literally says nothing. I genuinely feel like the story feels so disconnected from the gameplay that I'd get the exact same experience if I just skipped every overlong cutscene, I wasn't looking forward to fight a boss because of any sort of character drive or anything, I just wanted to rush up to the mountainous behemoth that I knew would be a badass fight. This issue would be more acceptable if not for the fact that the game feels so often halted by its insistence on cramming this element down your throat, making it harder to ignore with each interruption.
The combat is where this really falls flat for the most part, which is a problem with a game that is almost entirely based around its combat. I personally consider a few different issues with the game to culminate in an experience that feels fundamentally flawed, where certain problems feel as if they run deeper than something that can be fixed just by tweaking a couple of values. The encounter design is especially problematic to the core gameplay loop with how difficult it feels, sometimes being a great challenge that requires keen awareness of the players surroundings along with effectively utilising the plethora of attack and crowd control options, but other times boiling down a bit more to an enemy going "lol I'm going to throw out an attack with no proper telegraphing". If it were something that happened only once or twice it'd be an annoyance but nothing major, but the fact that almost every enemy seems to have at least one attack like this, it just feels unreasonable, especially with how much you're punished for getting hit. The game just feels too fast all around, almost never providing the player with ample opportunity to properly deal with the situation without abusing certain mechanics, and this is where witch time comes in, the things that ends up almost singlehandedly ruining the game flow.
On paper, the inclusion of a mechanic that temporarily slows down the absurd pacing of the game, rewarding careful dodging seems like a good idea, allowing the player to dish out massive damage in a relatively unimpeded state by timing a couple of dodges really nicely, but what ruins it is the simple fact that you feel like you often absolutely need it for a chance of getting past most challenges. This essentially results in the game having a dominant and recommended strategy that eliminates almost any actual variety, you just wait and dodge an attack, and use your few seconds of time slowing to deal a bunch of damage, and then rinse and repeat. Not only is it riskier to attempt to perform combos outside of this state, but the game often feels as if it's outright punishing you for even attempting such a thing, and nothing really feels as snappy or flashy in slow motion, making this mechanic not only detract from the core loop itself, but it also indirectly tanks a lot of the spectacle and flair at the same time leading to a game that never can feel truly enjoyable even in a "turn your brain off and watch awesome explosions" sort of way.
And as if that wasn't enough, this is also the sort of game that I'd say is directly responsible for the visceral hatred the mere concept of QTEs often receives. Along with the pace breaking nature of witch time, an even more pressing concern is the sheer amount of obnoxious button mashing that occurs in this. Not only is button mashing required, but the player is heavily rewarded from smashing those controller buttons at a carpel tunnel inducing speed and intensity, and that's if you're not having to rotate the analog stick around with just as much speed. Other problems include when cutscenes suddenly require you to quickly time a button press or else you straight up die, basically none of the weapons contributing to the fluid movement that Bayonetta builds itself around, essentially making the game feel worse to play if you try and diversify your moveset that much, and the fact that there are a bunch of these other ideas that don't fit with the way the rest of the game plays. Having to do a little first person shooting gallery stage at the end of every level feels tacky, the level with a motorcycle controls far too heavily to be satisfying, you get these random on rails flight sections where it feels like nothing happens, there's just a bunch of nothing tacked on throughout the experience that makes it all feel like a confused mess, and frankly, by the time I hit the 12th stage and yet another enemy attacked me the moment its intro cutscene ended before I could properly react, I was done. I feel like I played enough of this game to be able to form an informed opinion on this, and unfortunately, Bayonetta was mostly an exercise in misery, occasionally lit up by a cool boss fight or amazing setpiece, but it didn't stop the fact that for the vast majority of my playtime, it was a frustrating, uneven, and boring experience.
That's not to say that this game is without virtues however, there are definitely some fantastic things I can appreciate, especially the game's style. I love the really excessive, self-aware tone that Bayonetta brings to the table at some points that creates a manic, over the top experience that has the hype completely flow through the player. You know that a game starts off well when the opening sequence involves summoning angels just to kill them with a coffin of guns, all while an upbeat, jazzy rendition of Fly Me To The Moon plays in the background, or that time where you're fighting a boss in the middle of a tornado. Basically, when the game wants to, it brings forth some jaw dropping setpieces that make full use of pure spectacle. Where this falls flat is the way that the narrative itself, both the plot and the way it's delivered, feels completely nonsensical even for crazy action game standards, often feeling obnoxiously stupid while also being completely incomprehensible. For as much as Kingdom Hearts gets relentlessly (at times rightfully) mocked for its writing, at least it's told in a way that doesn't feel like it's intentionally keeping things hidden while also feeling like it literally says nothing. I genuinely feel like the story feels so disconnected from the gameplay that I'd get the exact same experience if I just skipped every overlong cutscene, I wasn't looking forward to fight a boss because of any sort of character drive or anything, I just wanted to rush up to the mountainous behemoth that I knew would be a badass fight. This issue would be more acceptable if not for the fact that the game feels so often halted by its insistence on cramming this element down your throat, making it harder to ignore with each interruption.
The combat is where this really falls flat for the most part, which is a problem with a game that is almost entirely based around its combat. I personally consider a few different issues with the game to culminate in an experience that feels fundamentally flawed, where certain problems feel as if they run deeper than something that can be fixed just by tweaking a couple of values. The encounter design is especially problematic to the core gameplay loop with how difficult it feels, sometimes being a great challenge that requires keen awareness of the players surroundings along with effectively utilising the plethora of attack and crowd control options, but other times boiling down a bit more to an enemy going "lol I'm going to throw out an attack with no proper telegraphing". If it were something that happened only once or twice it'd be an annoyance but nothing major, but the fact that almost every enemy seems to have at least one attack like this, it just feels unreasonable, especially with how much you're punished for getting hit. The game just feels too fast all around, almost never providing the player with ample opportunity to properly deal with the situation without abusing certain mechanics, and this is where witch time comes in, the things that ends up almost singlehandedly ruining the game flow.
On paper, the inclusion of a mechanic that temporarily slows down the absurd pacing of the game, rewarding careful dodging seems like a good idea, allowing the player to dish out massive damage in a relatively unimpeded state by timing a couple of dodges really nicely, but what ruins it is the simple fact that you feel like you often absolutely need it for a chance of getting past most challenges. This essentially results in the game having a dominant and recommended strategy that eliminates almost any actual variety, you just wait and dodge an attack, and use your few seconds of time slowing to deal a bunch of damage, and then rinse and repeat. Not only is it riskier to attempt to perform combos outside of this state, but the game often feels as if it's outright punishing you for even attempting such a thing, and nothing really feels as snappy or flashy in slow motion, making this mechanic not only detract from the core loop itself, but it also indirectly tanks a lot of the spectacle and flair at the same time leading to a game that never can feel truly enjoyable even in a "turn your brain off and watch awesome explosions" sort of way.
And as if that wasn't enough, this is also the sort of game that I'd say is directly responsible for the visceral hatred the mere concept of QTEs often receives. Along with the pace breaking nature of witch time, an even more pressing concern is the sheer amount of obnoxious button mashing that occurs in this. Not only is button mashing required, but the player is heavily rewarded from smashing those controller buttons at a carpel tunnel inducing speed and intensity, and that's if you're not having to rotate the analog stick around with just as much speed. Other problems include when cutscenes suddenly require you to quickly time a button press or else you straight up die, basically none of the weapons contributing to the fluid movement that Bayonetta builds itself around, essentially making the game feel worse to play if you try and diversify your moveset that much, and the fact that there are a bunch of these other ideas that don't fit with the way the rest of the game plays. Having to do a little first person shooting gallery stage at the end of every level feels tacky, the level with a motorcycle controls far too heavily to be satisfying, you get these random on rails flight sections where it feels like nothing happens, there's just a bunch of nothing tacked on throughout the experience that makes it all feel like a confused mess, and frankly, by the time I hit the 12th stage and yet another enemy attacked me the moment its intro cutscene ended before I could properly react, I was done. I feel like I played enough of this game to be able to form an informed opinion on this, and unfortunately, Bayonetta was mostly an exercise in misery, occasionally lit up by a cool boss fight or amazing setpiece, but it didn't stop the fact that for the vast majority of my playtime, it was a frustrating, uneven, and boring experience.
Playing Bayonetta in 2021 for the first time is a weird thing really. It's easy to see how it must have felt playing it on release. This game is exhilarating, filled with so much over-the-top stylish action, so many insane set-pieces, creative boss fights and overall addictive fighting-mechanics. From a game-design perspective - even though it feels a bit dated - I had sooooo much fun beasting through the hordes of enemies. On the other hand it put me in a weird place. The cringeworthy oversexualization of her is something that threw me off just too often. The camera angles, the way she moves in preparation for basically any attack and her taking off her entire clothes for a super-attack. It's just all something, I wouldn't accept in any other game. It kinda gets drowned in the absolutely bonkers, yet forgettable story, but I just didn't feel comfortable watching those cutscenes and dialogues. The rest of the cast isn't that much better sadly: it's filled with basic stereotypes.
But maybe I shouldn't think about all of that any longer and just leave it at the fun I had for 15 hrs.
But maybe I shouldn't think about all of that any longer and just leave it at the fun I had for 15 hrs.
This review contains spoilers
"Everyone rushes at me like crazed fans.They still haven't figured out that I don't give autographs!"
Bayonetta as a game is still one of my favorite games when looking back at it when I first played it for the first time almost three years ago. My game design sense has changed much from what it was in those years, but damn this game is lightning in a bottle in my eyes.
Gameplay: As of 3's release, letting the game sit with me I can safely say while I respect its creative liberties, and ambition with its combat system, 1 still has probably the most ironed out, tightest, and fresh combat system still in the whole series. For me, there is not a single thing this game does wrong with its combat system, the enemy design is so interesting and intricate, but fair. They can only attack on screen, they challenge you and test your knowledge of Bayonetta's moveset, but also, let you express yourself against them with so many ways to combo, or interact with them like being able to sweep them. Enemies can only parry if you hit them with their armor/stagger intact, things like shooting, or WW's can help break that in so many interesting ways. Wicked Weaves can launch, stomp, or send enemies flying across the arena.
I can not tell you how many days I have pulled all-nighters, labbing away at an enemy just to perfect and pull off a combo session perfectly. 3 gets onto that level with it's unique systems like Demon Slave, but 1 has such a good moveset with interesting interactions I just can't stop thinking about it when I think of action games. The fact that inertia exists in this game alone puts it above.
With how tightly integrated Dodge Offset is to the game,
you can offset through taunt animations, Umbran Spear, portals, and even FUCKING CUTSCENES. It's even hilarious to note that Kamiya himself was even shocked that you can offset combo strings through Umbran Spear.
Let us not forget how much more agile Bayonetta feels in the first game, considering how much faster she can string her combos, cancel them, and the availability of wicked weaves on her Scarborough Fair gun strings. This game does receive some criticism from the more surface-level players due to reusing a lot of the same animations from SF for a good amount of the different weapons, however, I find that to be positive. I find that as a positive because, when using different weapons throughout the game, having a visual cue gives you a sense of familiarity with the weapon, and its combo strings. What really sets the weapons apart in Bayonetta is the different properties they have, some weapons are insanely fast, some can freeze enemies, some can blow them up, or stagger them easier. Each end result is different, so why complain about how it looks so much?
The weapons like Sai Fung are satisfying and creamy as FUCK with that just being the tip of the iceberg.
I love, love that the higher difficulties actually go beyond changing enemy damage output in 1, instead of just doing that, encounters are completely changed, enemy placements are varied and tailored differently too, and on NSIC Witch Time is taken away! This makes you change up your play style in the best way, it pushes you to learn the game systems much more now that Witch Time is no longer a crutch, you can't bait enemies anymore into easy WT's. Hard mode is the best experience of the game though imo.
The only thing I would flaw this game for is alot of the bosses, I can forgive it however, with the existence of Jeanne, she is easily one of the most interesting bosses in terms of gameplay design, that bitch does not let up. The fights with her are always a delight and exciting, but fair.
Jeanne is identical to Bayonetta, fighting against her is almost like a 1v1 against another player, she can dodge, is just as mobile, wicked weave you from far away, shoot, but hit her in recovery and it will land every time. The battle goes so quickly so the back and forth is just too much fun.
On an aesthetic note, while this game has a more brownish and yellow filter (like most games during its time) I think it fits, this game, unlike the others, focuses on a much more gothic and dark appeal, like the European architecture, the angels and demons, so so cool.
Bayonetta and Jeanne still have the most unique designs in the whole series in this game, I love their designs in 2, but for some reason, I find both their first game's designs the most appealing because of how original it is. Bayonetta's design is supposed to be a witch hat, with the red ribbons on her text saying "BAYONETTA" over and over again in demonic text. So cool how subtle and intricate these designs are. Also, as a man I'll tell ya Bayonetta and Jeanne have the most beautiful faces and best asses in these designs, don't @'t me. (thank god for Bayonetta 3's photomode!) the sound design ooo man, each hit, and gunshot feels sooo satisfying to land, or even hear, they all feel impactful, and not like a peashooter.
Story:
This game is more focused on characters than story (something Kamiya notes in his developer playthrough) and that is its biggest strength for playing into that. Bayonetta in this game is probably the best she's been characterized the whole franchise. You get her origin story, campy showcases, most character development throughout the games, and her at her most caring. I like Bayonetta 2's characterization of her as well for some of the same reasons but I dislike the dialogue of the game too much for me to say she's better than her here.
Bayonetta don't got a Shakespeare-worthy plot, nor am I saying it's perfection but damn it if these characters don't have alot of charm or heart would be a lie. I love how much detail, and emotion is put into every cutscene of this game, I also love even more is Bayonetta's character, so much. Her arc in the first game is something I really love about it.
The biggest thing about Bayonetta in the first game is an extremely subtle detail much miss, even though she is so strong, confident, and powerful upfront, she is also a very lonely woman. Even though Rodin gave her an identity, and her name in the first place, she had no recollection of who she was and it frustrates her, in the lyrics of her battle theme even notes
"Bayonetta, you're mystery. (Who)
You come along with a destiny. (Are you?)
This is your life, a battlefield telling you who you are.
(A mystery, Bayonetta.)
Bayonetta, this is your time. (Hold tight)
Bayonetta, you bury your loneliness deep down in your eyes.
(Beautiful. Beautiful. So Powerful. So lonely.)
Sadness lies in your eyes. (Lonely heart)
But victory shines in your eyes. (You will find it)
You're still alive!
(Deep down in your heart. Deep down inside. Victory!)"
Her battle theme is about her and her alone, all from Jeanne's perspective. All she can focus on is trying to stay alive, her identity as Bayonetta is what keeps her going, but she wants to remember who she was.
Bayonetta has never, been and is not a heartless person at all, very much the opposite, even though she considers Luka an annoying nuisance, a young man she has to deal with, she does sympathize and cares about him still even if she kinda does emasculate and humiliates him throughout the first half of the game. Her and Cereza's relationship is really interesting to me on a thematic level considering in a technical sense, she is reciprocating motherly love to herself, something she never had as a child, being the Umbran Outcast. Cereza is a time-distorted version of herself from the past, at first she isn't head over heels for Cereza, she is stern at first, but she takes care of her, and then, later on, she grows to be more vulnerable around her, and attached. Her attachment to Cereza is completely reflected in the gameplay, when you meet Cereza, she is seen as distant, following Bayonetta, and then later on, Bayonetta is seen, and in a section controlled carrying Cereza in her arms.
Cereza also plays a massive role for Bayonetta and Luka to start respecting one another, she is quite honestly the bridge that helps them understand one another more and see each other differently, Luka thinks that Bayonetta is a murder and was the one who killed his father when he was only a child, Bayonetta thinking that he's just an annoying, shallow stalker/perverted fool. By the end of the game, they respect each other and are on good terms. Let's not forget Jeanne too, near the end of the game when Bayonetta regains her memories, they do a good job of showing how much Jeanne means to Bayonetta, they were always there for each other, Jeanne lifts her up when she needs it the most so many times throughout the game and they inspire each other.
Bayonetta returning Cereza to her time is such a great moment for her character because she is in a sense, giving herself from the past a better future. These experiences of Being around her future self with Amnesia gives Cereza the strength she needs to become strong in her own time. When she sees her mother die in this world, instead of losing all confidence and being destroyed by it, she gets up and continues to fight. Thus, giving her a better future than Bayonetta herself had. Making Cereza, become a different person in her own time.
So when I hear this game's story is just plain nonsense, I can't help but feel like they didn't really care enough to notice it in the first place, tbh.
These previously mentioned things are the most important for her arc in this game, she like I said before, was never a heartless person, she learns to open up, and not reject people being in her life. She learns to stop being so distant towards others, and open up more.
After looking at the clusterfuck of a story that Bayonetta 3 was (SPOILERS) I am a little glad that the protagonists in Bayonetta 1/2/3 are different people, from her first game incarnation being the first. It feels like night and day when looking at Cereza in 3 to Bayonetta in 1. Bayonetta herself is a lot more flashy, and campy, but overall is an extremely compassionate woman who cares about everyone around her. She has the most heart here and development. Cereza in 3, on the other hand, feels a lot less brave, and honestly, alot dumber and less intelligent than Bayonetta in 1 even though she is technically the strongest Cereza. She's a lot more bitchier, and she doesn't have any interesting characterization or developments that make sense like Bayonetta's, Bayonetta had signs of weakness as well, her fear, losing her mother, and so on, so it is pretty unfortunate Cereza doesn't really have any interesting character traits like Bayonetta, even her style and camp aren't on the same tier.
I miss when Bayonetta had actual continuity, even though the story wasn't its focal point, the characters were the heart. So to me, It's pretty deplorable seeing the direction 3 went for with its story, considering how few interesting developments happen in the cutscenes or are even explained and feel sensible to the characters. They just are missing the soul that made them great to me like this game did. It feels like with each passing sequel so far, the story just keeps taking a nosedive even though they put so much emphasis on it in 3. To the point were it affected the characters greatly.
I think what made Bayonetta such a fascinating character to me is her subtlety, it pops in and out but we get to see it in full through the actions she takes and her visuals, instead of it being out loud and about in your face all the time, it is more so hinted through her mannerisms at first. So when it is shown out and about, it feels very earned, and special. It's not overdone like in shounen anime, it feels a lot more human and believable, more earned to me.
She's a subtly emotional woman, and I can't help but love her for it.
I'm so sorry if some parts of this review is just a rant of me comparing 1 to 3, but I can't help it. LOL.
Bayonetta as a game is still one of my favorite games when looking back at it when I first played it for the first time almost three years ago. My game design sense has changed much from what it was in those years, but damn this game is lightning in a bottle in my eyes.
Gameplay: As of 3's release, letting the game sit with me I can safely say while I respect its creative liberties, and ambition with its combat system, 1 still has probably the most ironed out, tightest, and fresh combat system still in the whole series. For me, there is not a single thing this game does wrong with its combat system, the enemy design is so interesting and intricate, but fair. They can only attack on screen, they challenge you and test your knowledge of Bayonetta's moveset, but also, let you express yourself against them with so many ways to combo, or interact with them like being able to sweep them. Enemies can only parry if you hit them with their armor/stagger intact, things like shooting, or WW's can help break that in so many interesting ways. Wicked Weaves can launch, stomp, or send enemies flying across the arena.
I can not tell you how many days I have pulled all-nighters, labbing away at an enemy just to perfect and pull off a combo session perfectly. 3 gets onto that level with it's unique systems like Demon Slave, but 1 has such a good moveset with interesting interactions I just can't stop thinking about it when I think of action games. The fact that inertia exists in this game alone puts it above.
With how tightly integrated Dodge Offset is to the game,
you can offset through taunt animations, Umbran Spear, portals, and even FUCKING CUTSCENES. It's even hilarious to note that Kamiya himself was even shocked that you can offset combo strings through Umbran Spear.
Let us not forget how much more agile Bayonetta feels in the first game, considering how much faster she can string her combos, cancel them, and the availability of wicked weaves on her Scarborough Fair gun strings. This game does receive some criticism from the more surface-level players due to reusing a lot of the same animations from SF for a good amount of the different weapons, however, I find that to be positive. I find that as a positive because, when using different weapons throughout the game, having a visual cue gives you a sense of familiarity with the weapon, and its combo strings. What really sets the weapons apart in Bayonetta is the different properties they have, some weapons are insanely fast, some can freeze enemies, some can blow them up, or stagger them easier. Each end result is different, so why complain about how it looks so much?
The weapons like Sai Fung are satisfying and creamy as FUCK with that just being the tip of the iceberg.
I love, love that the higher difficulties actually go beyond changing enemy damage output in 1, instead of just doing that, encounters are completely changed, enemy placements are varied and tailored differently too, and on NSIC Witch Time is taken away! This makes you change up your play style in the best way, it pushes you to learn the game systems much more now that Witch Time is no longer a crutch, you can't bait enemies anymore into easy WT's. Hard mode is the best experience of the game though imo.
The only thing I would flaw this game for is alot of the bosses, I can forgive it however, with the existence of Jeanne, she is easily one of the most interesting bosses in terms of gameplay design, that bitch does not let up. The fights with her are always a delight and exciting, but fair.
Jeanne is identical to Bayonetta, fighting against her is almost like a 1v1 against another player, she can dodge, is just as mobile, wicked weave you from far away, shoot, but hit her in recovery and it will land every time. The battle goes so quickly so the back and forth is just too much fun.
On an aesthetic note, while this game has a more brownish and yellow filter (like most games during its time) I think it fits, this game, unlike the others, focuses on a much more gothic and dark appeal, like the European architecture, the angels and demons, so so cool.
Bayonetta and Jeanne still have the most unique designs in the whole series in this game, I love their designs in 2, but for some reason, I find both their first game's designs the most appealing because of how original it is. Bayonetta's design is supposed to be a witch hat, with the red ribbons on her text saying "BAYONETTA" over and over again in demonic text. So cool how subtle and intricate these designs are. Also, as a man I'll tell ya Bayonetta and Jeanne have the most beautiful faces and best asses in these designs, don't @'t me. (thank god for Bayonetta 3's photomode!) the sound design ooo man, each hit, and gunshot feels sooo satisfying to land, or even hear, they all feel impactful, and not like a peashooter.
Story:
This game is more focused on characters than story (something Kamiya notes in his developer playthrough) and that is its biggest strength for playing into that. Bayonetta in this game is probably the best she's been characterized the whole franchise. You get her origin story, campy showcases, most character development throughout the games, and her at her most caring. I like Bayonetta 2's characterization of her as well for some of the same reasons but I dislike the dialogue of the game too much for me to say she's better than her here.
Bayonetta don't got a Shakespeare-worthy plot, nor am I saying it's perfection but damn it if these characters don't have alot of charm or heart would be a lie. I love how much detail, and emotion is put into every cutscene of this game, I also love even more is Bayonetta's character, so much. Her arc in the first game is something I really love about it.
The biggest thing about Bayonetta in the first game is an extremely subtle detail much miss, even though she is so strong, confident, and powerful upfront, she is also a very lonely woman. Even though Rodin gave her an identity, and her name in the first place, she had no recollection of who she was and it frustrates her, in the lyrics of her battle theme even notes
"Bayonetta, you're mystery. (Who)
You come along with a destiny. (Are you?)
This is your life, a battlefield telling you who you are.
(A mystery, Bayonetta.)
Bayonetta, this is your time. (Hold tight)
Bayonetta, you bury your loneliness deep down in your eyes.
(Beautiful. Beautiful. So Powerful. So lonely.)
Sadness lies in your eyes. (Lonely heart)
But victory shines in your eyes. (You will find it)
You're still alive!
(Deep down in your heart. Deep down inside. Victory!)"
Her battle theme is about her and her alone, all from Jeanne's perspective. All she can focus on is trying to stay alive, her identity as Bayonetta is what keeps her going, but she wants to remember who she was.
Bayonetta has never, been and is not a heartless person at all, very much the opposite, even though she considers Luka an annoying nuisance, a young man she has to deal with, she does sympathize and cares about him still even if she kinda does emasculate and humiliates him throughout the first half of the game. Her and Cereza's relationship is really interesting to me on a thematic level considering in a technical sense, she is reciprocating motherly love to herself, something she never had as a child, being the Umbran Outcast. Cereza is a time-distorted version of herself from the past, at first she isn't head over heels for Cereza, she is stern at first, but she takes care of her, and then, later on, she grows to be more vulnerable around her, and attached. Her attachment to Cereza is completely reflected in the gameplay, when you meet Cereza, she is seen as distant, following Bayonetta, and then later on, Bayonetta is seen, and in a section controlled carrying Cereza in her arms.
Cereza also plays a massive role for Bayonetta and Luka to start respecting one another, she is quite honestly the bridge that helps them understand one another more and see each other differently, Luka thinks that Bayonetta is a murder and was the one who killed his father when he was only a child, Bayonetta thinking that he's just an annoying, shallow stalker/perverted fool. By the end of the game, they respect each other and are on good terms. Let's not forget Jeanne too, near the end of the game when Bayonetta regains her memories, they do a good job of showing how much Jeanne means to Bayonetta, they were always there for each other, Jeanne lifts her up when she needs it the most so many times throughout the game and they inspire each other.
Bayonetta returning Cereza to her time is such a great moment for her character because she is in a sense, giving herself from the past a better future. These experiences of Being around her future self with Amnesia gives Cereza the strength she needs to become strong in her own time. When she sees her mother die in this world, instead of losing all confidence and being destroyed by it, she gets up and continues to fight. Thus, giving her a better future than Bayonetta herself had. Making Cereza, become a different person in her own time.
So when I hear this game's story is just plain nonsense, I can't help but feel like they didn't really care enough to notice it in the first place, tbh.
These previously mentioned things are the most important for her arc in this game, she like I said before, was never a heartless person, she learns to open up, and not reject people being in her life. She learns to stop being so distant towards others, and open up more.
After looking at the clusterfuck of a story that Bayonetta 3 was (SPOILERS) I am a little glad that the protagonists in Bayonetta 1/2/3 are different people, from her first game incarnation being the first. It feels like night and day when looking at Cereza in 3 to Bayonetta in 1. Bayonetta herself is a lot more flashy, and campy, but overall is an extremely compassionate woman who cares about everyone around her. She has the most heart here and development. Cereza in 3, on the other hand, feels a lot less brave, and honestly, alot dumber and less intelligent than Bayonetta in 1 even though she is technically the strongest Cereza. She's a lot more bitchier, and she doesn't have any interesting characterization or developments that make sense like Bayonetta's, Bayonetta had signs of weakness as well, her fear, losing her mother, and so on, so it is pretty unfortunate Cereza doesn't really have any interesting character traits like Bayonetta, even her style and camp aren't on the same tier.
I miss when Bayonetta had actual continuity, even though the story wasn't its focal point, the characters were the heart. So to me, It's pretty deplorable seeing the direction 3 went for with its story, considering how few interesting developments happen in the cutscenes or are even explained and feel sensible to the characters. They just are missing the soul that made them great to me like this game did. It feels like with each passing sequel so far, the story just keeps taking a nosedive even though they put so much emphasis on it in 3. To the point were it affected the characters greatly.
I think what made Bayonetta such a fascinating character to me is her subtlety, it pops in and out but we get to see it in full through the actions she takes and her visuals, instead of it being out loud and about in your face all the time, it is more so hinted through her mannerisms at first. So when it is shown out and about, it feels very earned, and special. It's not overdone like in shounen anime, it feels a lot more human and believable, more earned to me.
She's a subtly emotional woman, and I can't help but love her for it.
I'm so sorry if some parts of this review is just a rant of me comparing 1 to 3, but I can't help it. LOL.
Bayonetta é exuberante, elegante, excêntrica e extravagante!
Bayonetta tem um sólido e combate divertido, personagens carismáticos e a música tema "fly me to the moon" caiu como uma luva no jogo.
Sobre a história eu a considero com altos e baixos. Bayonetta tem uma lore bem impressionante e ao mesmo tempo a narrativa não se leva nada a sério parecendo mais uma bagunça pra pano de fundo da porradaria (não que pra esse estilo de jogo seja ruim)... Senti que as vezes o meio termo não fica em um equílibrio balanceado entre seu humor, ação, ecchi e a história mais séria e isso me causou estranheza, mas quando as coisas ficam equilibradas o ritmo se torna bem divertido de acompanhar, e meu deus como a relação da Bayonetta com a pequena Cereza foi o ápice do carisma.
O combate é sólido e tem uma variação bacana de armas ataques e combos e foi o ponto mais forte que achei no jogo mesmo achando que tem QTES até demais e alguns comandos não ficaram tão bem encaixados (é de você mesmo que estou falando pantern within..). Destaque para as batalhas com a Jeanne meio Dante e Vergil super produzidas! (E eu quero ver mais da Jeanne, que personagem exuberante, podia ter aparecido mais!)
Pra um jogo de final de 2009 ele envelheceu muito bem, com um character design e uma arte boa! talvez só a palheta de cores meio marrom não brilhe tanto quanto a Bayonetta mas que ainda apresenta uma experiência sólida e eu diria que eletrizante.
Bayonetta tem um sólido e combate divertido, personagens carismáticos e a música tema "fly me to the moon" caiu como uma luva no jogo.
Sobre a história eu a considero com altos e baixos. Bayonetta tem uma lore bem impressionante e ao mesmo tempo a narrativa não se leva nada a sério parecendo mais uma bagunça pra pano de fundo da porradaria (não que pra esse estilo de jogo seja ruim)... Senti que as vezes o meio termo não fica em um equílibrio balanceado entre seu humor, ação, ecchi e a história mais séria e isso me causou estranheza, mas quando as coisas ficam equilibradas o ritmo se torna bem divertido de acompanhar, e meu deus como a relação da Bayonetta com a pequena Cereza foi o ápice do carisma.
O combate é sólido e tem uma variação bacana de armas ataques e combos e foi o ponto mais forte que achei no jogo mesmo achando que tem QTES até demais e alguns comandos não ficaram tão bem encaixados (é de você mesmo que estou falando pantern within..). Destaque para as batalhas com a Jeanne meio Dante e Vergil super produzidas! (E eu quero ver mais da Jeanne, que personagem exuberante, podia ter aparecido mais!)
Pra um jogo de final de 2009 ele envelheceu muito bem, com um character design e uma arte boa! talvez só a palheta de cores meio marrom não brilhe tanto quanto a Bayonetta mas que ainda apresenta uma experiência sólida e eu diria que eletrizante.
I want to cum all over Bayonetta, but I know hard it is to remove jizz stains from hair so I won't do that.
Insanely fun, fast paced, brutally challenging, it’ll pull no punches in telling you how much ass you suck on your first playthrough. But that’s the point, Platinum always builds their games like the first playthrough is your tutorial, subsequent playthroughs are your chance to blast through the game knowing your overpowered arsenal more thoroughly, getting those platinum medals, and it’s satisfying. The core combat is polished to a sheen, with tons of weapons and combos to express yourself with and tons of different enemies for you to wail on. On top of that, the game is just so loaded with character. Bayonetta herself just as a character, as a personality, is at her peak in this original game, so confident, sassy, full of charisma and wit, someone in complete control, over the situation, her enemies, her repressed emotions and traumas, her sexuality. She’s such an outlandish, unique, thoroughly kickass character and it’s really surreal to think that she’s technically part of Nintendo’s pantheon now. And the set pieces, so creative, over the top and breathtaking to look at, she uses an enemy’s body to surf lava waves, she has a skyscraper thrown at her which she deflects back at them by headbutting it, or my favourite, when she summons a bunch of demon arms which play volleyball using the most annoying boss in the game as the ball, but then one of them drops it and they all just kind of linger there in awkward silence before all piling in and gangbeating it to death. Like, how does one think some of this up? There’s never a dull moment in this game.
Not without it’s flaws though. The camera can be clunky at points, getting stuck on shit in the foreground in the heat of the action, I’m really not a fan of the slideshow cutscenes compared to the traditional styled ones, the instant death QTEs are just straight up horseshit, and a lot of the bosses boil down to “run up and DPS it’s very obvious weak spot,” plus there are certain attacks they’ll throw out that still just make me go “how in the fuck am I expected to avoid that?” But as a whole it’s an insanely fun, creative, unique take on the character action genre, and I’m thankful that it put one of my favourite developers on the map.
Not without it’s flaws though. The camera can be clunky at points, getting stuck on shit in the foreground in the heat of the action, I’m really not a fan of the slideshow cutscenes compared to the traditional styled ones, the instant death QTEs are just straight up horseshit, and a lot of the bosses boil down to “run up and DPS it’s very obvious weak spot,” plus there are certain attacks they’ll throw out that still just make me go “how in the fuck am I expected to avoid that?” But as a whole it’s an insanely fun, creative, unique take on the character action genre, and I’m thankful that it put one of my favourite developers on the map.
COMPLETELY OUT OF DATE OH GOD THIS AGED POORLY
So... I wanted a physical copy of this game for a while and it arrived just as THAT happened. I know it ain't Bayo 3, but I don't feel comfortable playing this one for the time being.
EDIT: Hmm, seems like the situation is more complicated then it seems. Really wished the article recently released wasn't behind a paywall, but it seems there's a bit more to this whole scandal then we initially thought. Still, I won't jump into 1 & 3 quite yet, instead I'll wait for more info to come out.
And to be clear, even if it isn't what we thought at first, I don't think Platinum would be completely innocent. There's still quite a bit of sketchy stuff going on with them, but it's best for now to wait and see.
LAST EDIT: Think I'll try not to make a statement like this so swiftly in the future. I still standby voice actors not getting nearly enough respect as they should get. They aren't 9 to 5 jobs like a lot of us; they can go a long while without any work. So when they do finally get a role they better be paid well enough so that they'll be set if there is another drought of work, among plenty of other ways they are screwed over.
That all said, yeah no Taylor definitely misheard something. NDA ain't something you break so willingly without a good reason, but a lot evidence really shows how there must've been a misunderstanding. Also throwing the new voice actress under the bus was going too far, even before we got the whole story.
Will I play Bayo 1 & 3... eh maybe? This whole thing just threw me through a loop and frankly I want to step away from it. Maybe my mind will change by the time Bayo 3 comes out, but who knows maybe something more crazy will happen with this whole controversy.
One thing is for sure, I'm tired of editing this to be relevant.
...OK yeah it's hard to believe at this point it was a misunderstanding. Seems very intentional, which sucks royally. NOW I'm done.
So... I wanted a physical copy of this game for a while and it arrived just as THAT happened. I know it ain't Bayo 3, but I don't feel comfortable playing this one for the time being.
EDIT: Hmm, seems like the situation is more complicated then it seems. Really wished the article recently released wasn't behind a paywall, but it seems there's a bit more to this whole scandal then we initially thought. Still, I won't jump into 1 & 3 quite yet, instead I'll wait for more info to come out.
And to be clear, even if it isn't what we thought at first, I don't think Platinum would be completely innocent. There's still quite a bit of sketchy stuff going on with them, but it's best for now to wait and see.
LAST EDIT: Think I'll try not to make a statement like this so swiftly in the future. I still standby voice actors not getting nearly enough respect as they should get. They aren't 9 to 5 jobs like a lot of us; they can go a long while without any work. So when they do finally get a role they better be paid well enough so that they'll be set if there is another drought of work, among plenty of other ways they are screwed over.
That all said, yeah no Taylor definitely misheard something. NDA ain't something you break so willingly without a good reason, but a lot evidence really shows how there must've been a misunderstanding. Also throwing the new voice actress under the bus was going too far, even before we got the whole story.
Will I play Bayo 1 & 3... eh maybe? This whole thing just threw me through a loop and frankly I want to step away from it. Maybe my mind will change by the time Bayo 3 comes out, but who knows maybe something more crazy will happen with this whole controversy.
One thing is for sure, I'm tired of editing this to be relevant.
...OK yeah it's hard to believe at this point it was a misunderstanding. Seems very intentional, which sucks royally. NOW I'm done.
As someone who owned and actively played on a Wii U back during what might've been the absolute worst time to be a Nintendo fan, I'm surprised at just how many games I didn't bother picking up while the console was still being supported, with one of my bigger regrets being me not playing either of the two Bayonetta games that were on there. Years later, I've still wanted to give this franchise a shot, and since I've been playing quite a few character action games recently, I figured I might as well throw the first Bayonetta into the mix for good measure. This was one of those games that I've heard practically nothing but good things about from both general internet discourse and my actual friends who've played through it, and I think that this general excitement and acclaim towards it might've contributed to just how disappointing of an experience Bayonetta was for me, even if I wouldn't call it a bad game by any means.
For the first few hours of my 10 hour playthrough, I was having an absolute blast with Bayonetta, and most of my enjoyment can be found in the excellent combat system. The vast amount of flashy moves, lengthy combos, and dynamic upgrades made controlling the titular Umbra Witch feel fast, fluid, and buttery-smooth, and activating Witch Time by dodging an attack at the last second was satisfying pretty much every time I pulled it off successfully. Unlike the ranking systems you'd find in something like Devil May Cry, Bayonetta ranks how well you've done in each of the level's individual combat encounters rather than just the level as a whole, and while that didn't really change my approach to fighting enemies all that much (mostly because it was so harsh and required absolute perfection that I just ignored it and did what I wanted), it was still an interesting choice. Although the plot verges on the incomprehensible (especially with how the sound mixing in the cutscenes is so bad that you can't even hear the characters under the sound effects and music), the stylish presentation had me look forward to each cutscene, with the detailed artstyle and gleefully over-the-top choreography working well alongside the lead character's charming personality and the great voice performance from Hellena Taylor. The soundtrack of Bayonetta also greatly added to the game as a whole, and its eclectic mix of genres fit pretty much every scene that the music was used in.
Bayonetta is one of those rare cases where, despite how great the core mechanics are, it feels like every other element of this game is trying to drag that gameplay down to the point where you can't even appreciate it, and a lot of that can be felt with just how bloated this game is with gimmicky nonsense. Whether it comes in the form of clunky vehicle sections, bad platforming, or annoying bosses and enemies that can only be killed using one or two techniques, Bayonetta constantly interrupts you from just getting to the fun parts of the game, and the sheer amount of repeated encounters makes this problem even worse. Even at its best, the gameplay of Bayonetta still manages to get held back, as the genuinely awful camera moves around so much that you can't even see who or what you're supposed to be fighting and dodging (a trend among these character action games that I'm starting to get sick of) and the frame rate can drop so low that it actively ruins your timing for combos and last-second dodges. Bayonetta also has some really irritating quicktime events that occasionally result in an instant death, and since this game decreases your rewards at the end of each level if you die even once, these can end up being straight-up frustrating. The heights that Bayonetta reaches were enough to make me say that I liked it overall, but I won't pretend like I wasn't let down by it or that it wasn't a deeply flawed game, and I hope that Bayonetta 2 makes up for it.
For the first few hours of my 10 hour playthrough, I was having an absolute blast with Bayonetta, and most of my enjoyment can be found in the excellent combat system. The vast amount of flashy moves, lengthy combos, and dynamic upgrades made controlling the titular Umbra Witch feel fast, fluid, and buttery-smooth, and activating Witch Time by dodging an attack at the last second was satisfying pretty much every time I pulled it off successfully. Unlike the ranking systems you'd find in something like Devil May Cry, Bayonetta ranks how well you've done in each of the level's individual combat encounters rather than just the level as a whole, and while that didn't really change my approach to fighting enemies all that much (mostly because it was so harsh and required absolute perfection that I just ignored it and did what I wanted), it was still an interesting choice. Although the plot verges on the incomprehensible (especially with how the sound mixing in the cutscenes is so bad that you can't even hear the characters under the sound effects and music), the stylish presentation had me look forward to each cutscene, with the detailed artstyle and gleefully over-the-top choreography working well alongside the lead character's charming personality and the great voice performance from Hellena Taylor. The soundtrack of Bayonetta also greatly added to the game as a whole, and its eclectic mix of genres fit pretty much every scene that the music was used in.
Bayonetta is one of those rare cases where, despite how great the core mechanics are, it feels like every other element of this game is trying to drag that gameplay down to the point where you can't even appreciate it, and a lot of that can be felt with just how bloated this game is with gimmicky nonsense. Whether it comes in the form of clunky vehicle sections, bad platforming, or annoying bosses and enemies that can only be killed using one or two techniques, Bayonetta constantly interrupts you from just getting to the fun parts of the game, and the sheer amount of repeated encounters makes this problem even worse. Even at its best, the gameplay of Bayonetta still manages to get held back, as the genuinely awful camera moves around so much that you can't even see who or what you're supposed to be fighting and dodging (a trend among these character action games that I'm starting to get sick of) and the frame rate can drop so low that it actively ruins your timing for combos and last-second dodges. Bayonetta also has some really irritating quicktime events that occasionally result in an instant death, and since this game decreases your rewards at the end of each level if you die even once, these can end up being straight-up frustrating. The heights that Bayonetta reaches were enough to make me say that I liked it overall, but I won't pretend like I wasn't let down by it or that it wasn't a deeply flawed game, and I hope that Bayonetta 2 makes up for it.
game of the year 2009
This is one of those games where if I was better at it, my score would definitely be higher. I had a really good time with Bayonetta though, I was terrible when I started and the big difficulty kick around chapter 6 really forced me to get good quick. Once I finally got that feel the game went a lot smoother but the last few chapters still managed to completely kick my ass. The only big gripes I have with the game are the numerous amount of "die if you fail" QTEs or segments and the minigame-style sequences later in the game, both of those got me pretty frustrated or bored since they killed the flow for me. Overall, quite fun even if you aren't good at this kind of game.
maybe devil may cry is mid actually
I'm not sure if this game was made for me or not. The story being mostly nonsensical and confusing leaves basically the gameplay as the center point for this game. With the understanding that the game was made in 2009, I'd go a bit easy on it and say that it was probably very good for its time. I'd say that since then, it's very much shown its age. Though, I won't deduct anything from the score for that because it's not its fault.
The game's highlights were really its characters. Rodin and Luka were probably my favorites. Jeanne and Bayonetta herself were alright but I felt like the comic relief character with the bad Joe Pesci voice impression (whose name I don't recall) was kind of annoying and mostly forgettable. I'd give this game probably about a 75; mostly due to the soundtrack and characters.
The game's highlights were really its characters. Rodin and Luka were probably my favorites. Jeanne and Bayonetta herself were alright but I felt like the comic relief character with the bad Joe Pesci voice impression (whose name I don't recall) was kind of annoying and mostly forgettable. I'd give this game probably about a 75; mostly due to the soundtrack and characters.
Platinum peaked with this game and it’s been downhill ever since.
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Okay quick proper review below since I went through both this and Bayo 2 again now:
Bayonetta 1 was my first taste of the character action/spectacle fighter/hack-and-slash/stylish action game genre many years ago when I picked up a switch and at the time I finished it for the first time, along with the second game, I fell in love with the series. So much that I ended up playing the second one more than this one for... obvious reasons. Bayo's design appealed to me more in 2 than 1 but also I liked 2 at the time more for various reasons like better levels and more weapon options, though today I can say the first game makes a better long term impression overall, especially with the combat.
The combat in Bayonetta 1 to me stands as the best in the series as it is not weighed down by unnecessary gimmicks/mechanics added in the later two games. Just focusing on pulling off quick and stylishly sick combos with dodge offsets, wicked weaves, and witch-timing to make the score go brrrr. This exercise can be very thrilling in most of the regular enemy encounters as they provide a good amount of challenge without going too far, sometimes. Telegraphing is pretty smooth with light flashes and sounds indicating when an attack is about to connect, though the camera can still be a pain in keeping an eye out on everyone. This wasn't an issue with the boss fights except Jeanne's sometimes, but I also think the boss fights aren't too thrilling outside of Jeanne's and I didn't feel that kinetic energy of the combat when taking them on. They're incredible as set pieces and spectacle, but I never really connected to them, which is mostly something I feel towards the series in general and not just Bayo 1.
Even with that said, the first attempt at the combat here is excellent and opens up to so much variety with weapons throughout further replays and playing the game on harder difficulties if you like pain. Normal kicked my ass originally and still does on some stages but it becomes very manageable after finishing the game for the first time and accessing more gear and having all the health and magic upgrades. While I don't think it succeeds the heights of its obvious genre influence of DMC, the combat in Bayonetta is so damn fun and enticing that I kinda prefer it more than the other at times. If the game was mostly only the combat and the characters, it would be a perfect game, and yet there is quite a lot of things attached to it that slightly bring the game down to me.
So this game can be brutal. Enemies launch attacks right at the end of cutscenes, numerous instant death qtes plague the beginning of the game, enemies are hyper aggressive and hit hard while still coming to grips with the controls, the drab environment itself is fucking deadly to you, two levels in particular are notorious for awful gimmick sections that do not belong at all here, you get points off in normal difficulty if you use any sort of items even with the game being stingy with healing, and Bayonetta 1 in general is very rough around the edges with its platforming and design in general, except for the combat. Even when used to all of this, it can still be pretty aggravating when the game randomly throws these curveballs that fuck up my score or health, and having to restart all the way from the beginning every single time. It's not the worst but considering how much this game apparently was taking influence from DMC4 during its development, the lack of polish in some areas of Bayonetta come off a little bizarre.
Even with these gripes, I still can't knock this game too hard as it introduced me to a genre I know and love today. I love the Bayonetta series and still really enjoy the first entry and some of the later two to certain degrees. Looking back retrospectively, it is a bit sad that the first game still remains the best in the series as the later games add many elements that fundamentally improve and smooth out the experience, and even make it more exciting and fun to play without being interrupted with some of the shit Bayo 1 pulls. Yet, Bayo 1 to me still feels like the only game where the combat mechanics, enemy design, and (sometimes fair) difficulty coalescence so neatly together even when other areas fall apart a bit. Bayo 1 is no DMC 3 or 5 and I'm still hoping the series finally gets a game of that quality, especially after the catastrophe that is Bayo 3, but even if it doesn't I can say the series stands tall with a wonderful entry in the action game genre.
————————————————————
Okay quick proper review below since I went through both this and Bayo 2 again now:
Bayonetta 1 was my first taste of the character action/spectacle fighter/hack-and-slash/stylish action game genre many years ago when I picked up a switch and at the time I finished it for the first time, along with the second game, I fell in love with the series. So much that I ended up playing the second one more than this one for... obvious reasons. Bayo's design appealed to me more in 2 than 1 but also I liked 2 at the time more for various reasons like better levels and more weapon options, though today I can say the first game makes a better long term impression overall, especially with the combat.
The combat in Bayonetta 1 to me stands as the best in the series as it is not weighed down by unnecessary gimmicks/mechanics added in the later two games. Just focusing on pulling off quick and stylishly sick combos with dodge offsets, wicked weaves, and witch-timing to make the score go brrrr. This exercise can be very thrilling in most of the regular enemy encounters as they provide a good amount of challenge without going too far, sometimes. Telegraphing is pretty smooth with light flashes and sounds indicating when an attack is about to connect, though the camera can still be a pain in keeping an eye out on everyone. This wasn't an issue with the boss fights except Jeanne's sometimes, but I also think the boss fights aren't too thrilling outside of Jeanne's and I didn't feel that kinetic energy of the combat when taking them on. They're incredible as set pieces and spectacle, but I never really connected to them, which is mostly something I feel towards the series in general and not just Bayo 1.
Even with that said, the first attempt at the combat here is excellent and opens up to so much variety with weapons throughout further replays and playing the game on harder difficulties if you like pain. Normal kicked my ass originally and still does on some stages but it becomes very manageable after finishing the game for the first time and accessing more gear and having all the health and magic upgrades. While I don't think it succeeds the heights of its obvious genre influence of DMC, the combat in Bayonetta is so damn fun and enticing that I kinda prefer it more than the other at times. If the game was mostly only the combat and the characters, it would be a perfect game, and yet there is quite a lot of things attached to it that slightly bring the game down to me.
So this game can be brutal. Enemies launch attacks right at the end of cutscenes, numerous instant death qtes plague the beginning of the game, enemies are hyper aggressive and hit hard while still coming to grips with the controls, the drab environment itself is fucking deadly to you, two levels in particular are notorious for awful gimmick sections that do not belong at all here, you get points off in normal difficulty if you use any sort of items even with the game being stingy with healing, and Bayonetta 1 in general is very rough around the edges with its platforming and design in general, except for the combat. Even when used to all of this, it can still be pretty aggravating when the game randomly throws these curveballs that fuck up my score or health, and having to restart all the way from the beginning every single time. It's not the worst but considering how much this game apparently was taking influence from DMC4 during its development, the lack of polish in some areas of Bayonetta come off a little bizarre.
Even with these gripes, I still can't knock this game too hard as it introduced me to a genre I know and love today. I love the Bayonetta series and still really enjoy the first entry and some of the later two to certain degrees. Looking back retrospectively, it is a bit sad that the first game still remains the best in the series as the later games add many elements that fundamentally improve and smooth out the experience, and even make it more exciting and fun to play without being interrupted with some of the shit Bayo 1 pulls. Yet, Bayo 1 to me still feels like the only game where the combat mechanics, enemy design, and (sometimes fair) difficulty coalescence so neatly together even when other areas fall apart a bit. Bayo 1 is no DMC 3 or 5 and I'm still hoping the series finally gets a game of that quality, especially after the catastrophe that is Bayo 3, but even if it doesn't I can say the series stands tall with a wonderful entry in the action game genre.
If you re not familiar with Character Action Games the combat is hard as nails, but getting gud is worth it. A great time (apart from the shmup passages)
i was really nervous about returning to this game for fear it wouldn't click with me nearly as much as it did the first time. i've lived a lot of life and have experienced a lot of other similar games since i played bayonetta! i'm so relieved to say that i still adore every little thing about this game. i think this and metal gear solid 3 are two of the only games whose cast fill me with such warmth that my face hurts after every cutscene from fondly smiling ear to ear. there hasn't been and probably never will be an introductory cutscene as perfect as bayonettas. :' )))))))))))
young luka said father 12 times and they didnt think to get a second take