Fan service is often detrimental to the presentation of a character. Grossly misrepresenting a character’s personality and development for the sake of the audience’s ability to ogle their body more often than not, spoils the investment one could have in that character. This is often the case in various games and TV shows where you have established characters that have strong personalities. When a game can give effective fan service, make it ridiculously over-the-top, and campy, you get Bayonetta. Despite the many criticisms this game is well deserving of, the theatrics and spectacle make it entirely possible to forget you’re playing a deeply flawed game. With an intricate battle system and a convoluted mess of a story, Bayonetta relies on the player being captivated by its flashy charms to encourage its completion.
The core gameplay for this PlayStation 3 hit is an arcade-style combo system that was famously implemented in classic PlayStation 2 titles like Devil May Cry (Both titles have the same director so this makes sense) and God of War. The short of it is that landing attacks will generate points, landing combos will generate more points, and at the end of each chapter, you are assessed on how many points you scored while also receiving scores based on how you performed in each of the various fights throughout. Pairing this with a wide berth of combos, special attacks, and powerful combo finishers you are given an intricate combat system that allows you to participate in it as little or as much as you’d like. I wish the game would have done a better job of giving you the space to learn and practice this battle system as it is more complex than what it teaches you. You’re left to figure it out on the fly and if you are playing on normal difficulty this means struggling through many encounters until you learn and master the finer intricacies of the combat. The game does take time to teach you how combos work and how to use Witch Time but that’s about it. Witch Time is the central mechanic in Bayonetta’s combat as it slows down time so you can complete larger combos. It’s a reward-based system as the requirements to trigger it are well-timed dodges. Combining Witch Time with the various attack combinations is essential to mastering combat.
The execution of Witch Time and combos works incredibly well with the combat system. Combos flow into each other seamlessly and the animations of Bayonetta’s attacks are seductive and brutal. Whether she’s stripping herself to use her hair (which she manipulates to clothe herself) to land a devastating blow, or creating these massive scale beasts to slash, bash, or mash enemies into the ground, the spectacle of it is incredulous. The enemies you face throughout the game are biblically inspired angels who are intent on killing Bayonetta. These creatures take on many forms and constitute the majority of the boss encounters. The settings of these battles are just as immense and interesting as the wide berth of enemies that are present. Battles take place anywhere and everywhere. Pieces of a crumbling clocktower, surfing on a piece of driftwood, and the side of a missile are all places that you battle on. Every time you think you have seen it all, the game surprises you with something more ludicrous than the last. This holds true from start to finish and it’s one of the stronger aspects of the game which lends itself to forgiveness of the lack of a cohesive story.
While there is definitely a story being told in Bayonetta, you can’t really understand it until later towards the end of the game. Certain plot devices are obvious from the moment you come upon them but there are major plot details that the game withholds from you until you’ve almost completed the game. The game gives you the amnesiac protagonist cliché and a very basic understanding of the game’s setting. The pacing of the story is off-putting since you’re given a vague sense of what the characters are doing and an even vaguer sense of why they’re doing anything. You understand what the main goals are but you are given very little sense of what you are doing to accomplish those goals or why those are their goals to begin with. The game makes up for this with the presentation of our titular character.
Seductive is the definition of Bayonetta. Her lines are dripping with innuendo and overflowing with lust. The self-awareness and intention in her behavior embody the spirit of the game. The supporting cast all have unique traits but aren’t given as much space to express their personalities. It’s clear that the intention was for players to fall in love with the characterization of Bayonetta and enjoy the additional characters as added enjoyment. Where the story does excel, is in its presentation. Cutscenes are film-reel framed images that capture each moment to convey the story. Despite not having a clear idea of what’s going on, the personality of each of the characters makes for a fun and engaging experience. You learn more about the character’s personalities and how they interact with each other during these scenes. While some scenes are fully animated, the still frames are the best at conveying the charms of its presentation and helps the player to want to see the game to its conclusion.
Despite how terrible certain aspects of Bayonetta was to play, I felt compelled to keep going and allow the game to show me everything it has to offer. Suffering through terrible quick-time-events and cheap shots thrown at the start of battles, allowed me to realize why people love this series as much as they do. When you take into consideration the spectacle and scale of the game, it’s no wonder why people are drawn to it. While I don’t think this is a game that I would personally like to come back to, I can see myself engaging with its sequels. So long as the spirit of the game remains, I can see Bayonetta improving upon its rougher aspects and offering a game that is both fun to play and experience as a whole. Even the uglier aspects of the game have something to contribute towards the bigger picture and with refinement, Bayonetta could easily become one of the greater series that are offered towards a more mature audience. Bayonetta may not be the greatest sum of its parts, but it has many highs to combat the lows and that’s what makes it important.
The core gameplay for this PlayStation 3 hit is an arcade-style combo system that was famously implemented in classic PlayStation 2 titles like Devil May Cry (Both titles have the same director so this makes sense) and God of War. The short of it is that landing attacks will generate points, landing combos will generate more points, and at the end of each chapter, you are assessed on how many points you scored while also receiving scores based on how you performed in each of the various fights throughout. Pairing this with a wide berth of combos, special attacks, and powerful combo finishers you are given an intricate combat system that allows you to participate in it as little or as much as you’d like. I wish the game would have done a better job of giving you the space to learn and practice this battle system as it is more complex than what it teaches you. You’re left to figure it out on the fly and if you are playing on normal difficulty this means struggling through many encounters until you learn and master the finer intricacies of the combat. The game does take time to teach you how combos work and how to use Witch Time but that’s about it. Witch Time is the central mechanic in Bayonetta’s combat as it slows down time so you can complete larger combos. It’s a reward-based system as the requirements to trigger it are well-timed dodges. Combining Witch Time with the various attack combinations is essential to mastering combat.
The execution of Witch Time and combos works incredibly well with the combat system. Combos flow into each other seamlessly and the animations of Bayonetta’s attacks are seductive and brutal. Whether she’s stripping herself to use her hair (which she manipulates to clothe herself) to land a devastating blow, or creating these massive scale beasts to slash, bash, or mash enemies into the ground, the spectacle of it is incredulous. The enemies you face throughout the game are biblically inspired angels who are intent on killing Bayonetta. These creatures take on many forms and constitute the majority of the boss encounters. The settings of these battles are just as immense and interesting as the wide berth of enemies that are present. Battles take place anywhere and everywhere. Pieces of a crumbling clocktower, surfing on a piece of driftwood, and the side of a missile are all places that you battle on. Every time you think you have seen it all, the game surprises you with something more ludicrous than the last. This holds true from start to finish and it’s one of the stronger aspects of the game which lends itself to forgiveness of the lack of a cohesive story.
While there is definitely a story being told in Bayonetta, you can’t really understand it until later towards the end of the game. Certain plot devices are obvious from the moment you come upon them but there are major plot details that the game withholds from you until you’ve almost completed the game. The game gives you the amnesiac protagonist cliché and a very basic understanding of the game’s setting. The pacing of the story is off-putting since you’re given a vague sense of what the characters are doing and an even vaguer sense of why they’re doing anything. You understand what the main goals are but you are given very little sense of what you are doing to accomplish those goals or why those are their goals to begin with. The game makes up for this with the presentation of our titular character.
Seductive is the definition of Bayonetta. Her lines are dripping with innuendo and overflowing with lust. The self-awareness and intention in her behavior embody the spirit of the game. The supporting cast all have unique traits but aren’t given as much space to express their personalities. It’s clear that the intention was for players to fall in love with the characterization of Bayonetta and enjoy the additional characters as added enjoyment. Where the story does excel, is in its presentation. Cutscenes are film-reel framed images that capture each moment to convey the story. Despite not having a clear idea of what’s going on, the personality of each of the characters makes for a fun and engaging experience. You learn more about the character’s personalities and how they interact with each other during these scenes. While some scenes are fully animated, the still frames are the best at conveying the charms of its presentation and helps the player to want to see the game to its conclusion.
Despite how terrible certain aspects of Bayonetta was to play, I felt compelled to keep going and allow the game to show me everything it has to offer. Suffering through terrible quick-time-events and cheap shots thrown at the start of battles, allowed me to realize why people love this series as much as they do. When you take into consideration the spectacle and scale of the game, it’s no wonder why people are drawn to it. While I don’t think this is a game that I would personally like to come back to, I can see myself engaging with its sequels. So long as the spirit of the game remains, I can see Bayonetta improving upon its rougher aspects and offering a game that is both fun to play and experience as a whole. Even the uglier aspects of the game have something to contribute towards the bigger picture and with refinement, Bayonetta could easily become one of the greater series that are offered towards a more mature audience. Bayonetta may not be the greatest sum of its parts, but it has many highs to combat the lows and that’s what makes it important.