Normal difficulty playthrough with 100% of collectibles, bonus chapter also completed (not attempting time trials). The number of games taking inspiration from Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is frankly shocking, considering how effectively emotional that game was, but Bayonetta Origins is here to redress the balance somewhat. Following a young Bayonetta and her adopted demon as they attempt to escape an enchanted forest, the simultaneous two-character control is central to the gameplay, which is significantly more action-focused than Brothers. There's still plenty of puzzle-solving as you navigate the interconnected forest environments, but it's somewhat less bespoke than Brothers, while having combat encounters liberally dispersed around the game world. Inevitably the controls take a while to become familiar and the combat isn't especially deep, but overall the game's implementation of its various mechanics is commendable.

Perhaps the biggest detractor that I came across is that while the game's world is impressively large and diverse, away from the critical path (which has clear markers to help you along) it can become difficult to navigate, as the connections between each area aren't clearly indicated and require a fair amount of trial-and-error - which makes seeking out collectibles quite troublesome - even with a guide. While this means that the final part of the experience slows down significantly, overall Bayonetta Origins is an impressively novel take on this type of adventure game, which hopefully we might see more of in future.