This has always been a game I have had interest in but never played. I played all the devil may cry games around the time 5 was about to come out and enjoyed them a lot. I have also played some of Platinum Games other titles such as Metal Gear Rising, Astral Chain and Nier Automata and enjoyed all of them greatly so it was only a matter of time until I got to this game too. So I decided to play it about a year ago and dropped it around chapter 3, I wasn’t really feeling it at the time. The reason I dropped in then was probably because I wasn’t feeling the hype to play an action title at the time. I came back now a year later and honestly thought this game was amazing, this is definitely one of the best action games I have ever played.
So to start with the gameplay I greatly enjoyed the weapons in this game, almost all of them were fun to experiment with and try to find the most fun ones to combo with and use overall. The sword was definitely my favorite to use as I just thought it felt really satisfying to use but the other weapons were fun too. I could definitely tell that this game has a lot of depth and it would probably be very fun to replay the game and try to get better at it and get the platinum ratings. The witch time mechanic was a great inclusion, it feels great to execute and it makes you play as aggressive as possible which is very fun and satisfying. One thing that I thought was a bit iffy in this overall fantastic combat system is the torture attacks. I think the torture attacks slows the combat down way to much and it gets annoying to mash buttons that much. I think these torture attacks works as a finisher on larger enemies and bosses but otherwise it just gets annoying. There was also one section where you’re riding a rocket that I thought was pretty bad, but otherwise I don’t have any big complaints about the combat, it just is great. The enemies I thought were overall very well designed and I enjoyed fighting most of them and there were a good variety of them. The bosses were fantastic throughout, the spectacle in these fights is great to see and it elevates the bosses to greater levels. It makes bosses go from good to great, it is just so impressive to witness. The bosses in the last few chapters especially were so good, some of the best in any game. The final part of the game is also one of the most insane I have ever seen in a game and I loved it, it is such a great way to end the game. The music in this game is also pretty good and fits the bosses very well.
So as a gameplay experience this game is amazing but how is the story and characters? Bayonetta I thought was a great protagonist, very memorable, but other than her I don’t think the characters are that great. Luka was more annoying to me than a fun companion to have around. Jeanne was a good rival I guess but as a character I thought she wasn’t that interesting and her story was strange I thought. That’s how I feel about much of the story in this game, strange with some interesting moments and lore that is decent. A lot of the game's story feels like it exists for the purpose of creating exciting moments and fun combat scenarios but the actual story suffers because of it. At the end of the game I think it gets very complicated and I have a hard time following the main villain's plan and what he was trying to accomplish. So in the end I think the story is just there, nothing that bad but nothing that good either, the story was fine.
So overall I think, as a game, this is amazing with a few small hiccups here and there. The story doesn’t bring the game down, I had fun following it throughout but it was only fine in the end. With a few tweaks this game could be the best action game ever but as it is now it is still amazing and I give it a 9/10.
So to start with the gameplay I greatly enjoyed the weapons in this game, almost all of them were fun to experiment with and try to find the most fun ones to combo with and use overall. The sword was definitely my favorite to use as I just thought it felt really satisfying to use but the other weapons were fun too. I could definitely tell that this game has a lot of depth and it would probably be very fun to replay the game and try to get better at it and get the platinum ratings. The witch time mechanic was a great inclusion, it feels great to execute and it makes you play as aggressive as possible which is very fun and satisfying. One thing that I thought was a bit iffy in this overall fantastic combat system is the torture attacks. I think the torture attacks slows the combat down way to much and it gets annoying to mash buttons that much. I think these torture attacks works as a finisher on larger enemies and bosses but otherwise it just gets annoying. There was also one section where you’re riding a rocket that I thought was pretty bad, but otherwise I don’t have any big complaints about the combat, it just is great. The enemies I thought were overall very well designed and I enjoyed fighting most of them and there were a good variety of them. The bosses were fantastic throughout, the spectacle in these fights is great to see and it elevates the bosses to greater levels. It makes bosses go from good to great, it is just so impressive to witness. The bosses in the last few chapters especially were so good, some of the best in any game. The final part of the game is also one of the most insane I have ever seen in a game and I loved it, it is such a great way to end the game. The music in this game is also pretty good and fits the bosses very well.
So as a gameplay experience this game is amazing but how is the story and characters? Bayonetta I thought was a great protagonist, very memorable, but other than her I don’t think the characters are that great. Luka was more annoying to me than a fun companion to have around. Jeanne was a good rival I guess but as a character I thought she wasn’t that interesting and her story was strange I thought. That’s how I feel about much of the story in this game, strange with some interesting moments and lore that is decent. A lot of the game's story feels like it exists for the purpose of creating exciting moments and fun combat scenarios but the actual story suffers because of it. At the end of the game I think it gets very complicated and I have a hard time following the main villain's plan and what he was trying to accomplish. So in the end I think the story is just there, nothing that bad but nothing that good either, the story was fine.
So overall I think, as a game, this is amazing with a few small hiccups here and there. The story doesn’t bring the game down, I had fun following it throughout but it was only fine in the end. With a few tweaks this game could be the best action game ever but as it is now it is still amazing and I give it a 9/10.