Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is a beautiful marriage of Platinum Games' darling franchise and fairytale storytelling that I did not see being as enjoyable as it was. Through this short journey you play as a young Cereza with her (Bayonetta players are familiar) treasured stuffed kitty Cheshire, and waltz your way through one of the most delightfully crafted worlds to grace gaming in the past decade. The environments you find yourself in are gorgeous, invoking Hideki Kamiya's previous work in Okami but with a more whimsical, western fairytale oriented design. The dialogue in cutscenes is told as if it were in a storybook, which admittably had me a little tired sometimes, reminding me of the bygone days of a parent cracking open an old hard cover before bedtime. These two elements together made for a very special playthrough, this game just feels so magical and to its credit, there is quite a bit of magic! I loved controlling Bayonetta with her stuffed animal clutched close to her navigating a frightening unknown as it hit just like the tales we were told growing up.
Traversing the world was simple, as the movement between story segments was only ever interupted by light puzzling or combat sequences, with a mechanic included that points the player toward the next story segments. Outside of traversal, the other major element of gameplay is the combat and use of Cereza's witch powers. In the world you'll utilize her binding thorns to open pathways that require her to do the famous dancing she employs while summoning demons in the Bayonetta titles. When fighting, she uses this technique to bind enemies in place while controlling Cheshire to do the physical damage. This gameplay can be a little confusing at times as its hard to mentally lock on and control two moving parts that execute different movesets at the same time, but can be rewarding when used well.
My two complaints about the game are ultimately what remove it from being a higher rating, despite my large enjoyment of the game. The first is that Cereza and the Lost Demon unfortunately does suffer from what I call the "Scarlet Nexus Syndrome," albeit to a lesser degree. Throughout the game as you control Cheshire you gain access to moves based on elemental ability (Wind, Water, Earth, Fire.) Just like Scarlet Nexus, a lot of these enemies force you to use a respective element to break their armor or defeat them. It's not the end of the world but it did feel a little annoying as the game went on. Speaking of the combat, while not difficult in the slightest, it does become rather monotonous and boring. The second issue I had with this game, is that (and sort of par for the course with Bayonetta) is that the story wasn't exactly impressive. I'm not expecting a Red Dead Redemption 2 out of Bayonetta and I never will, but there was a lot in the story that I didn't care for.
Fans of Bayonetta and those looking for a neat little fairytale endeavour should absolutely pick up Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon. I'd recommend this to any who are looking for a short and sweet journey with one of gaming's best heroines.
Traversing the world was simple, as the movement between story segments was only ever interupted by light puzzling or combat sequences, with a mechanic included that points the player toward the next story segments. Outside of traversal, the other major element of gameplay is the combat and use of Cereza's witch powers. In the world you'll utilize her binding thorns to open pathways that require her to do the famous dancing she employs while summoning demons in the Bayonetta titles. When fighting, she uses this technique to bind enemies in place while controlling Cheshire to do the physical damage. This gameplay can be a little confusing at times as its hard to mentally lock on and control two moving parts that execute different movesets at the same time, but can be rewarding when used well.
My two complaints about the game are ultimately what remove it from being a higher rating, despite my large enjoyment of the game. The first is that Cereza and the Lost Demon unfortunately does suffer from what I call the "Scarlet Nexus Syndrome," albeit to a lesser degree. Throughout the game as you control Cheshire you gain access to moves based on elemental ability (Wind, Water, Earth, Fire.) Just like Scarlet Nexus, a lot of these enemies force you to use a respective element to break their armor or defeat them. It's not the end of the world but it did feel a little annoying as the game went on. Speaking of the combat, while not difficult in the slightest, it does become rather monotonous and boring. The second issue I had with this game, is that (and sort of par for the course with Bayonetta) is that the story wasn't exactly impressive. I'm not expecting a Red Dead Redemption 2 out of Bayonetta and I never will, but there was a lot in the story that I didn't care for.
Fans of Bayonetta and those looking for a neat little fairytale endeavour should absolutely pick up Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon. I'd recommend this to any who are looking for a short and sweet journey with one of gaming's best heroines.