Re-Played: Bayonetta
Every once in a while a game comes along that truly defies the convention of what the public deems “normal”. Games that aren’t afraid to experiment and try pointing their players in new, exciting directions are few and far between. It might take some excavation, but beneath the FPS encrusted surface of modern gaming lie some real gems in the entertainment crown and sadly as such, these often niche titles rarely get to adorn the dashboard of Joe Mainstream’s console. Even with such widespread exposure in today’s gaming landscape some titles still don’t quite attain the success they deserve and for a great many people, Bayonetta is one such game. Platinum Games have cemented their status as one of the world’s leading experimental (with much emphasis on the “mental”) studios, with each game they develop vastly different in terms of narrative, style and overall feel – each new game feels fresh and at the same time instantly familiar to followers of the studio.
Capcom’s Devil May Cry series brought a new over-the-top style to a somewhat stale third-person action genre, with a colourful combat explosion laden with stylish moves and a meaty combo tree. Bayonetta takes inspiration from this glorious mayhem and turns it up to eleven. In fact I don’t think there’s a high enough number to equate to just how utterly bonkers the title becomes.
From the outset you are treated to some of the most vivid and colourful visuals in recent memory, as the prologue throws you headlong into the middle of a huge battle with “I don’t know what these are” in what can only be described as some sort of “I don’t know where this is”. To be honest it’s not until a couple of chapters later that you will actually work out just what the hell is happening, but this all adds to the WTF factor of Bayonetta.
Bayonetta is an unusually stunning game, with stunning art design
As it turns out, our titular anti-heroine is actually an Umbran Witch who is able to shape-shift, bend and slow down time, and use magical attacks with her own hair (bear with me, I’ll get back to this). She was born in an ancient time and was revived twenty years ago at the bottom of a lake with no memory of her past. This in itself sets the mark pretty high indeed and this is without even scratching the surface of Bayonetta’s complexities – both as a title and as a character.
The game is divided into chapters, with the battles within comprising the “verses” of each. There are around fifteen or so chapters of varying length, bringing the completion time to around ten hours or so. Per playthrough. You see, the structure of the game is designed for multiple playthroughs and the fact that some chapters can be finished in mere minutes is great as you’ll need to revisit some multiple times. The developers clearly had that old-school hi-score style in mind and upon completion of each chapter you will be awarded a medal for your efforts (just make sure to book some time off work if you want to go for the platinum medals, as the higher difficulties had me biting my controller in places and took quite some time). Couple this with a ton of unlockables (one of which requires the completion of one hundred chapters) and you are going to be spending some serious time here in Vigrid.
The level of detail in the environments is phenomenal
Now if you’re going to be spending a lot of time in a beat-em-up-style title, then you need to have some serious pull in the combat department and in this area Platinum Games don’t hold back. Take the combat of Devil May Cry, add in a ridiculous amount of inter-changeable weaponry (and a serious combo tree), and some screen-filling special attacks and you’re about halfway there. You see, one of the greatest things about Bayonetta is the explosively beautiful chaos that combat brings. The moves themselves are the usual acrobatic melee attacks you see every day, but every other button press unleashes a “wicked weave” attack – an attack comprised entirely from our heroine’s hair. As it turns out, Bayonetta’s entire bodysuit is made of the stuff, and she can use this to create huge attacks. One minute it’s something as simple as a massive leg, kicking seven bells out of your enemies and the next it’s a planet-sized spider to eat them alive. This together with some of the most colourful effects I’ve seen in a long time combine to create an almost hypnotic kind of combat that you could almost deem “art” (but we’ll not get into that debate here. Maybe another time). And that’s without even mentioning the utterly fantastic soundtrack that accompanies the action.
With all that weaponry on offer, you can create some truly awe-inspiring combos
Wicked Weave Attacks are something to behold – whatever shape they take
Prepare for some truly over-the-top boss battles. This one’s pretty tame compared to what you’ll encounter later on
Bayonetta is one of those titles that you can’t really appreciate properly until you’ve experienced what it has to offer first-hand. It’s charmingly beautiful in its design, yet playfully childish in its humour. The script is suitably bonkers (but very well written) and the story is one of intricacies and mystique, leaving you with more questions than answers. There’s something for most gamers, from retro nods (a certain button combination during a certain chapter replaces the stage music with the classic Afterburner theme) to all-out action set-pieces. It is a very well put-together title, and one that Platinum Games will have their work cut out to better.
And with a sequel due out later this year (and the online price of £3.99ish) there really is no excuse to not sample one of the finest titles that the Xbox 360 has to offer.
Pure, unadulterated fun.
