Bayonetta – Review

1. Bayonetta
   
   In its short life span, Bayonetta has been called one of the greatest action games of all time. It certainly has a pedigree to live up to: Hideki Kamiya, the director of game, is also the creator of the Devil May Cry and Viewtiful Joe series, and has worked on quite a few other landmark titles throughout the decade. With such expectations, is it even possible for Bayonetta to live up to the massive hype machine behind it?
   
   In short, the answer is a resounding yes.
   
   The game places you in the shoes of the titular Bayonetta, an amnesiac witch with the ability to summon massive demons made of her own hair. Twenty years ago she was dredged up from the bottom of a lake and has no memories of her former life, but still retains all of the ass-kicking abilities from it. With help from the demonic shop keeper Rodin and the information broker Enzo, she manages to learn of a city known as Vigrid. Vigrid is an ancient city obsessed with the local religion, and it appears that Bayonetta might have some connection with the ancient past of the church. The story builds in impact and intensity as the game goes on, and like most games of its ilk ends up a much more epic tale by the time the credits roll.
   
   The story isn't particularly original, but it's well told. Each character in the game is a near insane pastiche of tropes and archetypes, and the game seems to willingly acknowledge this. This game obviously knows what the cliches of the genre are, and it's willing exploitation of them gives the game a unique charm. (Why have a smooth-talking bartender when you can make a smooth talking supernatural bartender that conjures weapons from hell through the use of magical records?) Despite all of that, you still wind up attached to the characters. Bayonetta has genuine human emotion behind all of the craziness, and the genius of the design is that you don't realize this for a while: they might start the game as wild archetypes, but by the end I found myself actually caring about what happened to them beyond just what affected me as a player.
   
   The craziness in design carries over into the game's visual elements as well. Graphically the game might not be the most impressive out there, but it runs at a smooth rate the whole way through with next to no hiccups or slowdown. Where the game really shines in terms of artistic design. The environments and characters all feel unique and fresh, even when they're elements that have been seen before in other games. Of particular note are the enemies, all of which are Angels. They manage to capture the classical imagery of Angels while still making them unique to the game's universe. The sound design is similarly polished. The voice acting in the game is serviceable at worst, but Bayonetta herself rarely has a line fall flat on its face. The music in the game is an eclectic mix of Jazz, pop, and remixes of other songs. It sounds odd on paper but works surprisingly well in the final product as the chaotic music blends well with the action on screen. I've never been much of a fan of pop music, but there's something enjoyable about a upbeat tune in the background while you shove an enemy into an Iron Maiden.
   
   The only real worthwhile complaint about the game's design is that it can be a tad too stylish: some of the cut scenes are a lot longer then they need to be, especially cut scenes that showcase combat that you could just as easily be doing yourself instead of watching on the screen. They're not debilitatingly long (the longest is perhaps 10 minutes, but that is long for this sort of game), but there are enough of them for it to become noticeable. The game does allow you to skip any of the cut scenes, so if one ever drags to much you can simply ignore it. It must also be noted that the game isn't going to be for everyone. This is obviously not a game for kids, and depending on who you are some of the characters might not be appealing at all. This could be a game breaking experience for some, but to others it will make the game all the more enjoyable.
   
   In terms of gameplay, Bayonetta is any true action fan's heaven. You have your stand light and heavy attacks, as well as combo extending handguns and special moves. If you've played an action game before the basics will be familiar to you. The unique aspect of the combat is your ability to equip two weapons at the same time, one in your hands and another on your feet. These combos can be swapped out on the fly, and it's great fun mixing and matching to see what weapons work well with one another. The game also makes use of the often maligned quick-time-events popularized with God of War and Resident Evil 4, but it does them rather well. They're only used for special moves and boss fights, and they're never lethal by themselves. The game manages to vary the actions in a QTE enough so that it never seems like you're just pressing buttons to not die, and certain attacks are tied to specific actions and feel almost like environmentally specific moves instead of QTEs.
   
   Of special note should be the game's weapons. Each weapon in the game is wholly unique in terms of design, and they all feel fantastic to use in combat. The crazy design philosophy is evident here as well-why have nun-chucks when you can have rocket launcher-chucks? They blend well into the combat system which lets you equip two items at a time: one in your hands, and one on your feet. You can also equip a second weapon set and switch between them on the fly, and each weapon is different depending on where you equip it. You'll eventually be able to use nearly 15 different weapons, and your moves will change whenever one of those is paired with a different weapon. There's an astounding amount of variety, and everyone is going to have their different favorite combinations.
   
   The combat in the game is so great that the bits in between combat often feel lackluster. There's some standard platforming elements and puzzle solving, but this is no Prince of Persia. Most of the puzzles are relegated to key hunts, and much of the platforming is laughable easy once a few new abilities become available. The environments can be fun to explore just for the weirdness apparent in them, but the game could have had better out of combat elements. It's not necessarily bad, but the combat is simply so much better that it becomes noticeable. There are also a couple of levels in the game with some more arcade like shooting elements. While these could have been interesting distractions from the main game, they're a little unpolished and break up the flow.
   
   The main complaint I have with the game is its focus on unlockable and secret content. While unlockable items are always a bonus in game, in Bayonetta it seems as if it's the standard for just about everything and at times in can be annoying. If you're not constantly looking down every alleyway and under every stone in the game then you;re going to miss a lot of content. This goes beyond the level of other games like it, and there are some absolutely infuriating things to find. While this normally wouldn't be that bad, there's too much content tied to finding it in game instead of getting it naturally through progression. Weapons are where this really comes out, as it's entirely possible to miss almost every weapon in the game if you're not always on the lookout. Since weapons are so integral to playing the game, it's annoying that so few are actually gained through pure combat.
   
   Ultimately, those are all minor complaints on the larger scale of the game. Bayonetta is already a Game of the Year contender, and it's a fantastic addition to anyone's library. It's a game that oozes style and doesn't take itself seriously. The production values are all top notch, as are the in-game graphics and designs. If you don't like action games then Bayonetta probably isn't going to change your mind about the genre: it still carries most of the conventions that go along with modern action games. However, if you're a fan of action games in any way, shape, or form then you owe it to yourself to pick it up.
   
   Pros:
   
   -Amazing combat
   -Weapon variety
   -Quirky characters and story
   -Tons of replayability
   -Excellent style and overall game design
   
   Cons:
   -Too many unlockable items that should have been more obvious
   -Definitely not for everyone
   -A few derivative levels
2. Rating: 
   9
3. Product Release: Bayonetta (US, 01/05/2010)

Submit a review and let your voice be heard.