It’s Been One Week : Bayonetta

As we’ve already discussed on the weekly podcast, I’ve been playing a fair amount of Bayonetta. It’s been one week now since I received the title through Gamefly, and my excitement has not yet waned. Granted, my Bayonetta time has been heavily perforated by Mass Effect 2 time, but at least 8 hours have been logged in the former. With that, I feel comfortable to share with you my opinions of the game thus far…

First, a brief history lesson. The game is directed by Hideki Kamiya, the man behind Devil May Cry and Viewtiful Joe. The development team at the helm of the project is Platinum Games, many of whom used to be a part Capcom’s Clover Studios. As such, the team draws powerful inspiration from their previous works including Okami and Mad World. Now, add publisher Sega and their vast library of intellectual property to the mix, and you have not only a creature of exceptional breeding, but a massive nod to just about every game in the action genre. If you are a gamer who has been anywhere but under a rock for the past decade, there’s bound to be plenty of referential humor to make you chuckle. I won’t spoil too many of them for you, but one entire level is practically a complete remake of the first level of Sega’s arcade shooter Space Harrier, replete with modernized background music.

Referential humor aside, the gameplay mechanics here are solid. Strap guns to not only the wrists of the main character, but also the heels of her shoes, then give her a variety of melee weapons, and you have the makings of a devastatingly immersive combo system. Jumping, dodging, punching, and kicking seamlessly blend together to perform fluid variations of whoop-ass. The game also throws in an alchemy mini-game that allows you to throw together lollipop power-ups and other items by using materials gained through beating up enemies and exploration. Bayonetta offers an Easy and Very Easy difficulty for those looking for a much more casual instant gratification approach to their gaming.

Having played the game for just over 8 hours, and on Easy mode no less, I am only coming to the conclusion of my first play-through. So, if you are a fan of the action genre and enjoy throwing over the top combos through multiple completions of the 10 hour campaign, this may very well be worth the money to throw down on your very own copy. For the uncertain, I would definitely drop this in your Gamefly queue or pick it up from your local purveyor of rentable media and give the thing a quick once-over. For the really, really uncertain, well I guess you’ll just have to wait until I render my final verdict.

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Tags: action, Bayonetta, capcom, Clover, combo systems, Platinum Games, Sega, Xbox 360