Series playthrough: Bayonetta
Back story
While I do enjoy a cool. and action packed. 3D hack and slash, all the way since the first Devil May Cry introduced me to the genre, I'm not really that good at them.
Sure, I get well acquainted with the controls and can do simple combos and dig into the upgrade system, but I play at a shallow level when it comes to pacing my attacks, keeping a nice combo flow, parrying attacks and racking up style points. Yet, I still like to play the genre, if not simply on the easy difficulty setting for the fun of beating the crap out of enemies.
Last year, I played through all the Devil May Cry games, read all about that here, this time around I'm back to play a similar series. So similar, you could be forgiven to think it's made by the same team. It's all about the posh, but naughty, witch Bayonetta.
Let's kick some monster butt and dive into the two games.
Released: 2020
Originally released: 2009 (X360 & PS3)
I've only briefly tried the Xbox 360 version back on Xbox Gamepass, but that was a too short game session to gain any idea of what it really was. But here is the remaster, let's dive in and take a look!
The image quality aside though, the locked framerate is highly appreciated and while the visuals do look typical last generation, it's nice to see the extra detail and finesse come through at a higher resolution. I found the game visually appealing with some really cool designed areas. There's a a fair share of colour considering it's from the grey, brown and gritty era of visuals too, although it's apparent it's from that time. Both graphically and artistically I would say Bayonetta is very comparable to Devil May Cry 4. At times, I feel that they almost share a common world with their enemy and location designs.
Musical score is interestingly varied, going from upbeat jazzy and positive tunes for the funny cutscenes, laidback storylines and stylish fights. It's a more colourful and vibrant soundtrack than you'd imagine, even with hints of J-Pop for those into that.
Last year, I played through all the Devil May Cry games, read all about that here, this time around I'm back to play a similar series. So similar, you could be forgiven to think it's made by the same team. It's all about the posh, but naughty, witch Bayonetta.
Let's kick some monster butt and dive into the two games.
Review
Played on: Xbox One XReleased: 2020
Originally released: 2009 (X360 & PS3)
Introduction
Earlier this year we saw the release of two Sega published classics, namely Vanquish and Bayonetta in a remastered collection. It made me remember that I've never played Bayo back in the day. So, I powered through the really fun Vanquish, then dived into this.I've only briefly tried the Xbox 360 version back on Xbox Gamepass, but that was a too short game session to gain any idea of what it really was. But here is the remaster, let's dive in and take a look!
Plot and setting
Similar to the DMC games, Bayonetta is set in a time much like our own but crosses it with an underworld full of horrible creatures. It toys a lot with mixing witches and angels in it's cutscenes, blurring the line between who is evil and good. This game very much follows the crazy part of DMC's storytelling and reminds me a lot about DMC3 in that regard.Story and characters are completely over the top and a lot of cringe worthy humour is blended in, while Bayonetta is doing insane battle moves and poses in a sexual tone. A kind of provocative, yet just within the acceptable limits of correctness, way.
While I find the story to be at the very edges of my cringe limit, it at least doesn't try to be anything else or hold itself back. Bayonetta is full on Japanese madness at it's best, or worst, depending on your taste.
While the modern world is a fairly dark and bland looking place, the fantasy landscapes you travel through, in the mission structured layout, are very creative and cool looking. It has indeed a lot of the DMC artstyle to it, but goes even further with it's weirdly created fantasy landscapes. Some of the levels are stunning but not utilised for exploring, this is purely about the battles .
When it comes to her design, Bayonetta is an interesting main character. Overly sexualised and not the sort of game that would win political correctness. Her proportions are overdone and her whole body is covered in a leather outfit made out of her hair, which in turn disappears constantly when she fights with her super attacks. It's stupid and must be seen through the eyes of someone used to this stuff from Japan. Her voice over is fitting and well done, with a posh and naughty British accent, always with a snarky remark thrown in.
While I find the story to be at the very edges of my cringe limit, it at least doesn't try to be anything else or hold itself back. Bayonetta is full on Japanese madness at it's best, or worst, depending on your taste.
While the modern world is a fairly dark and bland looking place, the fantasy landscapes you travel through, in the mission structured layout, are very creative and cool looking. It has indeed a lot of the DMC artstyle to it, but goes even further with it's weirdly created fantasy landscapes. Some of the levels are stunning but not utilised for exploring, this is purely about the battles .
When it comes to her design, Bayonetta is an interesting main character. Overly sexualised and not the sort of game that would win political correctness. Her proportions are overdone and her whole body is covered in a leather outfit made out of her hair, which in turn disappears constantly when she fights with her super attacks. It's stupid and must be seen through the eyes of someone used to this stuff from Japan. Her voice over is fitting and well done, with a posh and naughty British accent, always with a snarky remark thrown in.
Gameplay and features
Bayonetta is fast paced and well controlled, much like you'd expect from this genre. With this release, running at a locked 60fps, it has a quick and really responsive feel. Fighting is a lot like any DMC game, with both melee and guns available for the player to make creative ways of taking out enemies.Avoiding damage will build up a meter allowing you to take out an enemy in a visually hilarious and brutal torture move. This scene will let you capture the enemy, rack up damage through a mini game and then deal a massive killing blow. Dodging attacks, with perfect timing, will activate "witch time", which basically is a short burst of slow motion. Allowing the player to deal a lot of damage without concerns of enemies attacking quickly.
In boss fights, the damage dealt towards the enemy will fill a meter and give access to summon a monster from hell. Doing so, will result in a mini game to rack up points again and finish with a devastating blow of massive damage. It'a flashy game, with some very cool features to make it interesting. I found it more entertaining to play than most of the DMC games. You can also upgrade your life and buy new types of moves to perform.
It's not a massive game, yet not the shortest I've encountered in the genre either. It's the kind of gameplay that exhausts you playing for long sessions, so it's lifespan is suited for the intensity. Fans of the genre will no doubt have multiple replays to improve their ranking score at the end of each mission.
In boss fights, the damage dealt towards the enemy will fill a meter and give access to summon a monster from hell. Doing so, will result in a mini game to rack up points again and finish with a devastating blow of massive damage. It'a flashy game, with some very cool features to make it interesting. I found it more entertaining to play than most of the DMC games. You can also upgrade your life and buy new types of moves to perform.
It's not a massive game, yet not the shortest I've encountered in the genre either. It's the kind of gameplay that exhausts you playing for long sessions, so it's lifespan is suited for the intensity. Fans of the genre will no doubt have multiple replays to improve their ranking score at the end of each mission.
Video
Bayonetta was released alongside Vanquish as a 10th anniversary collection for both. They hit the rock solid 60fps mark nicely, but from an enhanced console standpoint I'm left a little disappointed with the resolution. Residing at a rather underwhelming 1440p, it's long way off from full 4K, making it less sharp than I would have liked on a large 4K monitor. If this resolution was chosen to keep the framerate solid is unknown, I would have at least hoped to see the Xbox One X version hit a higher resolution.The image quality aside though, the locked framerate is highly appreciated and while the visuals do look typical last generation, it's nice to see the extra detail and finesse come through at a higher resolution. I found the game visually appealing with some really cool designed areas. There's a a fair share of colour considering it's from the grey, brown and gritty era of visuals too, although it's apparent it's from that time. Both graphically and artistically I would say Bayonetta is very comparable to Devil May Cry 4. At times, I feel that they almost share a common world with their enemy and location designs.
Audio
Like I mentioned, I like the voice overs, they're well done, especially for Bayonetta's posh English. Same with Rodin's deep and growling voices, while Enzo is a comic sidekick, with the typical New Yorker accent. Otherwise it's standard fair for a lot of Japanese releases: typical game sounds with no particular fancy quality over, lets say, a PS2 era game.Musical score is interestingly varied, going from upbeat jazzy and positive tunes for the funny cutscenes, laidback storylines and stylish fights. It's a more colourful and vibrant soundtrack than you'd imagine, even with hints of J-Pop for those into that.
The more atmospheric scenes and levels have a typical orchestral style. Often with a dark, moody and grand theme, accompanied by a church like sound and humming. I found the soundtrack accompanied the gameplay well and had some memorable melodies.
Summary
Initially, I was a little put off by Bayonetta's crazy opening levels, but it does grow on you and I ended up liking it as much as I enjoy playing the DMC games. The characters and setting ease in after a while too and with a open minded tolerance to weird and over the top Japanese storytelling, it's an enjoyable ride to play through.Focus on replay is obvious, with a lifetime of about 12-15 hours I'd say for one playthrough. I managed to get well over halfway on normal, before having to knock it down to easy. The difficulty spikes massively towards the end and will be a major factor regarding people actually completing it or not.
It may not blow everyone away and it's a niche genre to play. If you're only in it for some fast thrills on easy, it works fine, but for fans I can tell this is a very polished game and hours can be spent perfecting the combos, dodges and difficulty levels.
Review
Played on: SwitchReleased: 2018
Originally released: 2014 (Wii U)
Introduction
Even after much praise and popularity, Bayonetta did not immediately receive a sequel and ended up being financed by Nintendo to make exclusively for the Wii U. Lacking that console in my collection, I opted for the Switch version, which runs better anyhow.Easing into the sequel after playing the first, was a fairly easy task and it was cool playing them back to back to get consistency.
Let's take a look at what's new in a game that clearly is very true to it's first predecessor.
The new areas for the setting are really cool and varied, although I found the new character Loki a bit annoying. Too cool for school, with a massive attitude, although he does grow over time into something deeper of a personality. Luca's direction, however, in this second game is somewhat ridiculous and he's basically utilised as a comic relief. With mountain backdrops. reminding of the alps, weird hellish landscapes and even underwater sections you're in for a unpredictable ride!
Once again, enemies drop halos, which in turn are used as currency for buying upgrades, items and lollipops serving as medikits. All the same features from the previous game, however, this time around there's a lot more outfits and unlockable items in the shop to keep fans interested in multiple playthroughs.
I appreciate Bayo 2 for going down it's own visual path, and perhaps most importantly: it distances itself further from the obvious Devil May Cry influences in Bayo 1. It looks more modern designed and far away from the grey and brown craze from the 360/PS3 era.
Back to the resolution though, Bayo 2 was 720p on the Wii U, with quite a few framerate issues. Luckily, on Switch it runs smooth 60fps. However, the resolution remains at 720p, even in docked mode, which is disappointing. Games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker received a resolution boost to 1080p when excellently ported from Wii U to Switch.
Plot and setting
Peace has returned for the witches Bayonetta and Jeanne. Yet, the humorous and over the top intro, featuring a shopping trip in the city, is disturbed by angels attacking. After a maddening fight, standing on jet planes and riding horses alike, the latter having some very questionable Bayonetta body close ups, a summoning of a demon goes terribly wrong. Leading to Jeanne being sent to hell, and so, Bayo 2 follows Bayonetta's journey to free her.The new areas for the setting are really cool and varied, although I found the new character Loki a bit annoying. Too cool for school, with a massive attitude, although he does grow over time into something deeper of a personality. Luca's direction, however, in this second game is somewhat ridiculous and he's basically utilised as a comic relief. With mountain backdrops. reminding of the alps, weird hellish landscapes and even underwater sections you're in for a unpredictable ride!
Gameplay and features
Bayo 2 follows the first game very closely in gameplay and it's easy to switch from one to the other, when you first learn the ropes of the controls. The dodgin,g slow motion, "witch time", is back. As, arethe memorable, and rather entertaining, torture finishing moves. New to this game, is an "Umbran attack", which massively increases Bayonettas damage for set time after a magic gauge is filled up. It's fairly similar to the first games boss battles, but here it can be utilised anywhere, not just in the boss battles.Once again, enemies drop halos, which in turn are used as currency for buying upgrades, items and lollipops serving as medikits. All the same features from the previous game, however, this time around there's a lot more outfits and unlockable items in the shop to keep fans interested in multiple playthroughs.
Video
If we look past the Xbox One X resolution of the first game and lets say you've only played Bayo 1 on the Switch, then Bayo 2 is absolutely a visual upgrade. The most obvious being there's far more variety in colour, but also locations have a distinct visual designs to distinguish themselves from each other. All this, in combination with small refinements like air particles, reflections and more advanced lighting, helps bring out a more pleasing visual identity than the first game.I appreciate Bayo 2 for going down it's own visual path, and perhaps most importantly: it distances itself further from the obvious Devil May Cry influences in Bayo 1. It looks more modern designed and far away from the grey and brown craze from the 360/PS3 era.
Back to the resolution though, Bayo 2 was 720p on the Wii U, with quite a few framerate issues. Luckily, on Switch it runs smooth 60fps. However, the resolution remains at 720p, even in docked mode, which is disappointing. Games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker received a resolution boost to 1080p when excellently ported from Wii U to Switch.
While the actual visuals are prettier in this sequel, the 720p resolution makes the image quality rough, edges are blocky and a lot of the clarity is lost. I guess they focused strongly on hitting 60fps and couldn't get the resolution up to 1080p in docked mode.
For someone playing handheld, or only owning a Switch, then the transition from Bayo 1 to 2 on the same system won't be as glaring as going from 4K to 720p like I did. That said, a cleaner 1080p mode is sadly missed.
Although the music is much the same style as the first, it sets a more lively tone, something that corresponds well with the varied colour palette and more brightly lit environments. A new feature for boss music is that it's dynamic and triggers to how the player progress at key moments in the battle, a nice touch.
Again, there's not a massive lifespan here, we're talking a rough 9 to 12 hours playthrough. Though, I would think the replay value is high for those seeking to challenge themselves in higher difficulties and wanting to unlock all the extras.
Not a genre for everyone, although the difficulty curve is better. I would recommend anyone owning a Wii U or Switch to pick this up. It's fun, regardless if you knock it down to easy, and it will certainly not feel like anything you've seen or played before!
For someone playing handheld, or only owning a Switch, then the transition from Bayo 1 to 2 on the same system won't be as glaring as going from 4K to 720p like I did. That said, a cleaner 1080p mode is sadly missed.
Audio
Pretty much my same feelings as the first game, voice acting is well played and over the top, in a good way. While the actual humour and madness in cutscenes is a few notches over my tolerance in cringe, I did find it entertaining to watch.Although the music is much the same style as the first, it sets a more lively tone, something that corresponds well with the varied colour palette and more brightly lit environments. A new feature for boss music is that it's dynamic and triggers to how the player progress at key moments in the battle, a nice touch.
Summary
I ended up enjoying the sequel, even more than the first. I felt it distanced itself further from the DMC series visually and made the difficulty curve more suited for new players. It feels far more varied and the redesign of Bayonetta is excellent. While still retaining a lot of the typical madness from Japan, not my thing, but I do know people love it.Again, there's not a massive lifespan here, we're talking a rough 9 to 12 hours playthrough. Though, I would think the replay value is high for those seeking to challenge themselves in higher difficulties and wanting to unlock all the extras.
Not a genre for everyone, although the difficulty curve is better. I would recommend anyone owning a Wii U or Switch to pick this up. It's fun, regardless if you knock it down to easy, and it will certainly not feel like anything you've seen or played before!
