There's the occasional QTE or instant death scenario, which does feel like an unwelcome relic of the era Bayonetta was made, but they become fewer in number the further you get through the game. But throughout, Bayonetta breaks the format with special sequences-fighting on speeding vehicles, riding a motorbike across a seemingly endless highway, downing missiles in a competent (albeit slightly shonky) shoot-'em-up section.
Bayonetta hair series#
Most chapters are simply a series of fights along a journey from one end of the level to another. The sense of spectacle keeps building throughout, leading to a final sequence that is audaciously absurd. And then you beat them, and Bayonetta triggers a ridiculous Climax finisher, in which her hair (and thus her clothes) transforms into a giant demonic monster that smashes, pecks and otherwise devours your foe. She's a great protagonist for this type of game, because as you're still marvelling at the size and design of an Auditio-Paradiso's Cardinal Virtues, and the main bosses of the game-she's cracking wise about their upcoming encounter.
It's telling that during the more serious character moments, the camera backs off respectfully.Įverything about Bayonetta-from how she fights, to her dismissive, jokey tone-exudes confidence and competence. The camera is an extension of her personality, and its placement is consistent with her use of sexualisation as a source of power. But it always feels that Bayonetta is in control. Some would (and do) argue that it's bad here, too. In a less self aware, self assured game, the camera's obsession with Bayonetta's ass and boobs would seem egregious. Bayonetta frequently breaks the fourth wall, not in dialogue, but with frequent knowing glances and poses to the camera-usually as it lingers appreciatively over her body. This is taken up a notch during action cutscenes-beautifully choreographed sequences that are in equal measures cool, silly and playful. As a protagonist, she's not just cocky and unflappable, but looks like she's having fun throughout. There's a grace to her animations, and, as long as you're not taking damage, she looks poised and in charge during every frame. When you're in the flow, the combat feels like an extension of Bayonetta's character-and not just because she has a spank attack she can use on stunned enemies. That is reason enough to want to do well. Ultimately, Platinum has put in the work to create combat systems that feel great, but that also interlock into something more than the sum of the parts. The style and fluidity of the attack chains is astonishing. But such a breakdown feels almost unnecessary, because a perfect encounter is itself a reward. This offset speaks to the fluidity of Bayonetta's fighting style-as does the way she so smoothly transitions from dodge into attack, or from melee to guns.Įach battle sequence is graded, based on the quality of your combos, and time and damage taken. If you dodge in the middle of a combo while holding down either punch or kick, you can resume the combo out of the dodge.
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In part, this is thanks to an advanced combat trick that brings everything full circle. Nier: Automata, to me, is about precision. But here, everything fits together so organically.
The timing of a Wicked Weave-a short beat removed from the combo proper-creates a distinct, hypnotic rhythm to Bayonetta's fights.Īt the most reductive level, Bayonetta is about combos and dodges-just like any game of this type, from DmC to Nier. The damage this inflicts depends on the combo, and so it's a great system for punctuating a well executed set of moves. Executed by holding down either punch or kick, these use Bayonetta's hair (which is also her clothes) to summon a demonic fist or boot to slam into your foe. Certain combos can be capped off with a powerful finisher, called a Wicked Weave. You have a basic punch and kick attack, and they're used to execute any of a myriad of possible combos based on the weapon you have equipped. Lucky, then, that it offers one of the best combat systems around. The important things to know are that you're in the fictional European city of Vigrid, you're searching for a mystical macguffin, and that you're about to kill a lot of angels.Ĭombat is Bayonetta's raison d'être-both the character and the game. The world offers a sprawling backstory and detailed lore, but the main plot focuses on Bayonetta, her relationships, and her amnesia, which leaves her with only flashes of her life before she awoke at the bottom of a lake some 20 years before the events of the game. Summing up the plot seems futile, because Bayonetta is about a witch with guns strapped to her stiletto heels who can eat angels with her hair.
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