GamesCom'09 gave us ample opportunty to try SEGA's forthcoming new action game Bayonetta which is being developed by Platinum Games and is due for release early next year. The game is being directed by Hideki Kamiya who is more well known for his work on the Devil May Cry series and features a sassy female lead who happens to be a spectacled witch. Whilst Dante and Nero are perhaps more visceral in their action gaming Bayonetta offers more graceful, feminine combat, but as you can imagine, with the power of spells at her disposal makes for some interesting moments.
We played the game quite extensively and came away with a warm glow. Bayonetta is a gorgeous looking game and certainly keeps up with Devil May Cry 4 perhaps even surpassing it. Yet the influence is very clear, from the presentation to the actual gameplay. It might be easy to dismiss the game as Devil May Cry 4 with different clothing, and to a degree it is, but there's something more classy about the game which separates it from its forebears.
Controlling Bayonetta is pretty simple, you've got evasive moves, gun attacks and regular weapons attacks, you're able to pick up various weapons as you play. The hack and slash element is certainly there for beginners to button mash their way to victory whilst retaining such a cool and awe inspiring look at the same time, but there is some depth there if you wish to go all out and rise about simple button presses. A good place to start off is the evasive counter attack moves which require evasion at just the right moment to initiate a witch power up mode where time slows for your enemies and you're able to get in some extra hits. Then there are combos which can be experimented with to give pleasurable results. More moves are also available when rotating the thumbsticks to unleash a area effect attack. There are a lot of moves available if you delve deeper into the game but not overly complex to become daunting. The demo we played seemed to get the combat just right for those players looking to dip into the game without going too deep.
The enemies are all well designed and have neat introductions, but the real stars are the over the top boss and sub boss characters. Devil May Cry did a grand job of these, but Bayonetta seems to go that extra mile and provide some enemies that are larger than life and certainly screen filling. However, Bayonetta is no slouch and being a witch can conjure up almighty moves, and the most impressive of these are her finishers where she'll transform into a huge beast and simply devour her opponent whilst you hammer away at the buttons. An impressive and unconventional sight if there ever was one.
Having tackled a few bosses in the demo, lots of fodder, a little navigation smashing through doors and even climbing up walls in a boxed room battle with another witch, the feeling that has stuck is how amazing the game plays. The smoothness of the animation is incredible even though Bayonetta's actual running animation is a little 'goofy'. The variety and colour of her attack moves and the neat controllable movement during loading screens; all gels well and makes us very excited for the full game.
If you're a Devil May Cry fan and even if you're not, then there's certainly something here for you to get very excited about. An excellent art style, cool characters and enemies, an engaging storyline and some killer gameplay that's not too complex or convoluted for its own good, make for worthy ingredients for this witches brew, and what ever else is conjured up in 2010 will no doubt taste just as magical and enchanting. One of the best looking games of the event.
Preview By: Robert Cram
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