Tiamatini

Sadly, being stuck over here in the old USofA, I have not yet had the chance to play the full version of Bayonetta as it only came out today, though I have heard from others that it will be well worth it when I finally get the chance.  I have however sampled the demo and felt suitably impressed to write about it.  Read on to see why, even if Bayonetta’s oh-so-wiggly strut and skin-tight clothing don’t float your boat, the game is still worth a look…

I’ll be honest, to begin with, I was a little unsure about the game.  I played through the tutorial, and the falling clock tower, and I thought the whole thing seemed a little bit Street Fighter-esque – not my sort of thing at all.  But despite my reservations I carried on and got to the game proper, and I have to say, I’m glad I did.  For those who don’t know the game is set in a fictional European city, and you play as the character of Bayonetta, battling with magic and her pistols (no euphemism intended) to send demonic enemies back down where they belong.

As you battle you collect gold and different coloured gems and butterflies which respectively can be traded or increase your mana count.  To be honest, in the demo there is nowhere and no-one to trade with, so I can’t comment on how that works, but I’ll be sure to let you know if I find out on a full playthrough.  Your mana count is essentially like a health meter, the more you have the better your attacks and the more damage you can take.  You also win awards depending on how much damage you take, and let’s be honest – who doesn’t like being told they’ve been given a pure platinum medal?!

The fighting is, I suppose, a little Street Fighter-esque in style, but not enough to put me off.  You can use different combos and torture attacks to defeat enemies of varying strength and size, and when you do you get their weapons, but frustratingly you can only hold one weapon at a time – for those of us used to the vast array of weapon changes available in most RPG games, this is a bit of a shock to the system – but seemingly they’re not really necessary.  Bayonetta’s pistols, affectionately called Scarborough Fair, are deadly enough (seriously, they’re just guns, the actual shooting kind, clean up your mind…), and if you find yourself in a bit of a tight spot, you can dodge attacks or just jump really high while you think about what to do next.

In the full version of the game I’m assured there are ways to use Bayonetta’s hair (yes, hair) to call demonic forces to your aid in battle, and various other weapons, including bazookas and fiery claws, available for use too.  And for those a little unsure of their abilities, there is even a “Very Easy Automatic” mode, in which the player need only press one button to carry out attacks and the game will do the rest for you (Batman: Arkham Asylum, anyone?) giving you the opportunity to familiarise yourself with the game before trying to play it for real. There is also, for those who care about such things, a rather lengthy back-story, but I won’t go into it here, since I’m pretty sure I’m going to start breaking the bounds of a 5 minute review, but it’s out there on the web if you feel the need to fully furnish yourself with the facts before embarking on the game’s quest.  What matters, to most of us at least, is the gameplay, and, fundamentally, it’s good, at times, very good, and that’s gotta be what it’s all about right?

To be honest, if I wasn’t late at work every evening this week, I’d go pick up the game right away and no doubt play it several times over, but it will sadly have to wait until the weekend before it starts to undoubtedly monopolise my time.  That is, until Mass Effect 2 arrives – God bless the pre-order