Games that have a jaw dropping female protagonist do tend to create a large amount of attention, but sometimes the fun stops at that, and the game leaves the drooling men a little disappointed. Bayonetta steps in as the sexy vixen this year, but will she manage to deliver a memorable gaming experience?
The story in Bayonetta is a very entertaining one. Without giving away too much; the basic plot revolves around two clans which existed decades ago: The Lumen Sage and The Umbra Witches. These clans represented the light and the dark respectively, however, after a series of wars, both clans vanished. Bayonetta is an Umbra Witch who has no knowledge of her past and it’s up to the player to discover exactly what happened. Parts of the story unfold in still, comic strip-like scenes which work really well. There are plenty of laughs to be had as well, from Bayonetta’s overemphasized sexuality, to the quirky voice acting.
Even though on paper, Bayonetta is a 3rd person hack-and-slash, in practice it’s a little different. It is something of a hack-and-slash on steroids. The reason for this is that anything and everything in Bayonetta is over-the-top and exaggerated. The combat itself is somewhat of an acid trip. The combos that Bayonetta conjures up, are not only crazy in terms of the number of hits, but also in terms of the abilities she possesses. She is able to do windmill-like kicks while firing guns from her boots, and she can rotate her torso on a 360 degree axis while firing her pistols.
Using the array of abilities at Bayonetta’s disposal, players will be required to shoot their way through a number of chapters, while having to fend off some strange looking and hard-to-kill angelic monsters. You will unlock new abilities as you progress as well as new items and weapons. There is no dull moment to be found in Bayonetta, as seeing as there are some real-time cutscenes for you to play, as well as some moments that will require some intense button mashing to power-up attacks. Another great element is ‘witch-time’ which is activated by a last minute dodge, allowing for Bayonetta to move much faster than her enemies for a short period of time. Too add to it, there is a mini game as well as some other gameplay additions to keep you interested. Expect a fast paced, immersive ten hour campaign.
If you care about looks, Bayonetta is one overwhelmingly seductive woman and graphically, the game itself is beautiful. The visuals have all the unique and super stylized Japanese flair. With strange yet beautiful looking environments and trippy level designs, Bayonetta offers a one of a kind gaming experience. The characters are also well designed and their animations are incredibly fluid.
When the clothes are off, Bayonetta is a stunner (we mean the game *cough*). It has reinvented a genre that has become somewhat stale as of lately. It has a great storyline, phenomenal gameplay and some great visuals. Yes the PS3 and Xbox version differ a little, but there is no need to worry. Whichever console you play it on, you are sure to be blown away.
[starreviewmulti id=1 tpl=20]
