Split-Screen :: The Game-Geek’s Daily Read

by gSathe

Bayonetta is not for me. It’s just too… much. I’m overwhelmed by it every time I play the game, and the music, and imagery all confuse me even now. Looking at the review scores from Famitsu and Edge, I think the game is supposed to be the second coming (which is quite appropriate considering the artistic themes in the game) but while it might score all the right tick marks on the checklists, I don’t think it was a better, more enjoyable experience than say Assassin’s Creed 2, or even Modern Warfare 2. It might not be a fair comparison, of course, since not only are all three games very different and therefore difficult to compare, but aside from that, both Assassin’s Creed and Modern Warfare are sequels which have had a fair amount of time to refine the original game, and build upon their strengths.

Bayonetta certainly comes from a good pedigree, but it doesn’t have a direct predecessor to build on, and taking that into consideration, there is a lot to be said for it. At the same time, the most important question to ask is – is the game fun? Do I want to play it?

The answer is definitely yes. It’s crazy. It’s strange and aesthetically bizzare, from the moment that the game first starts and takes you through the tutorial all the way till the very end. And I’ll admit, freely, that the highly Japanese aesthetics of the game don’t appeal to me unlike, say, the Greek mythology that forms the basis of God of War. And yes, I’m much more excited about God of War 3 than I was about Bayonetta, so maybe that bias comes into play when I’m thinking about this game, but honestly, some of it goes beyond my ability to explain away.

Lets get over the fact that her clothes are made of her hair. Okay, that’s really only sorta weird. Lets talk about the music for a minute. The only stranger gaming experience I ever had was once, long ago, when I ran Mika’s Lollipop in the background while playing Dead Space. That, right there, was weird. So is Bayonetta, with the guns in her heels. Then there’s the targetting reticule, when you’re facing a crowd of enemies. Floating, flaming, giant lips. On strangely seraphic enemies with haloes and wings. While the music is fluting and chirping cheerfully in the background and strange and honestly endlessly confusing things are happening on screen.

Now, my ranting might have given you the idea that I don’t like this game, right? Actually, I find myself oddly, drawn to the game, and I think that that’s largely because of the controls themselves. The action is admittedly slightly limited, and if you’re like me, then you’re probably going to settle into a favourite combo for all situations and then spam the hell out of it, but it’s all really smooth.

Racking up high style points from split-second combos is not difficult, without being so easy as to provide no challenge either. You can just brawl your way through the game but to be properly rewarded with the smooth and wonderfully written action, you need to spend a little time learning the controls. It’s all fairly intuitive, flowing from one step to the next, and so after just a little time, you are controlling one of the most enjoyable death dealing characters out there today.

People who loved the more “Japanese” variants of such games are going to love Bayonetta as well. There’s little doubt in my mind on that score – if you like Ninja Gaiden and DMC, then please, buy Bayonetta. You won’t regret it. On the other hand, if you think that God of War is the greatest expression of the genre (and I won’t disagree with you there) then wait for GoW 3 instead.