40.2 hours played
Written 9 days ago
So I am not really good at these kind of games. And I am not a huge fan of such hack and slash gameplay as well. But there is much to love about this classic game even if the gameplay genre is not someone's cup of tea.
And by 'much-to-love', I mean Bayonetta. In a world of nonchalantly attractive babes (the existing ones at least) in games, Bayonetta is unapologetically hot, stylish and is not afraid to flaunt it while being extremely classy about it. Each cutscene becomes a tad more enjoyable because she is there. And those cutscenes can be...uh...very very pretentious in my opinion. The story is surprisingly complex and I do not mean that in a good way at all. The plot starts off simple enough but really gets convoluted with time shenanigans by the midgame. Lots of loose ends and underdeveloped characters plague the game. And that is a shame too, because the plot starts really strong as a simple and light-hearted funfest with a wacky but heartful premise and characters. Characters like Enzo and Rodin felt fun, but get shafted hard for...apparently no clear reason. Luka and Jeanne were more prevalent, but somehow I feel I would've enjoyed the former pair more. The 'angelic' enemies and bosses have interesting lore with the 'demons' that Bayo and Jeanne sign a contract with, but most of that plot thread is relegated to lore texts and not the main story. However, the story is not the prime reason why one would play this game. I am focussing on this only because it seems the developers really wanted us to vibe with the story, and I couldn't. But even if the story is lacklustre and cutscenes go on forever, I enjoyed it as long as Bayonetta is there. And thankfully, she is there in all here glorious extravaganza in almost every moment.
Why one would play this game, however, is for the gameplay. You would be mistaken if you think that this is a DMC clone with a female protagonist, even if I can understand why one would initially think that (or maybe, wish). The witch-time slowing mechanism seems to be one of the first reinditions of the time-slowing 'perfect-counter' mechanisms I personally have played (I may be wrong here). And I feel it actually makes this a more easier experience for poor-old me. It makes this game much easier to get into, but don't be fooled - it is extremely difficult to master. The mastery aspect of the combat comes with the "gun-shooting-combo-delay" mechanism that makes the combat a literal dance of interwoven hacks, kick, punches, slashes, dodges and bullets - all in a single combo. This mechanism is the bread-and-butter of this combat, and is not intuitive at all. So I wish the game emphasized on this aspect a bit more because I didn't really discover how crucial this aspect is for a more enjoyable gameplay before I way 2/3rds into my hard playthough. Luckily (sarcastic), this game needs 3 playthroughs for the 100%. I wish I was good at this game, but I am not. So I can't actually say much more about the gameplay than this, other than it is very unique in its genre. There is the usual weapon slots and accessories that can vary the gameplay to a varying degree. There is also a cheeky DMC reference which really tip-toes the line between a nod and a sneer. It also has the scoring system for each combat section. I would genuinely advise most general gamers to NOT interact with it because the grading can be extremely strict and unforgiving to the point of frustration. But that can be me speaking out of my noob-arse.
All in all, a solid 6.5/10. Play for the gameplay if you like this genre and want something fresh, because it still feels fresh upto this day. The story itself is underwhelming if not for Bayonetta herself.