Possibly the best mature game out there?!HOLY MOTHER OF GOD. Literally, those words can be said and are true in this game. This game I recently bought from PSN is just... I can't even... You might think I'm saying it because it sucks, but far from it guys. "Bayonetta" may be one of the best PS3 games I've ever played in my life. Developed by Platinum Games and Nex Entertainment, the latter having developed the "Time Crisis" sequels 3 and 4 for the arcade and PS3, and the former having been a part of developing "Metal Gear Rising: Revengence" years after this game's release; this unique game with a very unique concept is simply jaw-dropping in more ways than one. I don't mean her attire, guys. Keep your blushes to a minimum at least until this is done.
The first impression I got from the graphics is that it was pretty detailed and most of the cutscenes were in a film strip style. It was okay and wasn't bad, but I could do without those. The graphics of the game were just... Simply awe-inspiring. The environments of Paradiso, the angel world; the European city of Vigrid, etc. are incredibly detailed and intricate. There are also plenty of discreet secret areas peppered in the environment to find chests and items again, like Angel LPs to get new weapons, witch hearts to increase max health, magic pearls to increase your magic meter, etc. The character models and animations, from Bayonetta to the angel enemies and bosses, are epic and are pure eye candy, and the censoring on her during an Infernal attack (Summoning a beast from Hell to finish off a boss) is indeed effective. Keep mind that the blood in this game is immense, so that's not for faint-hearted people. The bad news is that sometimes it can slow down and cause some screen-tearing if there's too much going on at once, but it's to be expected with other games having a ton of fast-moving action to it, so it's not that bad an issue.
The sound effects in the game have plenty of kick to them, from the epic fights to the subtlety of them in the cutscenes. But the soundtrack is absolutely where this game shines. It rivals trailer music orchestras like "Two Steps from Hell" in terms of epicness. The boss music that plays for each Cardinal Virtue you fight is unique and equal with each other in making you feel pumped up and ready to fight such beasts, and the final boss music is indeed worthy to be final boss music, with each piece complete with orchestral instruments and vocals that match the tone of the situation the game puts you in. I loved every piece, including how they made their own style of "Fly Me to the Moon". I never got tired of listening to the music, and I still listen to it on Youtube today.
This game can be very addicting to play, with many different items to collect and buy, an award system to encourage getting high scores, and progressing difficulty settings each time you complete the game. It goes from bronze to pure platinum depending on how you do in combos, time, and avoiding damage. After each chapter, the medals combine and depending on the mean value, you get either a bronze trophy(Cereza), silver(Luka), gold(Rodin), platinum(Bayonetta), or pure platinum(Jeanne). Beating down angels and bosses never gets tiring and it feels rewarding, even more so than Dragon's Dogma, the game I last reviewed. As you progress, it gets more rewarding, and more worth it to continue playing, again, even more so due to the abundance of trophies(PS3-wise) in it.
The story is unique as it reveals more and more about the truth about it as the game progresses. Bayonetta, a sarcastic, sexy, but still managing to be semi-likable witch, is the supposed last of her kind hunting down angels, "blessed" by a beast named "Madame Butterfly"(See the infernal demon part of the files part of the menu when you press select). She is on a mission to recall her lost memories from years past, before the "witch hunts", where witches were persecuted and killed. As her journey continues, she encounters another witch, Jeanne, who fights Bayonetta constantly for the "Left Eye" and if she is worthy to awaken it. The Virtues she fights continue to mention "Jubileus", the goddess and creator of the world, and how their sacrifices fuel its awakening to destroy and recreate the world. With the help of Cereza, a little child with unknown connections to Bayonetta becoming known near the end; Luka, the mortal journalist that used to seek revenge against the witch for killing his father, but after learning the truth, warms up to her; Rodin, a beast himself that sells Bayonetta what she needs to take down the angels; and later Jeanne, her partner from the past, they take on the onslaught of angels, hoping to save the Earth from destruction by Paradiso's hand. This story was absolutely gripping and fun to listen to and play along through the end. I wasn't bored in the slightest and I was left wanting more, no matter how many times it plays out. Plus, with the sequel coming out later, I can't wait to see how much more they add to the story.
The depth is also very deep with a good majority of the characters, and their motivations are, for the most part, clear and understandable. Bayonetta wants to regain her lost memories and past, also involving the "Left Eye"; Luka hates her kind due to him thinking his father perished by her hand, Jeanne wants Bayonetta to remember as much as she does and will go to any lengths, even fighting her, to make her remember, and joins her when she does in the end. The only character that had barely any story or explanation to him was Rodin, but maybe the sequel will remedy it, other than the fact that he was an angel himself, and you see and fight that form of him when you get enough Halos, the game's currency. I still found each character's depth satisfying, and left little to no questions about them once the game fully explained them, through files you collect in-game, or through cutscenes. The game, at first, will take a while to beat, around 10 or so hours, so you better have some time on your hands if you're planning to take this on in one go.
The difficulty is balanced, complimenting each setting well. Up to Normal, you get an item that allows elaborate combos through mere button mashing, but halves the combo points you get past it, resulting in having a much harder chance getting the higher-up medals; on Very Easy, your health regenerates gradually after damage, having it removed upon getting to Easy; etc. When it gets to what the game calls "Non-Stop Infinity Climax" mode. This is the game's "nightmare" difficulty, and it clearly deserves it if you're not careful. With little health and 1 bar of magic to start with, it'll be easy to die unless you get to finding the witch hearts for your health and magic pearls to increase your magic meter. Even then it's tough, with the enemies taking way more hits to take down unless you get to collecting the golden LPs and getting good weapons from them. It's like two different extremes: Very easy is indeed VERY easy, with enemies being weak and having your health regenerate, etc. On Hard and "Nightmare" mode, I see it as the game taking off your training wheels and going straight to the motorcycle. At least, that's how I see it. To sum up, the 2 extremes balance out, and makes for a well and balanced game, but it'll jar newcomers if they don't know what they're doing or get, err... "distracted" by Bayonetta's rather risque attire. So, you're better off on at least Easy first, then getting to the highest difficulty.
All in all, this game is another unique, near-flawless gem to add to your Playstation library. With awesome and appealing graphics, epic, trailer-worthy music and kickin' sound effects; quite an addicting side to it, a gripping, amazing story; vast depth in most of the characters, and a balanced difficulty curve with each game completion having more challenges to overcome after each one, this game has been well received by review magazines and websites, getting awards such as "Game of the Year" by the UK IGN, "Best Original/New IP" by Gamespot and Gametrailers, and a lot more, also scoring high on 1UP and Famitsu and Metacritic, scoring A's, B's, 90%'s, etc. on their rating scales. I personally agree with them, and it was well worth the money I spent and then some. Go get this game NOW, you won't ever regret spending your money on it, and you'll have a, quite literally, hell of a time playing it through, I promise you that.
Graphics
9 Sound
10 Addictive
10 Depth
10 Story
10 Difficulty
5
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