The time where Japan dominated the economic landscape of gaming is fading fast, as more publishers are looking to the west for inspiration in design. Sega is one example of this, but their most recent release is not. Instead, Platinum Games and Sega proudly tout that there will always be Japanese developers and Japanese culture reflected in video games. If there is any game released in 2010 so far that supports this theory, it's Bayonetta. Set in a fictional universe where witches and angels do battle in a dimension parallel to our own, the most striking feature is it’s art style. Bayonetta, the baddest witch of them all, rocks a black skin tight outfit, made completely out of her own hair. Her hair is a key component of the combat, if only aesthetically. So as you complete higher combos and more devastating attacks, the less hair is left to cover her body. Yes, it is a very sexually charged game in a lot of ways, her consumable items are all lollipops and there are moments in game featuring some tongue in cheek humor and euphemisms, but it is not demeaning in my opinion. Bayonetta is a strong female character and one of her antagonists is as well. Speaking of antagonists, these “angels” are complex in their design and style. Some resemble beaked warriors, others manta rays flying over head and still others are giants wearing the masks which make them resemble a child’s face. That is just some of the most common designs though, play through the whole game and you are sure to run into some creatures that twist the imagination.
There are environments that are equally as cool, taking place in a medieval town, castles, an airfield and eventually some various dimensions. Though this does not seem refreshing when you think of games past, they change the formula when the moon comes out to play. Since Bayonetta is a witch, she also has various powers. At certain points in the story, Bayonetta will have to utilize the power of the moon to platform across walls and ceilings, changing the perspective of your character and how you perceive the environment around her. Sure, some scenes could invite a wicked sense of vertigo, but that’s another thing to keep the gameplay fresh. Keeping with this philosophy, Bayonetta is also a shape shifter, which becomes useful later on when trying to overcome an obstacle or even become more flexible in combat.
Let’s quit all the bullshit and get right to it, the combat in this game is fantastic. First, no matter what your experience level, the difficulty is scalable to all types of gamers, so anyone can play and no one should feel lost. It uses an engine similar to Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden, punch/kick attacks are mixed based on the direction of the analog and the length of time a button is held. Though not in a conventional sense, since in your hands are two guns and on your feet are two guns. That’s right… on your feet! Do I have your attention yet? No, then how about two words, ICE SKATES. As you can imagine the combat and weapon variety gets crazy as your feet are independent from your hands and you can combine a variety of weapons for various enemies and situations. All these points are mute though without utilizing one more very important skill: Witch Time. Essentially bullet time in this games universe, Witch Time provides you the ability to really rack up the combos on weaker enemies, and leaves stronger enemies open for an attack where they may not be. It is triggered with a basic dodge, initiated at the last possible second. Getting in some massive combos and building up your magic bar will also a lot the user an opportunity to initiate a torture attack. These gruesome attacks are a one stop shop of death, typically consisting of an Iron Maiden or Guillotine. Suitable for the flair one should already expect from a game such as this. Combine the option of replaying with a new game plus, various difficulties, challenge rooms (called alfhiem portals), leaderboards and more moves/weapons; this game has an extremely high replay value, I highly recommend that if you enjoy action games, you should play it now.*note: all images are the result of a Google image search
