“Bayonetta,” the newest title to hit the action game scene, delivers fast-paced climactic action with style and femininity.
The story begins with a flashback depicting the Umbra Witches and the Lumen Sages waging war against one another. The Umbra Witches, an ancient clan of magic wielding women, were powered by the moon and the Lumen Sages, a group of light worshiping men, fueled by the Sun. Originally the two worked together to maintain the balance between light and dark, but the relationship severely deteriorated. Toward the end of the war, the Lumen Sages used mankind’s religion to spur witch hunts and turned the tide.
In the present day, Bayonetta has awoke with a fractured memory and believes she is the last of the Umbra Witches. She must fight the legions of heaven to unravel her past, prevent the extermination of her kind and protect the balance of the world.
Bayonetta, a four-gun slinging witch, can employ a variety of special attacks, including torture attacks, where she summons medieval torture devices to pummel and ultimately destroy her heavenly opponents, and punish attacks, where she sits on the opponents head and flays the skin off their bodies. Her hair has its own magical properties and she uses it to unleash havoc as well in the form of Wicked Weave attacks.
The graphics are superb – fast and beautiful at the same time. In some instances the naked eye cannot follow everything happening on screen. Although some users have reported screen tears because their televisions could not keep up, I have not had this issue. The artwork is fantastic; I do not know of a current game that comes close to competing with it. The angels are both divine and menacing in appearance, while Bayonetta is electric-sex personified. The game world is rich, fluid and interactive. The personality of this game truly comes out in the visuals.
The controls are simple enough for beginners; however, you are not allowed to customize the control scheme. You are stuck with the original control settings.
Combos are easy to stumble upon; the load screens are interactive with a list of combos on the side, so you can practice new moves between areas.
You may recognize the background music for the opening level – “Fly Me to the Moon,” made famous by Frank Sinatra. It is performed by a female vocalist for “Bayonetta.” I think Frank Sinatra would be proud.
Unlike many new games, “Bayonetta” boasts an average of 15 hours just to beat on normal difficulty. The game offers five difficulty settings; the harder and more challenging settings are unlockable.
If you are a fan of games such as “Devil May Cry” and “God of War,” pick up “Bayonetta” now. “Bayonetta” was created and directed by Hideki Kamiya (“Devil May Cry”) who has set a new standard for the action genre, besting his own work.