Review Score:

Bayonetta is an over-the-top, visually stunning, button mashing mayhem. Besides a few lengthy cut scenes (which you can skip), and a story that almost makes sense, it’s just plain fun. It’s a mish mash of action: everything from shooting, melee fighting, morphing, vehicles, surfing….whatever, it’s got it in there somewhere.

The story seems like a clear cut light versus dark, (at first). There are 2 clans: the Lumen Sages and the Umbra Witches, guardians of the stones known as The Eyes of the World. Bayonetta’s past is hazy and you spend most of the game figuring out why she was banished and what her ultimate goal is. All you know is, she’s a super sexy, overly confident, kick-ass fighter who hunts down angels. She’ll encounter Jeanne, a mysterious woman who appears to have the same set of skills, and is someone from her past. A man named Luka, who claims you killed his father and a little girl who calls you “Mummy” and looks extremely familiar.

You dual wield guns, not only with your hands but with your feet. Your enemies frequently drop melee weapons you can pick up, which have a short life span, but are very effective. Most of the combos are done with 2 buttons (Y and B if you’re playing Xbox) and you can experiment with them during the loading screens, where they list them for you.

Cash comes in the form of halos, dropped by your enemies or by destroying environmental props. You can buy upgrades for weapons and skills, or new accessories and items by visiting your supplier in Hell. Boss mobs also drop Angelic records, which unlock bonus items or are worth a lot of cash.

Bayonetta’s powers include Witch Time (slow motion, if you dodge at the last minute), Witch Walk (walk on walls when the moon comes out), The Beast Within (cat form for speed) and buyable upgrades that allow you to transform into a flock of bats or a crow. Her big finishing moves involve her hair/clothes coming off and forming a giant hair demon, which varies in form (dragon, spider, giant hands, millipede, parrot, etc).

Health and temporary bonuses come in the form of lollipops, which can be bought, crafted or won. Besides halos, you’ll also collect herbs to make your candy. There’s also an arcade-style game between levels called Angel Attack, where you can win more.

The settings vary from what look like a modernized Renaissance Italy, to present day cityscapes to celestial worlds. There’s a nice variety of enemies, that are a visual blend of horror and angelic. When you start to get bored of the usual way of fighting, the game throws you on a motorcycle, or on the back of torpedo. I thought Bayonetta’s cocky personality would get old quickly but whoever wrote her dialogue kept her sharp tongue entertaining. Her initial interaction with the little girl is priceless.

It took me a little while to get past the confusion on the screen. There’s so much happening and Bayonetta moves so fast it’s hard to figure out what’s going on. As long as you dodge in time and mash the 2 main buttons, she’ll always do something cool.

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