Bayonetta

I never really got into Devil May Cry back in the day. The mix of shooting and swordplay felt a little weird, and the overly melodramatic and edgy tone just didn't sit well with me. That's why I was a bit hesitant to give Bayonetta a try, given all the comparisons that were being drawn between the two. Fortunately for me, Bayonetta avoids the parts of Devil May Cry that I didn't like, making it a totally competent action game that never takes itself too seriously, and is a ton of fun as a result.
 
First and foremost, Bayonetta tosses all that super serious crap that plagues way too many Japanese games (not the least of which is the aforementioned Devil May Cry) and chucks it out the window. Instead, Bayonetta is content to give players a completely wild narrative from start to finish. Characters have corny dialogue, the cut scenes and story rarely make sense, there are tons of references to other games, and there's plenty of fourth wall breaking humor all over the place. And the game handles all of this in a tongue-in-cheek manner, making it clear that nothing is meant to be taken seriously at all. This works well for a game like Bayonetta, as it uses its silly presentation to give the player some lighthearted breathers to break up the intense action. A few cut scenes may run a bit too long, but it strikes a good balance otherwise, and makes it easy to play the game at length without getting completely drained.
 
Fortunately, Bayonetta does indeed deliver some exciting action. The controls are sharp, and the game is paced well to move you from one energetic encounter to the next. There's a certain precision to the nuts and bolts of combat, even if the amount of stuff going on visually is a little much. Bayonetta for the most part boils down to simple attacks, blocks, and dodges, all of which require precise timing. There's a particular flow to the whole thing that feels right, making combat pretty satisfying, and rarely frustrating. There are a few minor grievances I have with the combat though. The whole guns component still feels pretty lame, there's a distinct lack of enemy variety outside the bosses, and a few oddball sequences (I'm looking at you, Space Harrier scene) felt underwhelming. But for every negative I can draw, there's another positive lying right around the corner. Whether you're fighting a dragon atop a ruined church that's spinning through the air, or battling angels while riding a motorcycle along a statue as it rockets through space, the action sequences in Bayonetta are just a blast.
 
My only other gripe with Bayonetta is simply the fact that the whole thing's a bit familiar. Between other action games like Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden, and even God of War, I feel like I've seen everything it has to offer before. At the same time, Bayonetta delivers everything with such an energetic swagger that it's hard not to appreciate it all over again. It takes some solid action, fills in the gaps with an appropriate amount of crazy, and then amps everything up to Mach 10. Sounds like a recipe for fun to me, and any fan of action games would do well to give Bayonetta a go.
 
For additional information on my review style and scoring system, click here.