Bayonetta Origins trades bullets for spell books and puzzles in charming fashion

Bayonetta’s next adventure is said to be a story-book-style prequel Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, demands a different type of agility required to play a video game—specifically games of developer PlatinumGames’ lineage. Unlike the current Bayonetta games, which are filled with ballistic, bullet-buffed action, bayonetta origin Much easier way. The Nintendo Switch game is driven by puzzle solving and storytelling, not whiteknuckle ass-kicking.

But bayonetta origin A level of opacity is required; In the new game from Platinum, players control two characters at once. Cereza, the young Bayonetta, is controlled by a Switch controller on the left, and Cheshire, a demon-infested stuffed cat, on the right. Movement for each character is mapped to each Joy-Con’s analog controller. Actions such as attacks and spells are performed with the shoulder buttons. Throw in some light combat and chants – some of which are driven by a short rhythm game – and bayonetta origin Its presentation begins to build up to a more complex game.

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Image: PlatinumGames / Nintendo

i jumped into a game of bayonetta origin A few chapters in, at which point young Serezha is studying and exploring the spooky Avalon Forest. As a young witch, Cereza is still learning basic witchcraft, using her spells to grow and transform vegetation called Infernal Plants. These roots grow out of the ground to create new bridges and walkways through the forest. Cereza can also trap enemies in a magical circle called a Thorn Bind.

In combat, Serezha is not very capable. That’s where Cheshire, a disgruntled demon who has been summoned to (and cannot escape from) Cereza’s tattered stuffed cat, comes in. Her mighty claws can cut through evil fairies and thorny roots that block Cereza’s progress. The Cheshire is a massive animal – heavy, but not very agile. He can also shrink down to the size of a regular stuffed-cat-toy, allowing Cereza to carry him like her own big child. (Specifically, picking up and carrying Cheshire is known as “hug mode”, otherwise, Cheshire is in “unleashed mode”.)

Image: PlatinumGames / Nintendo

Cereza and Cheshire must work in concert to travel through the Avalon Forest. And they need to be close to each other to survive. When the two are confronted by a group of bad guys, it’s up to Cheshire to fight his way through them while Cereza fends off danger (or traps one in a witch’s spell). And when they encounter a patch of rosemary – poison for poor Cheshire – it’s up to Serezha to summon a new path using little rhythm game spells for her feline demon friend to follow. Together, while in hug mode, the two can jump from platform to platform, using Cheshire as a grappling hook.

Using all these collaborative elements and co-dependencies turns the forest into a series of increasingly complex puzzles. Given that time with my hands bayonetta origin It was so early in the game, how developers can build on these puzzles is a compelling prospect. There are additional elements that I didn’t get to explore, such as making magic potions, that would add even more depth.

so while bayonetta origin While it certainly looks and plays differently from other Bayonetta games on Switch, it doesn’t make it any less intriguing. Players can discover for themselves its fairy-tale charm when Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon Launching on 17 March.