Bayonetta has been receiving lots of news coverage over the past few months, and every bit of information and media that was released helped build some solid hype for the game. Does it live up to it all? Surprisingly, it lives to to most of the hype, but more importantly, it’s just a fun game to be playing.

It’s very difficult to explain Bayonetta, you’d rather wanna see it for yourself, kinda like the good ‘ol Tim Burton movies. In essence, in Bayonetta, you play as a witch who can, among other things, summon demons and creatures from her spiraling black hair, which serves as a portal to hell. Think that’s over the top? We barely just got started on how weird, surreal and flat out over the top Bayonetta is. The story, what of it we could understand is as follows: between two clans of witches which stand for the opposite powers, and, as one might expect, they’re in an all out war against each other. The story isn’t clear and most of it doesn’t make sense, but luckily, the gameplay and the sheer weirdness of the world of Bayonetta makes up for it.

The gameplay is very fast paced and your character seems to blur by everywhere she goes, which is great because there’s very little to be bored of in the game. From the hack-n-slash combat, to the fast paced running, to the gorgeous and surreal world that Bayonetta inhabits, it’s an original and nuanced game experience to be had. The gameplay is just as unique as the visuals, as you have a ton of weapons at your disposal, and can equip each arm and and each leg (!) with a different weapon, giving you unprecedented abilities when it comes to combat, not to mention all the combos you can pull off. And speaking of combat, it’s very macabre and bloody, yet with its own sense of humor that suits the game perfectly. Oh, and as we mentioned, you can spawn demons out of a portal which you create with your dark hair. Need we say more?

Visually, the game not only looks gorgeous, but it has a great visual style and art design that surpasses most other games. Seemingly inspired by Tim Burton and H.R. Giger, and countless other “dark” artists, the game is a visual treat. A few slowdowns and screen tearings appear during intense combat, but it’s not something that’ll ruin the gameplay for you. The audio and soundtrack are well done and compliment the visual style, and overall, there’s a great sense of high production values.

Overall, the game can definitely be recommended to players who seek something new in the endless onslaught of sequels that’s hitting the stores these days. And for everyone else, it’s still an awesome game that reminds you that not all new original games have to suck in their fist editions. Besides the few technical glitches and an inconsistent story and plot, it’s a great game that you should at least rent and check out.

The Good:
Great art style
Brutal and macabre combat
Original

The Bad:
A few graphical glitches
Inconsistent story
Gameplay can get repetitive during the end

Overall score: 8/10