XAVIER BOATNER
campus editor
xavier.boatner@my.tccd.edu

PlatinumGames has continued to ride the momentum of its “Bayonetta” series with its latest release.

The climax of the now-iconic Bayonetta trilogy, “Bayonetta 3” released Oct. 28, 2022, to critical acclaim. The game was a hit with critics and fans, becoming the best-selling game in the series to that point.

During last year’s Game Awards, an annual video game award ceremony, developer PlatinumGames announced a brand-new Bayonetta game for Nintendo Switch called “Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon,” set to unveil the wicked backstory of the leading witch. Fast forward to March 8 and “Bayonetta Origins” has been released into the world. 

In the game, players take control of Cereza, a young Bayonetta-in-training, and Cheshire, a demon in a stuffed animal’s body, to solve a variety of perplexing puzzles, battle in small combat challenges and pave a path through the eerie Avalon Forest in search of Cereza’s mother.

Before diving into the puzzles and combat, it’s best to address the elephant in the room. Right out of the gate, the game looks phenomenal. Similar to Tango Gameworks’ “Hi-Fi Rush” released earlier this year, the world of “Cereza and the Lost Demon” opts to forego the grizzled realism of most AAA games on the market, and instead aims to bring its enchanted world to life with a soft, watercolor-like palette.

The game’s overall aesthetic and presentation evoke that of a children’s storybook, with pages being turned in place of menus and character dialogue being structured like paragraphs in a picture book. Even better, the dialogue has a narrator that gives off a similar vibe to a parent reading their kid a bedtime story. It’s a welcome and wholesome touch that absolutely sells the storybook style.

The characters’ personalities are charming and their designs are nice, if not a little doll-like in a sense. Some characters can appear a bit uncanny, even Cereza from time to time, but the charm seldom dwindles. The highlight was definitely Cereza and Cheshire’s relationship. The dynamic the two share is always fun and made playing through a breeze.

Speaking of dynamics, the way players control Cereza and Cheshire is what sets this game apart from others. This is a cooperative, single-player game. The left stick controls Cereza’s movements and the right stick controls Cheshire’s movements. The gimmick is controlling both in tandem to progress through the game.

This opens up many possibilities for puzzle design, and they do not disappoint. The puzzles are clever and tightly designed. They manage to strike the perfect balance between challenging and fair, allowing players of a wide skill level to play through the game, and leaving enough to chew on for those who wish to master it.

This setup also does wonders for combat. Cereza uses spells to stun, bind and distract enemies, while Cheshire is used to demolish them. It’s a cathartic marriage of creative mechanics that is mostly satisfying. The novelty of controlling two characters simultaneously is endearing and fun for sure, but the magic begins to wear a bit thin near the end game.

However, with that being said, the game is still a treat. It’s unique, whimsical, mechanically rich, heartfelt and challenging. It’s the perfect storm, and it is most certainly a worthy addition to the ever-expanding “Bayonetta” lineup.