Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon

Genre: Action-RPG

Players: 1

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Review:

Bayonetta Origins, released on Nintendo Switch in 2023, is an odd departure from the norm within the Bayonetta Series. While the other games in this franchise are all M-rated, violent, somewhat sexualized Spectacle Fighters, Bayonetta Origins is a family-friendly Action-RPG. These games are virtually nothing alike when it comes to gameplay and tone. While these games technically take place in the same universe and (spoilers for the first Bayonetta game) feature the same titular character at a different point in her story, if it wasn’t for the game’s title and its use of the name Cereza and terms like Umbra Witch, you might not even realize that this game had anything to do with the Bayonetta franchise at all.

Indeed, very unlike the supremely confident, playful, taunting, and flirtatious Bayonetta, young Cereza is something of a whiny, cowardly brat. This game follows her journey as she defies the instruction of her mentor and heads into a dangerous faerie-infested forest in search of a power her dreams tell her she can find there, a power she hopes to use to free her imprisoned mother. Joining her in this quest, much against its wishes, is a demon Cereza has summoned and unwittingly bound to her stuffed animal, Cheshire.

Unlike other games in the Bayonetta franchise, Bayonetta Origins is presented as something of a storybook fairytale, with colorful, imaginative visuals that combine 2D and 3D elements with a mix of a slightly painterly style and some cel shading. There are some really beautiful and imaginative visuals here, with enough detail that it sometimes seems to border on being too lush and visually-complex. This is all backed by an instrumental soundtrack that matches this game’s dreamlike fairytale tone.

The core gameplay here revolves around using the unique and combined abilities of Cereza and Cheshire, who can be controlled separately or combined in a “hug mode”, with each of these offering its own distinct utility. Separately, the pair is each controlled by a different Joy-Con or half of the Pro Controller, in a manner vaguely similar to another Platinum Games title, Astral Chain. Cheshire is a powerhouse able to destroy barriers and fight enemies, while Cereza is able to ensnare and debilitate enemies and interact with the environment in more nuanced ways. When combined, Cheshire becomes something like a tether, able to latch on to nearby parts of the environment to fling the pair around at specific points. Much of the game’s puzzles and progression come down to figuring out how to make use of the pair’s different abilities to proceed.

I found the gameplay here to be really enjoyable, calling for some good observation of your surroundings and coordination between the two characters. I’m actually a bit surprised that this game doesn’t offer a 2-player option given how important the separate control of both characters is, though I suppose those who want to do this could always pass off the second Joy-Con to a friend. Overall though, this all works quite well and makes for a fairly unique experience.

The one major flaw in this game is its pacing, particularly in the agonizingly slow early parts of the game. In line with the fairytale presentation, Bayonetta Origins features a heavily-narrated story, and you’ll find yourself frequently getting stopped as the narrator tells you about Cereza and Cheshire’s state of mind, their interactions, or the events unfolding in front of them. And sadly, where the mainline Bayonetta games feature full in-engine cutscenes, the story here is told largely by either freezing the on-screen action while the narrator talks, or showing static, minimally-animated character art.

There is one other issue to mention here – I can’t help but feel like this game is hindered by its use of the Bayonetta license rather than helped by it. Despite the story connections, Bayonetta Origins simply does not look or play like a Bayonetta game, and anyone going into this game expecting a game that’s even remotely like the mainline Bayonetta titles is likely to be disappointed. Likewise, those who are unfamiliar with the Bayonetta franchise may be intimidated coming into this game fresh, although they needn’t be – Bayonetta Origins’ story is self-contained, and as a prequel there’s no need to have played other games in the franchise (though, again, this game does contain spoilers for the first Bayonetta game).

Despite these issues, Bayonetta Origins is still an excellent game. It may not be quite the sort of game Bayonetta fans are likely to be looking for, and it suffers from problems due to pacing, but this game nevertheless offers unique Action-RPG gameplay with a fun split-character mechanic and a beautiful art style. If you’re a fan of this genre, and have the patience to bear with the game during its slow moments, I think you’ll find this to be well worth playing.

tl;dr – Bayonetta Origins is an Action-RPG that is wildly different in look, tone, and gameplay compared to the mainline games in the Bayonetta series. However, while this may not be the sort of game that Bayonetta fans are used to, it’s still a delightful entry in the genre with a fun split-character gameplay mechanic. It does suffer from pacing issues, but if you have the patience to bear with it, I think you’ll find this to be a wonderful entry in its genre.

Grade: B

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