Time to Let Your Hair Down

Yesterday I finished a very anticipated and somewhat controversial game. Well, for me anyway. After about 14 hours of game play I wrapped up by first run through of Bayonetta. Now, I’ve mentioned this game quite a few times on this blog, mostly because of my skepticism on the titular character. And yes, I very deliberately picked that word.

Bayonetta is sex. From the looks of the trailers and print advertisements as well as the emphasis on the fact that Bayonetta looses the vast majority of her clothing when she casts her “climax” spells, I was pretty convinced that this game was just going to be a mindless romp. Then however, reviews starting coming in. Very, very good reviews including an incredible 10/10 from Edge magazine. This coupled with the enthusiasm from the guys over at Fourplayerpodcast really got me curious about this action/adventure game.

Having now completed the main story I can say that Bayonetta is far from a mindless romp and is rather a vibrant, energetic, non-stop, ridiculous, and fun experience. I cannot believe how much fun I had playing this game. At first - as I was getting my ass handed to be over and over again - I had my doubts. The more I progressed however, the more techniques I purchased and the more weapons I obtained I started to enjoy the hell out of this game. It got to the point where I was waiting for Bayonetta to strip down and finish off the boss I had spent 15 minutes fighting. She always did and it was always immensely satisfying and often pretty funny:

Which brings me to the main point of this post. My concerns over the sexuality of the game were mostly laid to rest. There were certainly moments that were totally unnecessary but for the most part Bayonetta fit right in to the world of the game. Witches with guns on their feet, fights with angels on skyrocketing missiles, spells that conjure iron maidens, chainsaws, and guillotines, and hair that turns into various beasts which when devour enemies – oh yeah, over-the-top sexuality? What’s over-the-top anymore?

Everything about this game from the backdrops to the supporting characters to combos and the loading screens that let you practice your moves fit right into this world. It's a world I plan on playing through again soon.