Bayonetta
Year: 2009
Rating: M
Time Played: 690 minutes / 11.50 hours
As a somewhat sheltered person, I wasn’t particularly aware of Bayonetta until the character appeared as a DLC character in Super Smash Bros. for the 3DS/Wii-U. The concept of a woman in black spandex with guns as high heels was ridiculous enough that I eventually had to check it out. After all, I had heard good things about it and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Sure, it has loads of fan service, but it was also pretty fun to play as well.
For a game that came out 15 years ago, it does show its age graphically in spots (especially in the cut-scenes). Fortunately, the big boss battles—which are often just a series of quick time events—were amazing spectacles that looked amazing. However, it was still occasionally frustrating to have to re-do an entire boss battle because I lacked the reflexes to hit a particular button at the right time. But when things line up, it’s incredibly satisfying taking down an enormous titan with a lot of razzle dazzle.
I’m not especially good at hack-and-slash games like Bayonetta. I know I need to string combos of different moves together, but I can never quite remember the button sequences when I’m in the middle of a hectic battle. As such, I played through this game on the easiest difficulty just so I could get through all the plot and reach the end of the game. Perhaps these two things made it a little boring to play in spots, but the overall story was worth it to see all the way through. After all, I probably wouldn’t have even finished this game if I hadn’t made it enjoyable to do so.
A flashy and tongue-in-cheek hack-and-slash game that was pure entertainment, I give Bayonetta 3.5 stars out of 5.
1/2
