Prior to the release of ‘Bayonetta Origin: Cereza and the Lost Devil (hereafter Bayonetta Origin)’, a work dealing with the past of the charming and destructive witch, Bayonetta, a media experience event was held to experience the game first. About 2 hours was given to play, and I was able to experience it until the middle of Chapter 4 without skipping all the story cutscenes. The game was played through a Nintendo Switch Pro controller.
It wasn’t a long time, but the experience of Bayonetta Origin can be seen as a ‘puzzle action adventure with a very unique sense of control that boasts excellent immersion’. Even though it was an environment where it was difficult to concentrate deeply, I wonder if it showed such an intense sense of immersion that I did not know how two hours had passed. It was fun enough that I felt regretful to let go of my hands on the pad after the allotted time had passed.
The reason Bayonetta Origin was able to elicit such a high degree of immersion was because all three aspects of narrative, manipulation, and directing were excellent. The operation method that perfectly matches the words separately and together is amazing, the graphics are beautiful, and the storytelling is excellent. The story dealt with inside is not childish even though it is like a fairy tale.
Not only that. I experienced it for a short time, but being able to meet Serezha, who was so innocent and innocent, was also quite, no really, a big charm. Serezha screaming in surprise at a flying owl!
Bayonetta Origin is an adventure in which various elements such as puzzles, battles, collections, and appreciation are complexly linked and combined. During the two hours of play, I felt that I was naturally connected without focusing on any one element.
And in the process, applying really, really various manipulations also acts as a factor that strongly increases the fun and interest of the game. Interestingly, although the operation itself is obviously diverse, there are not many buttons used, so it is not complicated at all.
This is because only a few buttons are used, but as the situation changes, the effect of the button changes accordingly. Even though it is the same button, the technique for short press and long press is different, and the technique used in situation A and the technique used in situation B are different.
Of course, it seems that more various controls will be added as the game progresses, but this is also not expected to be very complicated. It’s like pressing a button for a long time or changing it depending on the situation.
And apart from all of this, Bayonetta Origin’s most powerful feature, the most dynamic manipulation, is none other than Cereza and Cheshire’s manipulation ‘individually’ and ‘simultaneously’. It’s like, “Let the right hand know what the left hand is doing.”
To put it more simply, the left and right hands are in charge of everything that the two of them have to work together. In most console games, the left hand moves and the right hand changes the field of view, uses skills, and presses buttons. Really perfectly, the left hand is ‘dedicated’ to the manipulation of Serezha, and the right hand is Cheshire.
What is noteworthy is that these manipulations are not carried out sequentially or separately over a period of time. All operations are performed simultaneously and in real time. Obviously, the left and right hands are in charge of Cereza and Cheshire respectively, but all content in the game is planned to be solved by playing together, not alone. Not to mention the puzzles, even the combat.
Serezha cannot directly damage the enemy, but Cheshire’s powerful combat power alone cannot defeat all enemies that are getting stronger and attack in various patterns. You have to tie his feet with Serezha’s skill, and run away from enemies while holding a fish fire in your arms while Cheshire refills his magic power. This includes manipulating Cheshire to attack enemies while ensuring Serezha’s safety with the other hand.
Of course, in the beginning, which can be seen as a tutorial, there are not many situations where you move both sticks at the same time. I think it’s a consideration to adapt to the game carefully. However, this is also a player’s choice, and if you want, you can experience the play of moving Cereza and Cheshire at the same time and interacting with something at the same time.
And interestingly, it’s not just the controls that require the right and left hands to move separately. Not only is there an Unleash mode where Serezha and Cheshire move independently by jumping out with their real body, but also a hug mode where Serezha can carry them around in the form of dolls.
In other words, it is also a story that there are actually a lot more ways to use Cheshire than you think. You can move Cheshire directly to break obstacles in your way, but you can throw Cheshire while holding it in your arms to examine something, stretch Cheshire to jump, or remove traps.
This manipulation of each and every one becomes the basis for trying out a lot of different ways in the game play process. Not only the puzzle contents that must be solved, but also the battles mentioned above and the movement process, all of which have changed the ordinary to special and the simple to not be boring as one aspect of the diversity of operation.
It is true that the biggest feature of Bayonetta Origin is that the left and right brains, and the right and left brains must move separately. However, that alone did not bring out enough immersion to make the two hours fly by.
There is one more element that catches the eye. It is the unraveling of the narrative using directing. The parts that are directly manipulated and the weight of the cutscenes that unravel the narrative are balanced and distributed without overdoing anything, capturing the concentration and immersion at the same time.
In particular, in the case of cutscenes, the cut and cut feel as if you are holding a book and collecting papers one by one and turning them over. conveys the feeling of being watched. The directing also utilized various methods to express the diversity of cutscenes.
The graphics are also very colorful and beautiful, and yet cute and mysterious. Wonderland in Alice in Wonderland, Wonderland seems to have been brought out really well. It can be said that the image of a children’s book that children see is slightly twisted and led to Bayonetta’s world without a sense of heterogeneity.
Even the appearance of the continuous forest is changed through the welcome element, Tir You Nog, and especially the interior shows surprisingly fantastic and beautiful background graphics. And even among the colorful backgrounds, the elements that must be checked are given a targeting effect so that they can stand out, and visibility is also captured.
Not only that. Bayonetta Origin did not miss the details of the small parts that could be thought of as not special and drew them well. Like adding a very simple element to match the rhythm to the dancing Serezha to make it fun, or even learning a skill, instead of just taking points and passing them, delivering the pleasure of watching them through small cutscenes.
At the same time, the story in the beginning was also very well done. Story development and explanations that can be approached attractively enough even for those who do not know the Bayonetta series, on the contrary, act as an element that fans of the Bayonetta series can enjoy different details.
How to say, Bayonetta Origin showed a well-balanced adventure in a short period of time, with all of these advantages well harmonized. It is also thanks to such an appropriate balance that the fun of the beginning was captured so clearly that the two-hour time felt really short.
If you’re a little bored with solving the obvious puzzles, and if you want to feel a very unique way of controlling the left and right brains, no, left and right, it’s a game that will be satisfying enough.
Bayonetta Origin: Cereza and the Lost Devil, where you can meet Serezha, the innocent and beautiful apprentice witch, will be released on Nintendo Switch™ on March 17th.
