I’m sure by now that you’ve all heard about the 40/40 Bayonetta received from Famitsu and the 10/10 from Edge. Scores like these don’t come along very often from such well respected publications, but does the game deserve them? Let’s find out.

For those that don’t know, Bayonetta is a third person action game from the creator of Devil May Cry, Hideki Kamiya. To liken it to the most recent outing in the DMC series though would be like comparing Champagne to sparkling wine. Bayonetta takes the ideas and gameplay mechanisms from DMC and turns everything up to 11.

The story of the game is extremely confusing. Our titualr heroine has lost her memories and can only remember her existence since she woke up in a coffin at the bottom of a lake. She soon learns that she must fight angels to preserve her existence and this eventually leads her to find out more about her past. If you manage to understand the story of this game, then you’re a better man than I. Thankfully Bayonetta more than makes up for the confusing story in other areas.

The gameplay is where Bayonetta really shines above any action game that has come before, and I do include the God of War series in that statement. The controls are simple and revolve around combinations of kicks (B), punches (Y) and a set of weapons that are collected as you progress through the game. These weapons can be equipped to Bayonettas hands or feet, and the diferent combinations of wepon loadouts lead to different combos that are performed when pressing the kick or punch button in sequence. This is coupled with the ability to dodge enemy attacks using the left trigger and doing so at the very last second triggers Witch time. This is essentially bullet time in Bayonetta, and once it is activated enemies will move slower which enables the player to pull off some of the more outlandish combos. Extra moves can be unlocked using the in-game currency which is the halos of dead angels. As you can imagine due to the large number of different possible weapon combinations, there is a ridiculously large scope for different fighting styles. You can even change loadouts on the fly by pressing the left trigger if you find you’re not satisfied with your current set-up.

Stringing together combos will gradually charge you magic meter and once this is full you will be able to use the brutal torture moves. These include things like iron maidens, guillotines and gigantic wheels with spikes on. The torture moves are incredibly satisfying to pull off and give a little respite from the chaos of combat whilst Bayonetta mashes the enemy. That is for all of a couple of seconds until it is the player who has to mash buttons in order to max out the effect of the torture attack.


 
The most powerful weapon at your disposal is Bayonettas own hair. The skintight catsuit that she’s wearing is actually made up of her own hair, and when you unleash certain combos she will use it to summon demons to attack her enemies. Gigantic demons are summoned to apply finishing moves to the games many bosses and these are some of the most brilliant looking moments of the game.



Talking about brilliant looking moments, I have to say that the graphics of the game are no less than stunning. There are some minor issues with screen tearing but due to the beauty of the game I’ve found myself more than willing to let these slide. On occasion it is possible for the screen to become cluttered with enemies which can be confusing, but all that’s necessary to reacquaint yourself with whats going on is to quickly dodge Bayonetta back into view. The music in the game is also worthy of note, with some of the angelic sounding pieces matching perfectly with the environments in which you find yourself fighting.

The difficult thing for me in writing this review is that I know you, dear reader, have no context for what I’m saying. To help with that let me tell you that if this game had been released 2 weeks ago it would have been my game of the year 2009. It really is that good. The satisfaction of the combat is unparalleled in gaming and it’s this that makes Bayonetta such an incredible experience. At several moments during the game I’ve found myself mouthing the word ‘wow’, and I simply cannot remember the last time a game had this effect on me. It’s hard to put down, fun to play, gorgeous looking and completely sexy in every sense of the word. I hope that many of you at the very least give it a try as otherwise you really will be missing out.

Verdict: 9.4/10. Stunning.

Like the sound of that? Or just like free stuff? For details on how you can win a copy of the game click here.