An action-packed hack and slash game starring a shape-shifting, amnesic witch with guns strapped to her heels, butterfly wings and magic hair. Sound fun? Bayonetta, due for release on the 8th of January 2010, is a gothic style action game directed by Hideki Kamiya, the man famous for creating the Devil May Cry action series.
The basic game-play looks to be very familiar; you take on the role of an athletic and heavily armed warrior (in this case the titular witch, Bayonetta) as you face off against a wide array of foes. You might think that yet another hack and slash action game with a twist isn't exactly top of your list in January, but Bayonetta certainly seems to be offering that little bit extra. It has already received considerable praise and promises to be an exemplar action title to open the new year.
A demo is available on Xbox Live and PSN which demonstrates some of the artistic style and game-play we can expect from Bayonetta. The game features an upbeat but gothic visual feel; the architecture of Vigrid (the fictional city in which the game takes place) being the strongest aspect to fit this description. The enemy designs are also quite gothic, featuring all manner of strange angelic entities for you to pummel.
Bayonetta herself has the most extreme style to her design. Labelled a "modern day witch" by the developers, she sports butterfly wings, glasses and her hair forms a great deal of her outfit. Bayonetta's moments stylistically contrast the serious surroundings with a casual, light hearted attitude.
The game-play itself is a lot of fun, taking the classic action genre style and giving it a breath of fresh air. The demo thrusts you into the action with the first of its two available levels; Bayonetta is stood on the face of a clock tower, calmly staring up into the face of the moon as a swarm of winged foes swoop towards her. In a cinematic revelation the game reveals that the clock tower is plummeting from a cliff edge. As you're given control it's hard not to appreciate the stunning background imagery while the platform you're fighting on twirls on its axis.
The combat involves a combination of melee and ranged attacks. Bayonetta has four pistols; two in her hands and two attached to her heels, this allows her to extend any close ranged attack into a torrent of gun fire. One chaotic move has her spin manically while firing all of her guns, ripping up any halo bearing baddie that might be nearby. By stringing together melee attacks with gunfire you can build extensive combos that leave entire rooms of enemies in tatters. Particularly satisfying is a set of finishing moves that let you summon a fist or foot to smash or stomp your enemies.