Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon review – a pleasant surprise

Bayonetta. A charming warrior who is immune to almost nothing and mows down one enemy after another. At least that’s how we knew it from previous PlatinumGames hack-and-slash games. But this Japanese studio decided to go in a slightly different direction this time, and a few months after the release of the full-fledged third part, a spin-off comes out that differs in almost everything. But okay.

• Platform: Nintendo Switch
• Publication date: 03/17/2023
• Developer: PlatinumGames
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Genre: adventure game
• Czech localization: No
• Multiplayer: No
• Data to download: 3 GB
• Game time: approximately 15 hours
• Price: €59.99 (Nintendo Store)

Everything is different

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is, as the title suggests, a prequel. Say goodbye to the fearless adult Bayonetta, because in this game you will play as the fragile girl Cereza, who longs to see her imprisoned mother again. She herself lives in exile with the sorceress Morgana, who is teaching her the very basics of magic. And although Cereza is still almost unable to do anything, one day she decides to go to the forbidden forest, where she is called by a strange dream that she always has. Maybe that’s where he’ll figure out how to meet his mother. It quickly becomes clear why the forest is forbidden, because it is controlled by dark fairies who lure Cereza into it. But she does her best to summon a demon that accidentally got into her soft toy. When I mention the name Cheshire now, I’m sure the fans won’t be alien to him.

What you will notice at first glance is a very unique visual aspect. While the main parts of Bayonetta try to create relatively realistic graphics (which I think didn’t work out very well, especially in the trio due to the performance of the Switch), here you can expect more fabulous styling that definitely fits in with the rest of the game. I must say that this style may not suit everyone, but I quickly fell in love with it. The only pity is that sometimes aliasing or too low resolution spoils. Yet another sign that the Nintendo Switch console is nearing its end of life.

However, the prequel differs from the rest of the parts not only graphically, but also in terms of gameplay. The classic 3rd person camera has been replaced with a more distant near-top view, although it’s not strictly a top-down camera. What’s more, you have no control over the view at all, and it doesn’t make any sense. Why do you ask? It’s pretty easy since you control two characters at the same time. Chief among them is, of course, Ceresa herself, who can cast a very simple spell to stun an enemy. Cheshire, controlled by the second Joy-Con, will be your main offensive force in this game.

Pleasant adventure

While not primarily an action game, the combat options are quite rich. At first, the newly minted demon can only perform a basic attack, but later parry, dodge and especially strong elemental attacks are added, which are practically necessary to defeat some enemies. However, they gradually drain energy, which Cheshire can only replenish by transforming back into a stuffed animal that Cereza can comfortably carry around. And stretching is a pretty efficient way to collect various items.

After all, this is also an important part. In the forest, you will not only find various ingredients for creating potions, as you know from other parts, but also a special “currency” to improve the abilities of the two main characters. Walking through the woods is definitely more of a part of the gameplay than the combat itself, and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. The game gives you quite a bit of freedom in how you approach your playthrough. Do you want to just continue the main story and not do other things? No problem, the path is marked and you can follow it. But if you want to explore different corners, the game will completely satisfy you, because the whole forest is open and you can move freely through it. I mean almost.

The developers have added light metroidvania elements to the game. The unlocked elements are not only related to powerful attacks, but also to the abilities that Cheshire needs to overcome certain obstacles. In this way, you gradually discover more and more new paths in the places you have already visited, which, of course, means a relatively high probability of returning. But again, this is largely optional, unless the story takes you to an older location.

Walking through the forest, you solve various environmental puzzles, where you often have to combine the abilities of Ceres and her plush demon. Unfortunately, it is sometimes spoiled by a somewhat clunky camera (sometimes you just don’t see as much as you need to) and somewhat demanding controls. Controlling the direction of two characters at the same time is really difficult, but I don’t think that the control is solved frankly badly, the player just needs to learn how to handle it. And most importantly, even these problems will not spoil the pleasure of the game.

What I consider one of the biggest problems is the low frame rate. If I have proper vision, then the game only runs at 30 fps, which is definitely not ideal. Due to the fact that you are not in control of the camera, this is not as noticeable in the smoothness of the image, but the increased input lag is definitely noticeable, especially in intense fights, including boss battles. They are absolutely phenomenal in terms of design and I really like them. But they can be somewhat disappointing due to the frame rate.

thorny road

Enough about the gameplay, the story is a very important part of this game. And this despite the fact that you will not find too many classic cutscenes in it, because the developers have gone a little further in fabulous styling and the whole story takes place on the surface of a book, the pages of which are gradually turned. In addition to the excellent performance of Cereza, you will often hear the voice of the narrator, with the dubbing of which they also did a very good job.

The story has several levels. First of all, we follow the development of Ceresa herself, who gradually turns from a frightened girl into a confident witch. At the same time, her connection with Cheshire, which is indeed very variable, plays a significant role here. It is clear from the start that it will take them some time to find their way back to each other. After all, Ceres is told several times that the demon is just a tool for the fight. But he quickly realizes that this is not the case.

I have to say that the quality of the story surprised me. There’s no shortage of pleasantly quiet moments here, but there are also some very tense emotional situations or explicit plot twists. Plus, everything is accompanied by an absolutely fantastic soundtrack, which, perhaps, is even better than in the main works of this series, until I slowly wanted to believe it. I really didn’t expect to have such an intense experience in some places with this game.

Bayonetta Origins surprised me in many ways. Of course, there are certain shortcomings, mostly of a technical nature, and some of them are also associated with outdated equipment. However, this initially imperceptible adventure made a very strong impression on me. I must emphasize that this game is not for everyone for many reasons. But nothing is easier than trying the free demo. If it suits you, then I definitely recommend the game. There are many more surprises waiting for you, for which you definitely don’t want to be ready.