It goes without saying to anyone who’s seen even the slightest bit of Bayonetta Origins: Cherry and the Lost Demon that this PlatinumGames spin-off/prequel is a far cry from what any fan of the mainline series would expect. These are rather opposite extremes: from the unbridled action from the first minute, the precise combos and the 3D spectacle that exceeds the absurd, we move on to quiet walks around the avalon dream forest featuring the impure teenage witch and her rag doll in a beautifully hand painted frame.
In fact, I must admit that it was difficult for me to pass the first hours of play without shaking my head. The beginning of Cherry’s story is very slow both narratively and playfully, which serves as a warning to those of you who are into it. Lots of reading, although the story is beautiful and knows how to capture the attention, although it would have been great if that perfect voice of the narrator spoke the language of Cervantes and not just that of his contemporary Shakespeare.
Words apart, which introduce the story of Cherry, 10 years old, separated from her mother and the witches of Umbra and welcomed by Morgane, the start of the game is reminiscent of Nintendo games before, very tutored, very slow, explaining each movement with practical examples. It’s a bit understandable, because this adventure is played largely with two sticks (twin-stick shooter style), the left for the girl with her L and ZL for the actions, and the right with her R and ZR for her first summon: Chesire, her cuddly cat possessed by an incredibly adorable demon. it’s already originaland also the actions you can perform with both, because this fantastic tale is not about swords, wands and bows, but about spells with roots (“bridles”), bites, magic flowers and others quite inventive actions.
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You’ll hear them compare the gameplay to Astral Chain from the same studio, but so far it seems to me like a cross between Zelda (especially in the puzzles and in the statue possession dungeons), to Eyes artistically (remember that Bayonetta’s father was also the father of the Clover classic) and, of course, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, when it comes to controlling two characters at the same time. We don’t do it all the time because during walks in the forest we wear the plush in “hug mode” like an extendable arm, but we do it when the path forks to work as a team, in combat (Cereza casts spells and Cheshire does damage) and in calls Land of the younga kind of Breath of the Wild sanctuaries in which to take advantage of all that has been learned to break the spell of the forest and clear the map.
After this somewhat soporific start which is likely to land more than one, with the basic movements more than mastered and the first techniques learned or purchased in the skill tree, to which is added the first Transformation of Chesire in an impressive version vegetal the devil, the truth is that a much more interesting, varied and trickster game is beginning to reveal itself. In other words, a lot more starts happening and is a lot more satisfying, either in how you explore the setting along metroidvania or because you make a spectacular combo and end it with a “Do!“from Chesire chewing a fairy (which here, of course, looks mean).
I am in chapter 5 of Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon and I started to appreciate it between 3 and 4. It is clear that it has its charm, despite the redundancy, and its rhythms and intentions are already more clear to me. Also that its caliber is an indie title (by the way, I want it much more on a laptop) and that there is therefore much more competition in this range, but it is possible that its personality, its art and his music make it a memorable adventure through the great. I’ll keep playing (and reading) the story for the next two weeks to let you know if it ends up being something magical.
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