Despite the fact that its suggestive content and refined gameplay made it Bayonetta a revolutionary title at the time of its release, the low sales of the game put it at risk of being forgotten. Fortunately for the dark witch, Nintendo invested to make her series a company exclusive that managed to consolidate into an impressive trilogy, which ended in 2022. Now, a new stage in the franchise begins with Bayonetta Origins: Cherry and the Lost Demonand we assure you that it is anything but what the fans of the series were waiting for.
WITCH TELLS TALES
Little Cherry is the daughter of a dark witch and a man of light, a forbidden relationship that has condemned her to live as an outcast, left in the care of another witch who has also been exiled from her world. When she finds out that her mother will be sentenced to a cell from which she will never be able to leave, the young witch decides to listen to the visions that appear in her dreams and goes in search of the power necessary to rescue her. her mom.
In the company of her stuffed cat, which contains a powerful demon, Cherry ventures into the forbidden forest, armed only with the power to trap enemies for her companion to eliminate. As the adventure progresses, the cat gains various elemental abilities with which you can face powerful enemies and bosses, as well as overcome obstacles in your path.
During this adventure, the fragile Cherry will grow before our eyes, preparing to be the powerful woman we met in the 2009 game that spawned one of Platinum Games’ most acclaimed series.
ACCESSIBLE SPELLS
The suggestive content and frenetic action that characterized the other Bayonetta games have been left aside in this installment, which tells us a particularly sad story in the spirit of a children’s tale. Making The Dark Witch an accessible and familiar game forced the developers to create a whole new and endearing production design, with graphics resembling watercolor drawings, highly stylized characters, and a genuinely memorable soundtrack.
The gameplay is particularly simple (but not easy), where you perform actions and direct the cat to complete them, while overcoming scenarios where sometimes solving puzzles and finding routes or hidden treasures is more important than action. The boss fights offer an interesting challenge and finding the fairies in the forest will give you access to many interesting secrets in the game ranging from special outfits to a more complete version of the ending.
Although Bayonetta Origins: Cherry and the Lost Demon not material to be a game of the year, within its proposal it becomes a memorable title that can be enjoyed by all kinds of players, making it a nice way to get to know the franchise, although its proposal is radically different from the other games in the series … although we warn you in advance that the sensual witch that everyone knows is not going to be found here.
Rating: 8.0
We fall short when saying that the change in style and gameplay that the series had is very radical but, the truth, Bayonetta Origins: Cherry and the Lost Demon it is a pleasant surprise. The game is simple and can be repetitive once you master its gameplay, but its soundtrack, beautiful art direction, and great voice acting work round out an endearing story that’s worth learning about.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is a title developed by PlatinumGames and distributed by Nintendo for Nintendo Switch. The copy used for this review was provided by Nintendo.
