Many games represent important steps forward in their respective genres, but few are aging gracefully in a rapidly evolving industry such as videogames.
There are titles, however, so incredible from the point of view of the gameplay to be still unsurpassed in some respects, absolute pearls that even after twenty years cause moments of unconscious enjoyment even in the most intact and imperturbable of individuals.
Bayonetta is exactly a thing like this: total masterpiece of the “stylish” action, son of the roaring man that the genre has practically invented with the first Devil May Cry (Hideki Kamiya) and amazing evolution of that gameplay, is a title that deserves well more successful than the one actually achieved, despite a “cult game” status achieved over the years and a fair amount of copies sold.
Here, after several years, this sparkling gem has also arrived in the homes of computer owners, thanks to a PC port announced with great pomp by SEGA on which – because of past experiences not very pleasant with the port of Platinum Games products – c ‘ it was far more than a few worrying doubts.
Yet, destroying his expectations as usual, the most iconic witch in the videogame world has arrived on Steam without forcing fans to plug their noses and wait for the inevitable corrective patches. Yes, you understood correctly: Bayonetta on PC row that is a marvel, and today we are going to explain to you in detail why you should do it yours as soon as possible.
Bayonetta has arrived on computers, with all the class that distinguishes it: our review!
HEEL. PUNTA. COMBO.
Before going into the technique is the case to remember why Bayonetta remains, after all this time, still a bulwark among action games, approached only by a few masterpieces (such as the last Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden of Itagaki, for instance) and surpassed only by his following when it comes to the fineness of the mechanics and the spectacularity of the clashes.
So much goodness comes not so much from the complexity of the combinations of shots – however huge due to the possibility of equipping different weapons for the legs and arms of the protagonist, and to change between two sets in combat – but by the incredible pace that the game allows to keep while you fight, because of some brilliant mechanics.
For example, during a combination it is possible to keep the combos in “buffer” (ie in memory) if the loaded variants of the attacks are used; this allows to all effects to start a combination, to perform a certain maneuver loaded, to dodge and to continue it after the movement keeping unchanged its action plan even while the enemies attack the protagonist.
Once mastered the thing everything turns into a magnificent ballet, where the precision must be absolute and the reflections well filed, because as in all Kamiya games in Bayonetta are obtained medals varying according to the score, and just a tap of the enemies to send to that country the effort made up to that moment.
Consider then that to this exceptional base – which gives a not indifferent replayability to the title – are added accessories to customize the style of combat, extra damn stage moves, shots with bullets from the distance to keep certain types of enemies at bay, and a variety of manual adversaries, and you’ll soon realize why Kamiya and Platinum have made a name for themselves among longtime videogame fans.
It matters little then if the narrative of the game is excessive almost to the grotesque, caciarona and forgettable: Bayonetta is pure gameplay in its highest form. If you’ve been gambling for a long time, you’ll get a tear of emotion at every level.
