Discover with us the first adventure of the famous witch of Umbra, in this review of Bayonetta Origins: Cereza And The Lost Demon
After a relatively short wait (about four months after the official announcement, which took place during The Game Awards ceremony in December 2022), the long-awaited prequel to the famous action series starring the lethal witch of Umbra has finally landed on Nintendo Switch. Only about a month ago we told you about our first impressions of the title in a special dedicated article, but now the time has finally come for our review of Bayonetta Origins: Cereza And The Lost Demon.
The Maiden and the Monster
For those of you who still don’t know what Bayonetta Origins: Cereza And The Lost Demon is all about, let’s start our review with some plot hints. In the game we will once again take on the role of the well-known witch of Umbra, but before the latter has become the powerful heroine that all fans know well. In fact, here our protagonist will be little more than a girl, and as such, she will not have the powers nor the determination that characterize her adult version of her. Despite the normal fears and uncertainties that distinguish her, the young apprentice witch will still be able to find the courage to venture (against the wishes of her teacher Morgana) into the forest of Avalon, inhabited by evil fairies.
It will be at this point that, finding herself in danger, our protagonist will be able to summon a demon who will take possession of Cheshire, the girl’s cat-shaped soft toy (de facto inheriting its name as well). The two will find themselves, despite themselves, working together to reveal the mysteries that lie in the depths of the forest, also looking for a way to escape the spell that keeps them trapped inside. These are broadly the premises of the plot on which the new work of Platinum Games is based, and we prefer not to reveal anything more to you as the story is really pleasant, thanks to a fairytale and relaxed atmosphere and style, which aim to recreate the sensation of reading a book of illustrated fairy tales, but without ever falling into banality or childishness.
An unlikely alliance – Review Bayonetta Origins Cereza And The Lost Demon
As anticipated in the previous paragraph of this review, in Bayonetta Origins Cereza And The Lost Demon our little apprentice witch will not be alone in her adventure, but will be accompanied by the Cheshire demon. This in terms of gameplay translates into a rather peculiar control system, which basically allows you to control both characters at the same time. Specifically, the left joy-con will allow you to move and perform actions with our young witch, while the right one will do the same thing with Cheshire. As we also said in our aforementioned preview, this system could initially create a bit of confusion, especially during fights, where it is not always easy to manage the positioning of the two characters to deal with incoming attacks.
However, this is not a real problem, but on the contrary we feel like saying that it can be considered part of the challenge offered by the experience, also because the difficulty of the adventure is decidedly calibrated downwards (and it is even possible to simplify individually various aspects of the game, such as the damage suffered, the aggressiveness of the enemies, and so on), consequently leaving ample room for the player to learn the game mechanics. It goes without saying that when you manage to land combined attacks, the game definitely knows how to give satisfaction. On the other hand, when the need for the two characters to collaborate fails (for example in the exploratory phases) it will be possible to use the hug mode, which allows Cheshire to return in plush form in the arms of its owner (which will also happen when we suffer a certain amount of damage).
Although the title is designed to be played alone, in reality thanks to the above control system it is also possible to enjoy a large part of the adventure together with another player, using the joy-cons separately (as it is easy to guess, if you play on Switch Lite or with a pro controller this is much less feasible). Beyond some particular actions, such as navigating the game menus, there are no major impediments in case you want to try to tackle the adventure in this way, but it must be taken into account that this will contribute to further lowering the degree of challenge offered , as well as risk offering an experience different from the original one.
Fairy Enigmas – Review Bayonetta Origins Cereza And The Lost Demon
We said it in the preview and we reconfirm it in this review: the gameplay of Bayonetta Origins Cereza And The Lost Demon is based on fights, but also a lot on puzzle solving. In this context the Tír Na NÓg should be mentioned in particular. These are a sort of areas that partially recall the shrines of The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, and in which we will be able to enter to solve various puzzles and face fights contained in them. Even if some of them are optional, tackling them is always recommended, as once completed they will allow you to eliminate the fairy illusions that prevent you from exploring some areas in peace.
Although even at this juncture the title does not offer an insurmountable challenge (if you have a minimum of experience with puzzle solving in video games you will not encounter any difficulties), it must be said that the developers have nevertheless shown great commitment and dedication. None of the puzzles ever falls into the banal or the obvious, and although some of them are undoubtedly more complex and successful than others, in general they are all quite pleasant and fun to solve.
An enchanted forest – Review Bayonetta Origins Cereza And The Lost Demon
In Bayonetta Origins Cereza And The Lost Demon we will find ourselves exploring the forest of Avalon, already mentioned earlier in this review. Also in this juncture the title deviates from the original trilogy, as the setting will be structured in a similar way to what was seen in the metroidvania genre. We will be able to unlock and explore the various areas as we progress in the adventure, but if necessary we will be able to decide to return to one of those we have already visited, perhaps using a new power to unlock some previously inaccessible ravines.
Although the forest is rather labyrinthine at times, it must be said that the progression is practically never confusing, both because the exploration of new areas is almost always managed in such a way as to leave no doubts about which path to take, and because the game will tend sometimes to highlight to the player the correct path to continue. In any case there is a map, which can be consulted if necessary, for example if you decide to do some backtracking.
The exploration of Avalon will be fundamental and around every corner there could be hidden, among other things, chests to open or objects to collect. The latter are useful, for example, for creating potions (but given the very permissive difficulty, an experienced player could end the game without even using them) and enhance the two protagonists. In fact, at certain camps, in addition to saving game progress, we will also be able to spend Onyx Roses and Drops of Avalon to buy new combos and powers from two classic skill trees. The complexity of the combos is not even remotely comparable to that of the main chapters of the series, however some powers are quite interesting and fun to use, adding variety to the fights.
Wonderland – Review Bayonetta Origins Cereza And The Lost Demon
We cannot close this review of Bayonetta Origins: Cereza And The Lost Demon without mentioning the artistic sector. The latter is so accurate and characteristic that it can be considered one of the pillars of the entire work (those who have played Okami cannot fail to perceive its influence), so much so that it is not uncommon to find yourself admiring glimpses of the colorful game environments, which seem to come straight out of a book of illustrated fairy tales. In some moments the art style has also managed to bring to mind the Irish animated film The Secret Of Kells (and its related sequels), and this may not be a coincidence given the influence of Celtic mythology on the title (not let us forget, however, that it was published on March 17, or St. Patrick’s Day).
The audio sector is also of remarkable workmanship. The music in particular stands out thanks to a decidedly excellent compositional quality. Some tracks have an orchestration that seems to refer directly to the classic, somewhat gothic style of Tim Burton’s films, while others do not hide the clear Irish matrix (Nintendo has also published the theme of the game on YouTube, the text of which is written in Gaelic ). Then there are delightful piano-dominated tracks and jingles that seem blatantly inspired by those typical of The Legends Of Zelda. For the rest we have a really well done voice acting, especially as regards the narrated voice that will accompany us throughout the adventure, and a surprising 3D sound design, which gives its best if you play the title with a pair of headphones .
We are all crazy here!
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza And The Lost Demon is a title that, as specified several times during this review, makes accessibility one of its cornerstones. The adventure is therefore very different from the other chapters of the saga, proposing a fairy tale, an enchanting art style and a fun and different gameplay. Of course, the lack of a greater level of challenge risks making the adventure less stimulating for the more experienced players, but if you are one of them, and you are willing to turn a blind eye to this aspect, you will find in the latest work by Platinum Games a enchanting experience, which, like the best fairy tales, is able to fascinate both young and old.
What do you think? Have you dived into this colorful fairy tale yet? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned to TechGameWorld.com for all the news dedicated to the world of video games. To buy video games at a discounted price, we advise you to take a look at the Kinguin catalogue.
An enchanting and colorful fairy tale.
Plus points
- Pleasant and distinctive gameplay…
- The difficulty calibrated downwards makes it accessible to everyone…
- Wonderful art style
- Soundtrack and first-rate audio sector
Points against
- … but controlling the two characters could be a bit confusing at times
- …but may not offer much of a challenge for more experienced players