Bayonetta Remaster Review
Bayonetta Remaster
Publisher: SEGA
Developer: PlatinumGames
Genre:
PEGI:
Comments:
Bayonetta, one of the most iconic action-adventure games from the previous generation era, has been remastered and released on the Xbox One and PS4. As mentioned previously, you don’t see too many successful action-adventure games being released these days, with even some of the biggest franchises experiencing a slump in sales. With this in mind, it would be fair to say that a Bayonetta re-release would have a difficult time finding too much traction in a world already saturated with action adventure games. Will the success and nostalgia of the original game be enough to carry the remaster? Let’s take a look!
First of all, let’s address the biggest elephant in the room – the visuals. While certainly overhauled, it looks like the textures were updated 5 years ago and the game was just released now. Frankly, the graphics are already dated on launch day. Not a great start for a remastered game, which is inherently meant to bring a title into the current gen console market.
While the story (and some of the cut scenes and action sequences) may not be exactly PG, it is witty and cohesive enough to provide a solid level of entertainment – but that will not be news to anyone who enjoyed the original title.
The actual gameplay is smooth and enjoyable, with combos feeling very intuitive and linked together well. This is hands down Bayonetta’s greatest strength. The button-mashing, combo-stomping, fast-paced action. Even if the graphics are not exactly current, they are still satisfactory enough to not distract from the wonders of this game’s fighting gameplay.
What does detract from the game at times are the incessant camera angle issues that have plagued third-person games since the beginning of time. Sadly, Bayonetta is not the exception to this rule.
The best solution to this problem I have seen is a combination of freedom for the player to move the camera angle at will and allowing the camera to go through walls and other surfaces by making them transparent. It would have been a very nice addition to the remastered edition to have fixed all of the camera issues of the previous generation.
Luckily, these issues are, in the end, of little importance when sitting down to enjoy the game itself. The engaging plot combined with the ever-exciting action sequences and a gameplay length well exceeding today’s average (~15-20hrs), there is certainly enough of an overhaul to bring old fans back to the game, and even catch the eye of some people who may have missed Bayonetta the first time around.
Unfortunately, I see little in the game to create a sensation among new gamers or those in their teens, as modern graphics and gameplay styles trend in higher importance the younger a gamer is, as well as the less time they have been playing games. If SEGA and PlatinumGames want to cast a much larger net around the gaming community with remastered titles, they will need to give their visual overhauls a bit of a boost.
In the end, Bayonetta is still a fantastic game that is very playable on current-gen consoles with this remaster. If you have ever thought about giving it a try, or want to re-live its glory days, now is the time to do so!
Bayonetta can be purchased in a 10th anniversary bundle with Vanquish on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Bayonetta-Vanquish-10th-Anniversary-Bundle-PlayStation/dp/B082JT6KDG