Bayonetta

Bayonetta is a three-dimensional action game with a third-person view. The battle system is similar to the previous game directed by Hideki Kamiya Devil May Cry ^[8] . The player controls the witch Bayonetta and, using close-range and long-range attacks, complex combos , and many types of weapons, fights against enemy angels. Among the special attacks, there are unique Torture Attacks: to destroy opponents, the player uses instruments of torture, such as a guillotine or an iron maiden ^[9] . Also in the arsenal of the main character is the “Witch Time” feature, which activates when the player makes a timely evasion of the attack. It slows down time and opponents, giving Bayonetta the opportunity to deliver powerful blows to opponents ^[10] .

The player can perform a double jump, various acrobatic evasions and destroy objects and doors. The camera can rotate, you can aim at the enemy, and weapons can be switched during the game ^[11] . In the course of the plot, the player can turn Bayonet into a panther or other living creature to increase her abilities ^[12] . Lollipops can be used to treat the main character, replenish her magic or increase her strength, although the use of these elements, like the death of a character, lowers the rating of the chapter completed ^[13] . Finding the various components, the player can combine them into new items. Defeated angels and objects, upon destruction, will leave nimbuses that resemble rings from the Sonic the Hedgehog series of games; the player can collect halo to buy items, new equipment and weapons upgrades ^[11] . The player can also use enemy weapons. Bayonetta’s strongest attacks transform her clothes into giant shoes, fists or monsters that attack opponents. At the beginning of the game, Bayonetta has four firearms, two in her arms, two on her legs. By finding gold plates made up of several pieces, players can earn new weapons, such as shotguns, katana and whips, which can be used in various combinations, and be updated at Rodin’s store.

The game consists of various chapters, each of which in turn consists of several parts. Depending on how well the player is playing, at the end of each part he receives a medal: stone, bronze, silver, gold, platinum or pure platinum, like the Viewtiful Joe rating system. There are some medals that are earned during the course of a level, such as in special areas with established tasks. At the end of the chapter, the final rating and reward is given depending on the type of medals received, taking into account the items used and the number of dips in this chapter. Between the chapters there is the Angel Attack mini-game in which the player uses the Arcade Bullets found in the main levels to shoot angels and earn points. These points and points earned for collecting halo can be spent on items.

The game includes five difficulty levels. The “Very Easy Automatic” mode is available at the two easiest levels, in which you can play with one hand: the game has Bayonetta to perform an attack on opponents, and you only need to press one button if the player does not want to perform any movement or attack. Kamiya, who first added this mode to Devil May Cry , posted a video on the game’s official website in which character designer Marie Shimazaki demonstrated the mode (which Kamiya jokingly calls “Mummy Mode”) ^{[14] [15]} . He expects players to be able to complete the game in 10-12 hours, but believes that the rating system (like the system in Viewtiful Joe ) and the desire for high positions in it will make them beat the game several times ^[8] . You cannot change the control configuration in the game. Kamiya said: “It seems to us that there is no need to change it” ^[15] .

Background

500 years before the awakening of Bayonet, there were two factions that maintained a balance between darkness and light in the world: the Witches of Shadow ( Umbra Witches ), who are the followers of darkness and their counterparts, the Shining Wise Men ( Lumen Sages ), who were supporters of light. The factions shared two treasures: the Eyes of the World (separately called the “left eye” (darkness) and the “right eye” (light)), which they used to observe the passage of time. Both factions mysteriously disappeared from Wigrid under unknown circumstances.

History

The game takes place in the fictional European city of Wigrid. The protagonist of the game is the witch Bayonet, who, along the way, fights with the Paradiso angels with the help of pistols and magic. She wakes up after a 500-year-old dream near Eggman’s tombstone and finds herself in an unfamiliar area, not remembering who or what she is . Over time, she begins to recall what caused her current predicament. Bayonetta also has a large jewelry that contains a small red gem, and believes that this gem is the "Left Eye of the World."

Currently, Enzo informant has joined Bayonet, a witch who was awakened twenty years ago, from the bottom of the lake and does not remember anything about his past life. With half the Eye of the World, Bayonetta comes to Wigrid when Enzo tells her of the rumors that there is another half. In the process, she has to fight back from the angels who attacked her and Enzo in the cemetery

Then Bionetta meets another Shadow Witch named Jeanne, who is on the side of the angels, and even later a young journalist named Luke; the former seems to have ties to Bayonett’s past, while the latter accuses Bayonetta of his father’s death. In the end, having walked part of the path in search of answers, Bayonetta defeats one of the Audio (Angels above the first sphere, but lower than Dea (Goddess); the Main Virtues option is also allowed) - Courage, which looks like a two-headed dragon.

Making his way through the Crescent and Sunrise Valleys, Bayonetta catches Jeanne, who is talking to Moderation, the second from Audio; after defeating Jeanne, she meets a lost little girl named Ceresa. To Bayonetta’s disappointment, Ceresa thinks she is her mother and follows her; after they return to the world of people, Bionetta leaves Ceresa, leaving her with Luke to enter into a confrontation with Moderation, during which the latter defeats. Continuing his search for the Right Eye, Bayonetta follows Luke and Ceresa down the Promenade bridge in an attempt to reach an island known as the Island of the Sun; it is attacked by Justice, the third Audio, but even here the Witch of Shadow defeats the Audio.

Having reunited again, the trio decides to get to the Island of the Sun by plane. On board, Bayonetta fights with Jeanne, and then sees Wisdom, the last of four Audio. Wisdom attacks and knocks down a plane, but Bayonetta defeats a high-ranking angel. Then three go to the Island of the Sun by helicopter, and then by rocket, due to the helicopter being shot down. When they reach the island, Bayonetta again meets with Jeanne, who explains that Bayonetta is a child born of the marriage of the Witch of the Shadow and the Shining Priest, which was forbidden, and this led to the fact that Bayonetta was ostracized . Bayonetta again overcomes Jeanne, who reveals the reason why Bayonetta has the Left Eye, because she accepted her fate. Jeanne hands Bayonet the gem she wore, making her remember that she is Cereza, and that Jeanne was once her friend; it was Jeanne who sealed her, giving Bayonet a gem to protect her and the Left Eye. After Jeanne sacrifices herself to save Bayonet, the latter goes to the Tower of Truth with Luke and Ceresa.

Reaching the top of the tower, Bayonetta finally meets Father Balder, the last of the Shining Priests and, in fact, Mayor of Wigrid. Balder says that he is Bayonett’s father, and that he plans to reunite the three universes (light, darkness, and chaos) to create a single reality that the Paradiso angels will rule. To achieve this goal, he needs to resurrect Jubelius, the Creator Goddess, Dea (Goddess) and the highest of Paradiso's angels; however, since Bayonetta did not remember her past, Ceresa was sent to her in the future to help her remember everything. Then it turns out that Cereza is Bayonetta in childhood. This would allow Balder to use it as a “left eye”. Luke sneaks into the tower and finds out that Balder is responsible for the death of his father. The case ends with Balder dropping Luke from the top of the tower and swallowing little Cereza, and then fighting with his daughter in flight. Bayonetta ultimately, with great difficulty, manages to defeat Balder before rescuing the falling Luka and Cereza (the latter escaped from the body of the Shining Priest).

After creating a temporary portal, Bayonetta sends her young version in her time and after that again forgets everything; unharmed Balder suddenly appears and transports himself and unconscious Bayonet to a statue on top of the tower, starting the resurrection of Jubelius. When the statue launches into space, on a rocket, Jeanne reappears after she barely managed to escape the death and control of Balder. She rises to the top of the statue on her motorcycle; after he reaches Bayonet, she saves her, just so that Jubelius comes to life. Jeanne flies off the statue, leaving Bayonet to fight with the deity alone. Cereza ultimately defeats Jubelius, and in the end calls Queen Sheba - a dark analogue of Jubelius, not without the help of Jeanne. Queen Sheba strikes a bright deity, forcing her to fly through the entire solar system to the sun , destroying both her and Balder. As the statue left behind Jubelius falls to Earth, the surviving Jeanne and Bayonet destroy it. After the destruction of the statue of the deity, Ceres and Jeanne find themselves in a free fall to Earth; after experiencing a descent into the atmosphere, the epilogue shows that they continue to fight with the angels of Paradiso.

The game received rave reviews from critics.

Bayonetta 2 was first introduced at the Nintendo Direct gaming presentation on September 13, 2012 . The game was released on September 20, 2014 on Wii U. A special edition including the first part of the game was also released.

• The official English-language website of the game (English)
• Official Japanese game site (jap.)
• Bayonetta in the Open Directory Project Link Directory (dmoz)
• Vitaliy Kazunov (Lockust). Bayonetta - the crying of angels (neopr.) . GameTech (December 15, 2009). - Review of the game. Date of treatment December 22, 2009. Archived April 12, 2012.