This is for better and for worse, as the map itself looks to be deliberately drawn in an obtuse, slightly confusing way (more so if we talk about its otherwise decent verticality), to make you personally explore every nook of the natural, organic environment in search for secrets, treasures, and upgrades. The Avalon forest itself gives a good sense of disorientation as you feel more lost and haunted the deeper you explore. And speaking of twists, the interpretation of faeries I've found here is one of the most fascinating and twisted I've ever seen. That being said, it does hold a couple of nice twists up its sleeve, and I enjoyed the differences and the clash of prides between Cereza and Cheshire. I won't spoil a single thing about the events here, but I will say that it actually works as an origins story to build the witch's character we all know and love, even if it naturally opts for a more straightforward narrative compared to the trilogy's interweaving plot lines and time-bending scripts.
#Bayonetta origins cereza and the lost demon release date series
In other words, and to be totally clear, many could write this off as your average indie metroidvania and nothing really special within PlatinumGames' property, but as I kept turning pages, and even more so after closing the book, I felt like this could sit comfortably next to Ori and the Blind Forest and the likes, as it's lovely and even memorable at times, even if it doesn't manage to excel within its new genre.Īs you might have guessed with the references to Avalon and Morgana, Cereza's tale adds a few twists to the Arthurian mythos, same as the main series does with the never-ending battle between angels and demons, divinities, Creators, and so forth. But, thankfully, once you feel in complete control of the different mechanics, as more abilities and new challenges are introduced, the gameplay loop becomes something not just enjoyable, but also quite unique compared to other efforts in the genre.
With the main series' complex combat excessiveness and heavy reliance on blockbuster-like cutscenes clearly gone, the switch to a more calmed, exploration-based metroidvania experience had to work flawlessly to convince in the long run, and it really takes its time in the first 4-5 hours to get there, as beautifully-narrated the pages of this tale might be. First you have its weird, almost gimmicky twin-stick controls, with left stick and shoulder buttons mapped to Cereza, and their right equivalents to the demon, Cheshire (an acquaintance of those who recently played Bayonetta 3), the witch apprentice's very first summon at the age of 10, as she learns the Umbra ways under the strict supervision of Morgana in the Avalon forest. The fact that Cereza and the Lost Demon is so deviated from the original Bayonetta trilogy is actually something that we should celebrate, as it's the kind of risk-taking we should be asking for from these derived works: something that gives fans a completely new perspective to the IP while staying true to some of its core essentials.Īnd even if, as I had to admit a couple of weeks ago, this tale started off so slow that it almost put me to sleep, now I happily accept that I've really enjoyed most of the adventure, as I ended up as engaged with its systems and gameplay progression as I was already with its watercolour art style.īecause, let's be honest, from the outside, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon might look like a cheaper, simpler approach to the triple-A hack 'n slash series in the worst way. One has to give PlatinumGames credit for having what it takes to create a prequel/spin-off by removing the source material's staples in such a radical way.
0 kommentar(er)
