Although I grew weary of the smaller, random encounters, the larger arena battles that throw several enemy types with different elemental vulnerabilities kept me engaged. The action evolves at a good pace without going mechanically overboard.Īdditionally, incorporating the abilities of Cheshire’s elemental transformations, such as using a grass form’s vine to yank down airborne targets and a water form that fires powerful streams, is a blast. Unlocking each character’s skill trees adds small but meaningful layers that deepen combat by adding executions, counters, evades, and longer combo strings that rely on button timing rather than combining inputs. Navigating two characters on a busy battlefield made me cross-eyed sometimes, but I like the unique strategy of dodging foes to tie them down before tearing them to shreds. Cheshire executes single-button combos, while Cereza can only bind enemies in place using magic vines. These sequences only appear once, making me excited to see what ideas the game would concoct next.Ĭombat is the centerpiece of Bayonetta, and while you won’t be executing dozen-hit combos and screen-filling special attacks, Origins’ battle system makes the most of its relative simplicity. Fun challenges and setpiece moments include having Cheshire run on hamster wheels to transport Cereza across platforms or using him to step on blocks that reveal a hidden path for her to cross gaps while pursued by a death trap. The tag-team-focused obstacles challenged my thinking, reflexes, and dexterity without ever becoming too complicated or tedious. Plus, you can recall Cheshire to the doll at will, so I mostly explored solo until I needed him. It’s unwieldy at first, but it soon becomes second nature. You control both characters simultaneously, steering Cereza with the left stick and Cheshire with the right. I enjoyed navigating the duo through the well-designed platforming and puzzle challenges. If you combined Bayonetta’s lore with the whimsy and heart of a Winnie the Pooh story, you’re not far off from what Cereza and the Lost Demon offers. I especially loved the narrator her warm delivery and smile-inducing impression of the gruff Cheshire rekindled the long-forgotten joy of being read a fun bedtime story. The plot takes some unexpected yet well-earned turns, and the performances – Cereza’s in particular – are wonderful. ![]() I loved watching Cereza and Cheshire’s relationship blossom over the course of the adventure as the insecure witch tries to prove her worth to the skeptical monster. It’s heartwarming, humorous, coherent (especially welcomed coming off the last game), and it has the emotional depth to provide substance to its eye candy. ![]() Thus, the reluctant partners are stuck together and must cooperate to survive the forest.īayonetta Origins’ story is my favorite of the entire franchise. ![]() However, she doesn’t yet know how to return him to the hellish realm of Inferno. Cereza can only manage to summon one demon, Cheshire, for protection, whom she binds to her cat doll. ![]() She wants to gain enough strength to free her captive mother and ventures into a forbidden fairie forest to chase a tantalizing vision promising power. This top-down action-adventure game is a substantial romp that follows a 10-year-old Cereza, still training to become a full-fledged Umbra Witch. The result is an eye-catching, unexpectedly dense adventure that has more charm than it knows what to do with.ĭespite arriving only a few months after Bayonetta 3, Cereza and the Lost Demon doesn’t feel like a throwaway side project Platinum Games slapped together. This prequel to the Bayonetta series rewrites its mature-rated stylish combat within the whimsical pages of a storybook, spinning an endearing yarn of a young witch fighting to prove herself while forming an unlikely friendship. Few games in recent memory etched a permanent smile on my face the way Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon has.
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