Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is an upcoming spin-off from the popular Bayonetta franchise. No high-paced and over-the-top 3D action in this one, Cereza, and the Lost Demon focuses on exploration and puzzle-solving rather than combat. It’s shaping up to be a captivating game that certainly deserves your attention. I played through the first couple of chapters and was pleasantly surprised so far.
A different world
In this game, you’ll play as young Cereza before she became Bayonetta, you’ll follow her first steps into becoming a witch. This isn’t a flashy third-person action game, right from the start this game makes it very clear that it’s something entirely different. The first chapters serve as lengthy tutorials but they also reflect the pacing of the game, which is a lot slower than you’re used to in this franchise. Cereza finds herself lost in a dangerous forest filled with deadly creatures who are willing to spill some blood. Together with her doll-possessing demon companion named Cheshire, Cereza is willing to risk it all in order to become a powerful witch. During the first minutes of the game, you are softly introduced to this fairytale adventure. The game uses an isometric viewpoint and mimics a storybook, the story of Cereza is told by the narrator and little Cereza isn’t afraid to speak her mind while playing. It’s a completely different approach and world but I loved it from the very first minute. It’s true that the pacing of the opening chapters is rather slow and there’s tons of dialogue but I didn’t really mind that at all. This cozy yet dangerous world immediately captivated me and I wanted to explore all of its secrets.
Time to explore
Exploration is key in Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon and while playing it reminded me more of The Legend of Zelda than it reminded me of Bayonetta. There are tons of little secrets, hidden chests, and mini-bosses you’ll need to defeat in order to advance. Some regions aren’t accessible at first until you learn a new technique that will literally open up new doors for you. It’s a unique combination of The Legend of Zelda and Metroid while the combat itself is as fast-paced as the Bayonetta franchise. It’s an interesting mix but it works surprisingly well. The first couple of chapters really offer a nice balance between exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat; resulting in an entertaining game where there’s always something new to discover. Although I would certainly enjoy a game like this without any extra twists, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon does come up with an incredibly unique and innovative way of playing.
In this game, you’ll control both Cereza and Cheshire simultaneously. I played this in the handheld mode where my left Joy-Con controlled the little Cereza and my right Joy-Con controlled the deadly Cheshire. Controlling them at the same offered some challenges at first but the more I played it, the more natural it became. When you’re running around simultaneously, you’ll often need to clear a path for one another in order to move forward. This unique system offers some original and clever puzzle concepts that I truly adored solving. Cheshire isn’t always roaming around freely, Cereza can transform her favorite demon into her toy at any time she wants, as a toy, Cheshire can reach certain objects with its extendable claw, using even more puzzle possibilities. The pinnacle of puzzle solving is found in the special Tír na nÓg stages.
Tír na nÓg
These special stages can best be compared to small dungeons or shrines from the Zelda franchise. I’m not going into spoiler territory here since all of these stages are unique in both the way they look and how you solve them. Some are solved by defeating all enemies while others are solved by completing some more complex puzzles. When you clear a stage, you open more of the map so you can continue your adventure. The Tír na nÓg stages truly were the highlight of my time with the game and I was always happy to be transported into a new stage. I like the fact that you never know what to expect so each and every stage takes you by surprise. Besides that, these stages are also a true test of your skills. Throughout my adventure, the game often asked me if I was okay with the way I was controlling my characters and the level of difficulty of the enemies. Since it’s not always that easy to control two characters and combat can become rather chaotic due to the dual controlling, it’s nice to see that the game has tons of options to tailor the experience for every type of gamer.
Early conclusion:
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon took me by surprise and I must say I might like it even more than the main Bayonetta games. It finds the right balance between exploration, puzzling, and combat and adds a rather unique and deep gameplay mechanic to the mix to keep things fresh. If this wasn’t on your radar already, be sure to take a look!
