GC 2008: Bayonetta Updated Impressions

The vixenish witch was here at Leipzig, and Sega had a brand new stage to show us. Check out our impressions of the new level, as well as some extra weapons she was packing.

After being announced earlier this year at an event in central London and on show at the 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit, Bayonetta was here at the Leipzig Games Convention 2008. The supernatural action game is being produced by Platinumgames' Yusuke Hashimoto, and he kicked off our presentation with a level of the game that we'd seen previously at E3. In the level, Bayonetta enters a garden area and subsequently has to face off against a number of angels before fighting her way through to a huge boss in the form of a gigantic, hideous-looking angel.

In a reverse on Devil May Cry, the titular character Bayonetta is a good witch who'll have to fight through scores of evil angels in her as-yet-unrevealed mission. In addition to carrying guns in her hands and strapped to her ankles, she'll have some rather impressive supernatural skills. It turns out that her hair can summon a giant fist punches, stiletto heel kicks, or even a huge dragon to slay her enemies. While fighting, you'll fill up a power meter shown onscreen. If you manage to fill it without being injured, you can also summon some nasty and amusing torture devices, such as an iron maiden or a guillotine.

In addition to arming herself with pistols, Bayonetta can equip other weapons, such as twin katana blades and shotguns. Hashimoto-san said the team was planning some more weapons that "you could hardly imagine," so expect to see more announced later on. We were given a quick demonstration of the swords, hacking and slashing through a score of opponents with ease. You'll be able to pull off some impressive combos with Bayonetta's weapons, and the katanas were no different. If your current weapon isn't cutting it, however, you can quick change to a different set midfight without having to jump out of the action. Hashimoto-san used the katana blades to dish out some damage to the midlevel boss we saw at E3, and as it takes damage, its body will show signs of injury. This damage includes exposed flesh on its neck and arms, as well as a gush of saliva dripping from its mouth.

We were then shown a brand new level, referred to as The Climax by Sega. While Sega wouldn't let on where in the game's story the level takes place, it did hint that it might be part of a flashback later in the game. The level begins with a prerendered cutscene with Bayonetta and an unnamed female accomplice--possibly another witch--on the edge of a cliff. Bathed in the full moonlight, Bayonetta jumps from the cliff onto what looks like part of a medieval church that's hurtling towards Earth. On the broken-off section of the church, she runs into more angels, which she engages in combat. Behind them, pieces of the destroyed church can be seen falling from the sky, as well as dozens of other angels flying around. After fighting for a few moments, the church smashes into the side of a cliff. Then, Bayonetta jumps back onto the spiraling platform and continues fighting.

A giant serpent could also be seen snaking around behind the action, although it didn't attack Bayonetta. After defeating all of the angels, Hashimoto-san jumped across from one piece of the descending church to another and came face to face with a beheaded cherub. The boss had a number of snakeheads coming out of its neck and a pair of wings behind it. Almost immediately, it tried to crush Bayonetta with its immense weight and then spewed a sizeable ball of fire at her, at which point our demonstration ended. Before we left the presentation, we spotted a few of the names of other stages in the game, including The Angel’s Metropolis, A Strange Place Called Vigrid, Purgatario, and The Lost Holy Grounds.

Bayonetta will be released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (including support for trophies). The game has yet to receive a firm release date so check back later when we have more on this promising action-packed game.

60 Comments

  • brennan7777

    Posted Apr 23, 2009 10:14 pm PT

    is it in 3rd or 1st person?

  • gedo

    Posted Mar 22, 2009 9:03 pm PT

    I don't like the character design too much. And I don't believe they'll change it. Bayonetta looks nice but the glasses are weird considering the situation. Doesn't she have a spell for eye correction?

  • remark666

    Posted Feb 7, 2009 4:20 am PT

    looks good, hope it lives up to the trailer

  • Drakorath

    Posted Jan 30, 2009 4:09 pm PT

    WOW!!!.... This game looks tight and im enjoying every minute i read about it. I'm looking forward in playing this since it reminds me of DMC series which i'm a big fan of. It is something new in my eyes even though the main character you play as is a female but the abilities she comes with are amazing. Trailer to this game is awesome!!!!!

  • Crusader-Z

    Posted Jan 24, 2009 12:18 pm PT

    LOL. They're making Madworld too... Is this gonna be a gory game???

  • BrunoAvellar

    Posted Jan 19, 2009 5:01 pm PT

    I'm eager to see how this game is gonna shape up. I think action games need something new, and it's seems Bayonetta is quite able to deliver.

    Besides, I gotta say one would hardly refuse playing such a smexy game, and Sega devs seem to have this in mind: good for us!

  • Lambat_Sari

    Posted Jan 13, 2009 3:05 pm PT

    look like angry elementary theacher

  • DinsFire03

    Posted Dec 31, 2008 8:01 pm PT

    #1 game of 2009 is Bayonetta! The 3D Action genre needs a step forward REALLY bad, and Bayonetta looks to deliver in spades!

  • Crusader-Z

    Posted Dec 2, 2008 4:06 pm PT

    only on the PS3 right?

  • Unseelie_Sluagh

    Posted Nov 19, 2008 3:50 pm PT

    I downloaded and watched the trailer from the PSN a few weeks ago. So far it looks great. I'm a big fan of Devil May Cry and DMC-type of games and this looks right up there with it.

  • maverick_76

    Posted Nov 17, 2008 3:55 pm PT

    This could be good, but I was never a fan of Devil May Cry.

  • papgoldchild

    Posted Nov 11, 2008 1:37 pm PT

    a female dante, now thats what im talking about

  • TimDigit

    Posted Oct 22, 2008 6:21 pm PT

    hi heel guns??? "come on...you wanna touch me???" complete rubbish!!!!!!!!

  • GIF

    Posted Oct 12, 2008 3:44 pm PT

    Whats up with the screenshot of Bayonetta doing a super-move (I'm assuming here)where shes all naked? I'm not complaining, just asking? Is this going to be a mature action title? Either way I am digging the character designs and overall beautiful art direction.

  • muppen

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 12:25 am PT

    I just saw a bit of gameplay over on Gametrailers and I have to say that this looks awesome. Being a big fan om DMC I will definitely pick this up

  • Shadow_Fire41

    Posted Oct 7, 2008 3:44 pm PT

    me to AzelKosMos, i do to.

  • AzelKosMos

    Posted Oct 5, 2008 9:07 am PT

    This game sounds amazing, i really want to see some video footage though.

  • mingfu

    Posted Sep 14, 2008 2:59 pm PT

    sounds good

  • slayersdeath200

    Posted Sep 14, 2008 1:13 pm PT

    seems to me it is going to be a mix of bullet witch and devil may cry could be good could be a waste of everyones time need a gameplay video to see if it is worth a purchase

  • ALTAIR360

    Posted Sep 1, 2008 2:02 pm PT

    dunno what to expect from this, i really hate the girl.

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