Find out how Bayonetta is reinvented on Nintendo Switch with Cereza and the Lost Demon in our complete review of the game.
Long before Cereza became the most powerful Umbra Witch in the world, her teenage version fought against all odds to fulfill a dream: to be with his mother. This is the story of Cereza and the Lost Demon, a different game from Bayonetta that we have already played, and in whose analysis we tell you how the first experiment of the spin-off Bayonetta Origins has turned out.
The lion and the witch, but without a closet
Bayonetta is a video game saga known for its intense and brutal action. Therefore, many would be surprised to see its creators, Platinum Games, release a game like Cereza and the Lost Demon. In this adventure, Bayonetta is not the powerful witch we knowbut a girl named Cereza who desperately seeks to reunite with her mother, imprisoned in an inaccessible prison.
Cherry and the Lost Demon feels like an interactive story, with dialogue popping up on the screen and a skeuomorphic aesthetic reminiscent of an illustrated book. As we progress through the adventure, game mechanics are included that show that it is still a Bayonetta title (with its small doses of action), but the artistic and narrative intent of the game is evident from the start.
Players control Cherry and her demonic companion, Cheshire, as they venture into the mysterious forest of Avalon. This couple must work together to defeat the fairies as they navigate a watercolor world brought to life with soft, painterly color. Cherry is destined to become a powerful witch, but she must first learn to control your magic and face the dangers that are hidden in the forest.
Cereza and the Lost Demon is a game that seeks to explore other terrains within the Bayonetta universe. Platinum Games has created a story that plunges us into the innocence and beauty of Cereza’s youth, but still maintains some of the elements that have made the Bayonetta saga a success. This is a double-edged sword, since not all gamers who enjoyed the adventures of the witch will like Cereza and the Lost Demonalthough it is likely that everyone will be attracted to his story, somewhat slow for our taste.
One, who has good taste
There are times when artists come up with original ideas to capture universes that we already know. Kirby went on to make thread on Wii, and Yoshi investigates new textures to represent his worlds. Something similar happens with Cereza and the Lost Demon, leaving behind the realistic style that characterizes the Bayonetta saga to transform it into something new and refreshing.
This game represents itself as a book in which the pages, painted with watercolors, appear as the story is told. This visual style translates into gameplay moments in simple three-dimensional elements, with very strong shading and flat colors. Lighting effects and particles are used to add complexity to the scenes, as well as superimposed filigrees and textures imitating broken glass. This artistic concoction is magical and leaves us with a spectacular artistic and visual section, closer to that of indie games due to its simplicity and innovation, but just as impressive as if it were a blockbuster video game.
After the technical analysis of Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon there are no serious performance problems, with a target frame rate of thirty images per second. We have detected occasional drops in some battles or when the camera moves too far away and has to show too many elements on the screen. In any case, It does not pose any problem for the gameplay.
Cereza and the Lost Demon tends towards the excessive. It is in charge of impressing the player with some scenarios and moments in which the explosions of brightness and abstract shapes fill the screen, always being quite discreet with the color palette and without saturating the scenes, maintaining a sober style that we have loved. Also, since it’s a big change from the Bayonetta original, the moderation with the color serves not to totally disconnect it from the witch of umbra games.
The soundtrack sounds as magical as the game itself, with virtually all of the songs being original compositions and a departure from what we hear in the Bayonetta games. In this game, where the theme is more similar to that of a fairy tale, are used instruments such as flutes or pianos and tinkling sounds to convey the sensations we had to reach in the Forest of Avalon, very similar to the Forest Temple from the classic The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
The game is dubbed into Japanese and English with texts in Spanish, and we have been surprised that the voice actress of Cereza takes much of the inspiration from her adult version and transforms her into her perfect child or adolescent version.
Cherry and Cheshire, the perfect combo
Surely you would be surprised if we told you that this game belongs to the Bayonetta saga. Not only because of the game style, which goes from action to puzzles and adventure, but also because of the thematic change from violence and gore to fantasy and the beauty of abstract nature.
Bayonetta Origins is a title with a clear game premise: control two characters simultaneously with each of the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con. Separately, it might be an easy challenge, but handling Cherry and Cheshire at the same time is not as easy as it may seem.
The puzzles, whose difficulty increases as we progress through the adventure, are designed so that we can use the special abilities of each of the characters and get through the forest.
We could say that the game is divided into narrative moments, where the story progresses; others where you have to solve puzzles or situations that will make us rack our brains; and on the other hand, action fighting much calmer than those of the main saga.
Cherry and the Lost Demon is characterized by leaving the game world at our disposal to explore: as we get new powers, we will be able to interact with elements of the setting and thus get rewards. Saving distances, It has reminded us of the classic Metroid games in two dimensions, looking for rewards for our characters using the available powers.
Both Cherry and Cheshire can improve and learn new techniques thanks to a skill tree, whose rewards can be unlocked by collecting collectibles throughout the game world.
In addition to the main mission of getting out of Avalon Forest and returning Cheshire to the hell it came from, we’ll have a lot of alternative objectives, such as rescuing the Will-o’-the-Wisps or passing tests scattered throughout the forest called Tir na nÓgwhich mix puzzles with combat and are entertaining, although a bit repetitive.
Bayonetta Origins development is slow, but interesting. Clearly, It is not a game made for all audiencesand less if the only thing you liked about the witch was her doses of extreme action.
Surprisingly, the game has a hidden character that we have loved: is fully playable in multiplayer mode. It’s not an option as such, but we can always pass a Joy-Con to a second player and have one person control Cherry and one person control Cheshire. The difficulty is slightly reduced by not having to keep an eye on both characters at the same time, but we think the overall experience is noticeably improved.
going back to childhood
Bayonetta Origins: Cherry and the Lost Demon an outstanding experiment that uses the protagonist of the Bayonetta saga as a base, but that has little to do with its original game.
Es a relaxing and peaceful experience, which fans of puzzles, narrative and exploration will love. It also tries to cover the world of action with combat where controlling the two characters can be chaos, but it is refreshing and original.
The story has moments when it can be too slowsomething that is alleviated with a great interpretation of the characters by the voice actors.
It is not shown as a multiplayer game because the challenge and fun of Cereza and the Lost Demon is to control two characters at the same time, but we have enjoyed the experience more with two players, each with a Joy-Con and reminding us of relaxing puzzle games like Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, also available on Nintendo Switch.
Bayonetta is much more than unbridled action and she has more than demonstrated it in Cereza and the Lost Demon.
If you liked the analysis of the new Bayonetta, Cereza and the Lost Demon, do not forget to go through the complete top of the console in The List. We remind you that a demo version of the game is available on the console’s eShop with the first two chapters of the game.
