We're three games into PlatinumGames' acclaimed action series, Bayonetta, so any franchise would find it pretty difficult to reinvent itself let alone tell an origins story that sets itself apart from the rest. Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon manages to accomplish just that, breaking the series formula by grounding the character in a whimsical, fairy tale-esque adventure that's equal parts charming and creative.

As you probably already guessed, Bayonetta Origins is an origins story of the titular witch but set in her innocent childhood. Before we had the gun-blazing fast witch we all know and love, we simply had the young Cereza and her magical transforming plush cat, Cheshire. Without going into too much detail about the narrative, Cereza finds herself lost in a strange forest with Cheshire and must navigate the world while solving puzzles, platforming and battling foes.




The art direction of Bayonetta Origins is sublime but something completely detached from the Bayonetta trilogy. Instead of the over-the-top style of the previous games, Bayonetta Origins unravels its story like you're reading a fairy tale book. This might be jarring for veterans of the series but it actually serves as a great entry point for newcomers. The initial hours are a bit confusing but you eventually give into the narrative style's charming, high-quality presentation and creative storytelling methods.

Bayonetta Origins unravels its story like you're reading a fairy tale book.

Bayonetta Origins allows you to control both Cereza and Cheshire simultaneously by splitting their actions to the left and right joy-cons on the Nintendo Switch. This admittedly took me a while to get adjusted to and still found myself frequently controlling and performing actions for Cereza when I meant to control Cheshire and vice versa. How this pair synergizes in combat and exploration is what gives the gameplay a fresh spin and unique identity.



While out exploring the forest and its various trippy regions, Cereza must solve puzzles through exploring the environment and navigating platforms. This often requires the help of Cheshire who can transform from his large, lively form to a toy that can then be thrown by Cereza up to high ledges or through gaps before transforming again. Platforming isn't very challenging, sadly, with most puzzles often having obvious solutions to them which is a bit disappointing.

Combat presents a farer challenge in Bayonetta Origins but it's also not too imposing. Cheshire does the brunt of the combat, dishing out melee and AoE attacks while Cereza hangs back and provides aid. She can trap enemies in vines for Cheshire to sweep in and deliver flurries of swipe attacks or stun others as a defensive counter. Cheshire can't die but he can run out of magic, requiring Cereza to hug him in his toy form and replenish his bar. PlatinumGames took a bold risk by limiting Cereza to what is essentially a support, especially knowing her combat capabilities in the mainline games, but it was a smart decision given the timeline and her initial inexperience.



In between the action, you're often thrown into a small rhythm mini-game requiring Cereza to perform a dance number in order to weaken enemies, then counter-attack them with appropriate elemental weaknesses as Cheshire. It all works remarkably well together and that's where the single-button combat shines the brightest. It never becomes too complicated with its simple controls which makes Bayonetta Origins very easy to pick up and enjoy - a far less taxing and more relaxing experience than the other games.

PlatinumGames took a bold risk by limiting Cereza to what is essentially a support, especially knowing her combat capabilities in the mainline games.

My main gripes with Bayonetta Origins are few and far between but they do stack up over time. Like I said before, you can quickly get a bit disoriented with the split joy-con controls which can lead to crucial mistakes being made, especially during platforming where timing is key. I actually found handing the second controller to another player worked out better for these brief moments of coordination, but as a solo player, you might be at a slight disadvantage if you can't trick your brain into splitting itself between characters. Thankfully the learning curve isn't steep and that's offset by a more forgiving difficulty.



The story in Bayonetta Origins didn't really grab me until the second half of the game. Until then, it's a very light-hearted spin on the franchise's characters and fairy tale tropes that don't always click together with the rest of the games. The plot does gradually evolve into something much darker and familiar tonally, though you might be lost and detached from the experience until that turning point.

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is a charming detour from the tone and style of the fast-paced action of the other games, exchanging over-the-top combat and its sleek direction for a more grounded and endearingly gorgeous presentation straight out of a fairy tale. It's a welcomed change of pace for the Bayonetta series that not every fan will find as fulfilling as the main games, but as a smaller project bursting with heart and creativity, Bayonetta Origins is a fun, charming diversion.



*Nintendo Switch Review code provided by Nintendo