Few games recently have etched a lasting smile on my face like Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon did. Rewriting adult-rated combat in style on the whimsical pages of a storybook, this prequel to the Bayonetta series spins an endearing yarn of a young witch struggling to prove herself while striking an unlikely friendship. The result is an eye-catching, unexpectedly dense adventure that has more charm than it knows how to manage.
Although Cereza and the Lost Demon came out just a few months after Bayonetta 3, it doesn’t feel like a throwaway side project that Platinum Games has thrown together. This top-down action-adventure game is an expansive romp that follows a 10-year-old Cereza who is still training to become a full-fledged Umbra witch. Wanting to gather enough strength to free her captive mother, she ventures into a forbidden fairy forest in pursuit of a tantalizing vision that promises power. Cereza can only summon one demon, Cheshire, for protection, which she binds to her cat puppet. However, she doesn’t yet know how to bring him back to the infernal realm of inferno. Thus, the reluctant partners stick together and must work together to survive the forest.
The Bayonetta Origins story is my favorite of the entire franchise. It’s heartwarming, humorous, coherent (especially welcome after the last game), and it has the emotional depth to add substance to its eye candy. I loved watching Cereza and Cheshire’s relationship blossom throughout the adventure as the insecure witch tries to prove her worth to the skeptical monster. The plot takes some unexpected but well-deserved turns, and the performances – especially Cereza’s – are wonderful. I particularly liked the narrator; Her heartfelt performance and gruff Cheshire’s smile-inducing impression rekindled the long-forgotten joy of being read a funny bedtime story. When you combine the lore of Bayonetta with the whimsical and hearty story of Winnie the Pooh, you’re not far from what Cereza and the Lost Demon has to offer.
I enjoyed navigating the duo through the well-designed platforming and puzzle challenges. You control both characters simultaneously, controlling Cereza with the left stick and Cheshire with the right. This is unwieldy at first, but quickly becomes second nature. Also, you can call Cheshire back to the doll at will, so I spent most of my time exploring on my own until I needed him. The tag team focused obstacles challenged my thinking, reflexes and skill without ever getting too complicated or boring. Fun challenges and set pieces include Cheshire running on hamster wheels to transport Cereza across platforms, or stepping with him onto blocks that reveal a hidden path for her to cross gaps while being pursued by a deathtrap. These sequences only appear once, which makes me excited to see what ideas the game will come up with next.
Combat is at the heart of Bayonetta, and while you don’t need to pull off dozen-hit combos and screen-filling special attacks, Origins’ combat system makes the most of its relative simplicity. Cheshire performs one-button combos, while Cereza can only bind enemies in place with magical tendrils. Navigating two characters on a busy battlefield left me squinting at times, but I like the unique strategy of dodging enemies to tie them up before tearing them to pieces. Unlocking each character’s skill trees adds small but meaningful levels that deepen combat by adding executions, counters, dodges, and longer combo strings that rely on key timing rather than combining inputs. The action develops at a good pace without going overboard mechanically.
Additionally, incorporating the abilities of Cheshire’s elemental transformations, such as: Such as using a grass form’s tendril to rip down airborne targets and a water form firing powerful streams. While I was tired of the smaller, random encounters, the larger arena battles throwing multiple enemy types with different elemental vulnerabilities kept me busy. A sprinkling of terrific boss fights, including a titanic final battle, evoke the mayhem of the main series in a good way without getting so sweaty. In fact, I rarely used health and potions for most of the experience. I agree with that as the difficulty has enough spice without detracting from Origins’ more relaxed vibe.
Bayonetta Origins is a colorful treat just to look at, thanks to its painterly art direction reminiscent of games like Ōkami. The forest looks amazing and a melodic soundtrack full of beautiful melodies, sweet sound effects and Zelda-esque piano jingles makes this world even more magical. I enjoyed revisiting parts of the sprawling map to unlock new areas and solve simple but satisfying puzzles using Cheshire’s skills.
Unfortunately, it can be easy to get lost, but the game makes up for this by clearly marking collectibles and even guiding lights to save points. Collecting dozens of will-o’-the-wisps, the lost souls of deceased children, has become my favorite pastime due to the cute personal bios unlocked for each of them. Even minor interactions, like playing a rhythm mini-game to grow flowers, breaking crystal dandelions for currency, or shaking bushes for potion ingredients, add to a playful atmosphere that makes the forest seem almost like a toy.
Much like Cereza itself, Bayonetta Origins doesn’t look like much on the surface, but I kept smiling more and more as its potential bubbled to the surface. This is an exceptional and refreshing change of pace for the franchise, and you don’t even have to be a fan of the series or the action genre to enjoy it. Don’t underestimate what this little spell caster and her demonic partner have to offer.
