Bayonetta 3 was announced the same year as the Switch’s launch year aka 2017. It was a cool announcement to end the year on. Then things went quiet and five years passed before the game would actually launch. Thankfully it did meet expectations as another fun, action-filled entry in the Bayonetta series.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is like a cherry on top of a cherry. Two Bayonetta games released relatively close to one another? It’s like a miracle. Now, Bayonetta 3 is the superior action game, but there are things Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon does better. It doesn’t mean the prequel is superior overall, but these features do deserve highlighting. There will be no spoilers.
6 The Art Style
Bayonetta 3 has the solid, fluid motion one would want in an action game. The frame rate performs admirably on the Switch, but there is an issue. The game doesn’t look that good for being a 2022 release. The first two Bayonetta games were on older consoles and then ported to the Switch. Bayonetta 3 looks like another port in that same realm.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, on the other hand, looks absolutely gorgeous. Using cel-shading in games is helpful to make them stand the test of time better. In ten years, Bayonetta 3 will look dated, but Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon will still shine in the sun. The art style makes it look like a storybook come to life.
5 A Better Understanding Of The Lore
The story for the main trilogy is all over the place and is hard to follow. This seems like a series where the action comes first in the planning phase and the storyboarding is like an afterthought. The introduction of the multiverse in Bayonetta 3, specifically, was a cool idea and there are plenty of jokes to laugh at.
Bayonetta 3, overall, lacks heart despite the story trying to jam a loving relationship in there between Bayonetta and her daughter, Viola. Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon does have a lot of heart. It also is very clearly defined and helps fill in the gaps with the literal origin of Bayonetta, aka Cereza. It even fills in other holes in the lore like why Bayonetta needs hair to summon demons. Sometimes prequels can muddy the waters, but Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is a case where it is beyond helpful.
4 Puzzles Done Right
Putting puzzles in pure action games can take some players out of the experience. There wasn’t a lot of them in Bayonetta 3, but they did indeed feel like they got in the way at times. They weren’t so much hard as they were unnecessary.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon was designed to be a puzzle action game from the start, with both gameplay elements taking up equal time in the story. Actually, the puzzles are more prominent in Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon than in Bayonetta 3. They are better designed too, with some real head-scratchers at times. None of them, thankfully, are as tough as other puzzle games like Portal though.
3 Meaningful Upgrades
Players can upgrade Bayonetta and Viola in Bayonetta 3, although they don’t have standard skills trees like in most RPGs. Players instead invest in buying moves to help flesh out the characters' combat selection. Players can buy moves in Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon as well for both Cereza and Cheshire.
However, these moves feel more meaningful and necessary for survival. There are also some good exploration upgrades like one that allows Cereza to run. It’s not like the skill trees in Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon blow Bayonetta 3 out of the water as they’re both going for different things. However, comparatively, it feels more exciting to get that next upgrade in Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon.
2 A Good Reason To Replay ASAP
Every Bayonetta game in the series has a wealth of unlocks to keep players interested in playing even after the campaign wraps up. There are costumes to collect, more moves to buy, and so on. Between Bayonetta 3 and Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon specifically, the prequel gives players the best reason to start a new game right away.
They will gain access to Jeanne once they finish. Players can then go on a separate journey with Jeanne and her own version of Cheshire. She’s a bit more powerful than Cereza in terms of her binding magic, but both primarily play the same. To get the true ending, it’s necessary to play as Jeanne. It’s not an earthshaking new campaign, but it is better than anything in Bayonetta 3 for unlocks.
1 A World Worth Exploring
Bayonetta 3 is more open than any of the other main games in the trilogy, which is great on paper. However, the problem is that there was no map in the game at launch. This made looking for secrets and keeping track of pathways frustrating.
It seems like the team at PlatinumGames seemingly learned from their mistakes because Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon has maps and a wealth of knowledge built into them. The world in the prequel is one ever-evolving forest. It’s a lot like a Metroidvania since players will gain new power-ups for Cheshire which will then allow the pair to traverse new areas. The sense of exploration, overall, feels much more complete in Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon was released on March 17, 2023 and is available on Switch.