“Bayonetta” is an extremely unique-looking, very Japanese, very strange action title from Platinum Games and Sega. Its closest analog would be the “Devil May Cry” series, but the strange enemies and perplexing storyline of “Bayonetta” make Capcom’s franchise look like a grounded Merchant Ivory period piece. But is it good? Well, that depends on how much patience you have.

The Basics

In “Bayonetta” you’ll play as an ultra-powerful witch who is capable of travelling to heaven, hell and purgatory at the drop of a hat. It plays very similarly to the aforementioned “Devil May Cry” series, which is to say that it’s a 3rd person action game with a heavy focus on over-the-top attacks, building up combos and giant boss fights.

The Highs

Insane Visuals
You will see things in “Bayonetta” that you simply never considered possible within the scope of the human mind. Giant hair monsters playing volleyball with metallic, transmogrifying robots and angels with baby faces that come packing explosive sousaphones are just two examples. Playing through this game is like having a psychedelic drug experience without the pesky brain melting aspects. The developers somehow managed to constantly one-up themselves, tossing in ridiculous motorcycle chases up the side of mile-high buildings and interstellar battles against massive stone demons which culminate with a race to reenter Earth’s orbit. There will definitely be moments throughout “Bayonetta” where you sit back and say “wow.”

Solid Combat Mechanics
The combat in “Bayonetta” is definitely enjoyable, with around six primary weapons that can be equipped to either the hands or the feet to create new attack combos. There’s also the element of “Witch Time,” which activates when you dodge an attack, thereby slowing the world down and letting you destroy nearby enemies with ease. The combat is never boring and, with additional items, you can add new elements like parry attacks and insta-shields.

Very Easy Mode
“Bayonetta” does something very smart. I’d wager to guess that the percentage of people who completed any of the “Devil May Cry” games is extremely low. Thanks to Easy and Very Easy mode in “Bayonetta,” just about anyone should be able to finish this game, as the modes basically turn the game into a semi-mindless button mash. It’s a great option if you’re just looking to experience the story and the visuals, but if you find it too easy you can turn up the difficulty between levels.

The Lows

Cutscenes, Cutscenes and More Cutscenes
In the grand tradition of Japanese games, the developers of “Bayonetta” rely on non-interactive cutscenes to detail much of the story. Easily half of the 8-10 hour game is made up of cutscenes, which are extremely good at killing any momentum or joy you had while you were actually playing the game. Thankfully these cutscenes are skippable, but if you want to try to know what’s going on in the story, you’ll have to watch all of them. Unfortunately…

…The Story Makes No Sense
So here’s what I got of the story: There are two clans, light and dark. With their powers combined they’re able to change history. I guess? There’s so much complexity that I’m honestly not sure if I’m even close. Prophecies, flashbacks and time travel (maybe?) come together to make an entirely inscrutable story that’s, well, boring. Hell, the last boss fight is preempted by a 20 minute cutscene where the bad guy tries to explain what happened, “Matrix Reloaded”-style, and I still have no clue what’s going on.

It Doesn’t End
Maybe this isn’t a bad thing for some people, but for me there were so many false endings, so many enormous, climactic boss fights, that by the time I got to the final boss I was fed up and ready for the credits to arrive. And, of course, the last level has you fighting all the main bosses over again. Did I mention it’s a Japanese game?

Reusing Music Over And Over And Over Again
The developers nabbed the rights to “Fly Me To The Moon,” which is neat ’cause it gives a real world touch to an otherwise outlandish game. Alas, it seems they were so happy to get the rights that they use the song about 20 times throughout the game. If you’ve seen “The Graduate,” they use that Simon and Garfunkle song “Scarbourogh Fair” about three or four times and it becomes pretty annoying. Now multiply that by five and you begin to understand the problem.

That’s not to mention the basic fight music, which is reused for every fight in the game. Every fight. The same music. Imagine that for a moment. Make sure you have an iPod handy while you’re playing this game.

Final Word

If you’re planning on playing through “Bayonetta” here’s my suggestion: Skip every cutscene, mute the music and ignore everything that seems remotely story related. If you just sit back and enjoy the visuals and fight mechanics, it’s a pretty decent experience. Of course, without the cutscenes you’re looking at a 4 to 5 hour long game, which brings up problems of its own. In the end, “Bayonetta” is a flashy, flawed release whose strengths are often overwhelmed by its weaknesses.