Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon Review - Genuinely Good Fun

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is a wonderful take on a franchise that's more known for its visceral combat and flashy visuals. While the identity of the series is still very much present, leans heavily into its fairy tale inspirations, from its picture book aesthetic to its coming-of-age story, complete with ill-advised wandering into a forest. It's not quite the same quality as a game proper — the lack of nail-biting action and larger-than-life bosses is really felt as the story continues to progress — but is a great Nintendo Switch game all the same.

The story of follows a young Bayonetta as Cereza, the outcast child of a witch and a sage. It's a simple start for what eventually becomes an engrossing narrative for those familiar with the series proper, though it likely won't be impactful enough for new players to merit recommending for its story alone. Accompanied by her stuffed animal-turned-demon host Cheshire, Cereza embarks on a journey to become powerful enough to save her imprisoned mother from the cruelty of a society that doesn't understand their feelings.

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The actual gameplay of is starkly different from any other game in the franchise. Players control Cereza and Cheshire as they explore the maps in the game, which are top-down, storybook-inspired renderings that feature sketches and dog-eared pages at the edges of them. Cereza and Cheshire both have different abilities that makes exploration a tandem effort, and while the puzzles never go beyond basic, the act of journeying through different areas and unlocking new abilities or story beats is a compelling loop. That the game knows what it wants to do and does it well means its progression remains smooth