Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon Preview

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Bayonetta 3 proved that there’s very little that will stop the bespectacled witch. But what if the bespectacled witch was in fact very little? Before she became the vibrant, volatile voluptuary, she was known simply as Cereza. Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon lets us join her on her journey as an apprentice witch, setting out on a heartrending quest to save her mother. As the title suggests, she’s certainly not left the denizens of Inferno too far behind, and despite the newfound youth of our protagonist she’s still a formidable companion, as her foes fall before her.

This must be one of the most interesting pivots in style that a franchise has taken in recent memory. Cereza and the Lost Demon is a playable storybook, with painterly cutscenes interspersed by the turning of the pages. Where Bayonetta has been known for its 3D excesses and powerfully sensual protagonist, the tale here shifts to the childlike worries and wonder of classic fables like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.

While Cereza and the Lost Demon leans heavily into its book-bound style, the soundtrack is a storytelling device all of its own, and the evocative orchestral work lavishes each scene with added meaning. Dark cello undertones writhe menacingly beneath tender piano, introducing a powerful auditory juxtaposition that’s mesmerising at times. It brings a sense of magic and classical fantasy that follows the thematic idea that Cereza is the living embodiment of the light and the dark.

She’s younger and more naïve, but no less headstrong, foregoing the warnings of her teacher and deciding to set off into Avalon Forest – known locally as The Forbidden Forest, if you’re wondering how well it’s likely to go. With a