Review: Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon

destructoid.com:

After Bayonetta 2 hit in 2014, the series became so much more than just a one and done successor to Devil May Cry. It was a fully-fledged universe that many fans started to grab on to; as evidenced by the discussion behind the recently-released Bayonetta 3 story beats. Now it even has its own spinoff! Thankfully, it still keeps the same witchy style intact, but with a considerably different genre shift.

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon (Switch)Developer: Platinum GamesPublisher: NintendoReleased: March 17, 2023MSRP: $59.99

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is an action puzzle game with a major emphasis on the puzzle aspect.

Initially you’ll control Bayonetta herself (Cereza) as part of a wonder years, witch-in-training prologue before picking up Cheshire; a demon companion that does most of the fighting, and a bit of puzzle-solving. The duo will work in tandem (independently through left analog stick control for Cereza, and right analog stick control for Cheshire), with Cereza using her magic powers to lock down enemies and create exploration-based opportunities, while Cheshire can more directly swipe at and damage foes. You’ll need to dodge enemies with both halves, adding a neat wrinkle to the urgency of the action.

Slowly, you’ll get acquainted with all of the game’s mechanics, eventually gaining access to a skill tree for each character (which opens up advance moves like projectile countering and combos). In addition to moving the duo from each story-progressing sequence to the next, you’ll wander around a forest playground of sorts connected by save points and challenge rooms: some of which require future abilities to fully complete.

I was surprised at how easy it was to acclimate to the idea