Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon Reviews
A beautifully crafted exploration game brimming with combat and puzzles.
Bayonetta Origins is a beautiful storybook brought to life as an imaginative action-adventure full of childlike wonder and endless charm.
Bayonetta Origins shows a great new side of the Umbral Witch, in a tale that's heartwarming as it is enjoyable. Combat and puzzles are a great one-two punch, but Cereza's restricted role and Cheshire's unfaltering nature undermine a little of the former.
Much like Cereza herself, Bayonetta Origins doesn’t look like much on the surface, but I smiled more and more as its potential bubbled up to the surface. This is an exceptional and refreshing change of pace for the franchise, and you don’t even need to be a fan of the series or the action genre to enjoy it. Don’t underestimate what this pint-sized spellcaster and her demonic partner have to offer.
If you’re looking for a cute, cozy platformer with simple battle mechanics and a playful story, look no further than Cereza and the Lost Demon. For those, like me, hoping to see how Cereza truly gained her power, and harnessed the seduction and raw magical prowess required to become the ultimate umbra witch, this game is a miss. And that’s fine. I just wish this new approach excited me as much as the previous ones did. I appreciate approachability — but Bayonetta has always been a series about toeing the line, and nothing about this title took a risk. I hope the next approach is worthy enough to stand on its own among the series’ best games.
Bayonetta Origins is an achievement in artistry, innovation, and tenderness for the Bayonetta series--one that both celebrates and elevates its iconic heroine.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demons ignores everything that fans are looking for in a Bayonetta game to deliver a charming and deeply-emotional experience.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is a delightfully stylish origin tale that sees young Bayo take her first steps on the road to becoming the badass Umbra witch we all know and love. This is a graphically stunning fairy tale with plenty in the way of atmosphere and charm. However, long-term Bayo fans beware, it's also a game that's aimed squarely at a young/casual audience, introducing plenty of fun puzzle and combat mechanics but never really evolving them to a point where they become in any way challenging. Repetition creeps in later in the game and, although it ends with some bombastic sequences and a few nice shoutouts to the main series, it feels like a little more challenge and experimentation in puzzles and combat could have made this one absolutely essential for all ages.
Bayonetta Origins is PlatinumGames bringing its A-game to the table, delivering a beautiful adventure with some wild ideas, unique combat, and a superb game from start to finish.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is a great game of adventure, action and puzzles, with which Platinum shows that it has a talent for articulating more relaxed proposals. A very interesting addition to the Bayonetta universe that, far from what it seemed and in its own right, has ended up becoming a great video game.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A peculiarly pitched spin-off that has almost nothing to interest Bayonetta fans and instead offers an Ōkami Lite experience that is so undemanding it almost seems to run on autopilot.
Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.
Bayonetta Origins is uncovered as a more than interesting metroidvania that, without reinventing the wheel of the genre, does well everything it puts on the table, with a technical invoice that, although it does not always give the breast, sometimes will make you doubt if you are playing on Switch. As soon as you like this subgenre, you will enjoy it from beginning to end.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Even with some tricky controls, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon offers a charming adventure with surprisingly satisfying solo co-op combat.
I was genuinely surprised to find myself enjoying Cereza and the Lost Demon even more than I did Bayonetta 3. The laid-back exploration, the beautiful visuals, the unique control and combat scheme, and the fact that this is a fresh take on the franchise make it an altogether different experience, and one that furthers the series' lore while ensuring it opens itself up to an all-new audience.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is a thoroughly enjoyable experience in its somewhat Zeldian mix of puzzles and combat, and while it doesn't invent anything new, it exploits the cooperative element of the two protagonists in an intriguing way.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Overall, I highly recommend Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, so long as you approach it as it is. Not a mainline Bayonetta game, but as a largely optional (yet still incredibly delightful) spin-off, standalone title.
The transition from saucy, mature action game to a family-friendly puzzle platformer is pulled off with surprising style and sincerity. 'Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon' is the perfect sweet treat to convince lapsed fans the series can still be something special.
This cutesy origin tale replaces the guns and sex appeal of the original action series with fairies and cuddly toys
Bayonetta Origins sometimes feels like an idea half explored. In combat two sets of fists are better than one, but adventuring never ignites in the same way. There’s a level of invention and style we’ve come to expect from the studio, but this isn’t quite Pure Platinum.