Video Games: Bayonetta

By The Newsroom
Published 17th Jan 2010, 11:01 BST
Updated 17th Jan 2010, 11:31 BST
(£44.99, PS3/Xbox 360)

This game is the brainchild of Hideki Kamiya, creator of other iconic franchises such as Resident Evil and Okami. Yet even this hallmark can't prepare you for how far Bayonetta pushes the boundaries of the action genre. The titular heroine is an Umbra Witch thrust into an eternal battle with the angelic Lumen Sages that leads Bayonetta to the mysterious village of Vigrid.

While there is a great deal of action in this game, it is backed up by a strong narrative. Combat is exemplary, with Bayonetta wielding guns in each hand and two embedded in her stiletto heels, allowing for some truly mind-boggling combo attacks. Being a shape-shifter, she can manipulate her hair and turn it into giant feet to stomp enemies or demonic beasts to help you finish off some of the game's mammoth bosses.

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The on-screen action is dizzying. Every enemy encounter is so painfully balanced and refined that mindless button mashing will leave you dead in seconds. With a slew of weapons, painful torture attacks and the ability to assign two weapon load-outs there is much room for combo expansion.

Already a contender for game of the year, Bayonetta has likeable characters, razor-sharp graphics, and delivers what can best be described as spectacle after spectacle. This is an essential purchase.

• This article first appeared in The Scotsman, 16 January, 2010