Master Cereza’s journey with expert tips for controlling dual characters, optimizing elemental forms, and navigating Avalon Forest’s puzzles.
A Storybook Beginning: Setting the Tone
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon reimagines the high-octane spectacle of its predecessors as a intimate, storybook puzzle-adventure. This prequel explores the formative years of Cereza, a timid Umbra Witch-in-training, long before she becomes the confident icon of the main series.
Releasing mere months after Bayonetta 3, this surprise prequel, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, deliberately swaps demon-slaying chaos for a warmer, more contemplative fairytale vibe.
The experience unfolds like a living storybook. Gorgeous watercolor visuals paint every scene, while a narrator with a comforting, Julie Andrews-esque tone guides you through page-turning cutscenes. This creates a distinctly “cozy” atmosphere, a stark contrast to the franchise’s usual intensity.
Franchise veterans will still recognize foundational elements: skill trees offer progression, collectibles reward exploration, and combat encounters persist—though now against mischievous faeries instead of angels. The core shift is one of pacing and presentation, inviting players into a more accessible, narrative-focused journey.
This design clearly caters to a broader, potentially younger or more casual audience. However, its depth ensures that any player willing to embrace its deliberate rhythm will find a richly rewarding adventure filled with heart and charm.
Developer: PlatinumGames
Price: £49.99 / $59.99
Release Date: March 17, 2023
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
The plot follows young Cereza as she defies her mentor to enter the forbidden Avalon Forest, seeking power to rescue her captive mother. Her journey begins with a botched summoning, binding a grumpy demon into the form of her stuffed cat toy, Cheshire. This unlikely duo forms the core of both the narrative and the innovative gameplay.
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Mastering the Dual Control Scheme
The defining mechanic of Bayonetta Origins is the simultaneous control of two characters. The Left Joy-Con commands Cereza, allowing for nimble movement and the use of her magic to bind enemies or manipulate the environment. The Right Joy-Con controls the powerful but lumbering demon, Cheshire, tasked with brute-force attacks and heavy lifting. This split is intuitively mapped to the L/ZL and R/ZR shoulder buttons, simplifying what could otherwise be an overwhelmingly complex system.
Practical Tip: Use ‘Hug Mode’ (where Cereza carries Cheshire) for safe traversal and simple exploration. However, most environmental puzzles require separation. A common mistake is forgetting to switch back to Hug Mode after solving a puzzle, leaving Cheshire vulnerable or stuck. Always reunite them for efficient movement.
Exploration of Avalon Forest is a constant puzzle of coordinating both characters. You may need Cheshire to stomp a switch to lower a barrier for Cereza, or use Cereza’s magic to grow a mushroom for Cheshire to bounce on. While not as intricate as a Zelda dungeon, these puzzles provide a steady, engaging rhythm to the journey.
Combat leverages this duality perfectly. The standard flow involves Cereza using her magic to ensnare a faerie, momentarily freezing it, which signals the player to switch focus and command Cheshire to deliver a crushing blow. Early combat can feel repetitive, but complexity ramps up with enemy variants that require specific elemental responses.
Cheshire’s Elemental Forms – A Strategic Deep Dive:
Cheshire unlocks four elemental forms: Wood, Earth, Water, and Fire, each mapped to a face button (A, B, X, Y).
Wood: Primarily for puzzle-solving. Use its extending tongue to pull distant levers or retrieve items. In combat, it can yank shields from certain faeries.
Earth: Essential for breaking cracked floors and stunning grounded enemies. Its ground pound is key for specific switch puzzles.
Water: The most versatile form, unlocked later. It extinguishes fire barriers, allows aquatic travel, and its projectile attack can hit multiple enemies.
Fire: Focused on raw damage and destroying specific vine-covered obstacles.
Optimization Tip for Advanced Players: Later skills allow mid-combo form switching. Practice sequences like Wood (to pull a shield) -> immediate switch to Fire (for damage) to maximize efficiency and style.
The initial learning curve is steep—like trying to pat your head and rub your stomach simultaneously—but mastery is deeply satisfying. This innovative control scheme is the game’s cornerstone, transforming what might be standard adventure gameplay into a uniquely engaging cerebral and mechanical challenge.
Gameplay Evolution & Pacing Analysis
A significant point of critique is the game’s slow start. The first five to six chapters function as an extended tutorial, methodically introducing Cereza and Cheshire’s basic abilities. While narratively justified as an origin story, this can make the early gameplay loop feel repetitive, with limited tools at your disposal. The full potential of the combat and exploration systems only unlocks after approximately six hours.
The turning point is the epic boss battle against the Jabberwock, a giant faerie dragon. This fight is a dramatic departure from earlier encounters, which could often be won with button-mashing. The Jabberwock demands strategic application of all acquired skills: precise use of Cereza’s magic to create openings, timely dodges, and the correct sequencing of Cheshire’s elemental forms to target weaknesses. This battle is the first true skill check and serves as the gateway to the game’s more challenging and rewarding second half.
Post-Jabberwock, the game expands considerably. Acquiring the Water form for Cheshire opens up navigation and combat in meaningful ways. Environmental puzzles begin to involve multi-step sequences using different forms, and combat arenas are designed to encourage fluid switching between Cheshire’s abilities to handle diverse enemy groups. The introduction of Tír na nÓg dungeons provides brilliant palate cleansers—these self-contained challenge rooms with futuristic aesthetics test your mastery of mechanics in focused puzzle or combat scenarios.
Presentation & Platform Perfect Fit
The presentation is nothing short of stellar. The watercolor art style is among the Switch’s most visually distinct, creating a world that feels both magical and handcrafted. The narration and sound design—including the satisfying “page turn” sound on the pause menu—complete the immersive storybook illusion. It captures the dark whimsy of a Brothers Grimm tale beautifully.
The Nintendo Switch is its ideal home. While it looks lovely on a TV, the experience is fundamentally optimized for handheld play. The dual-Joy-Con control scheme feels natural when holding the console, and the cozy, intimate atmosphere perfectly suits portable, under-a-blanket gaming sessions. It smartly taps into the “cozy game” trend while retaining enough action and mystery to appeal to traditional gamers.
The aforementioned Tír na nÓg dungeons showcase the art team’s range, swapping the earthy tones of the forest for dazzling jeweled colors and geometric patterns. These moments consistently surprise and delight, proving the game’s visual creativity extends far beyond its core aesthetic.
In summary, Bayonetta Origins is a captivating adventure-puzzle hybrid designed for the Switch. It forgoes the over-the-top spectacle of the main series for a heartfelt, beautifully presented coming-of-age story. Its unique dual-control gameplay provides a fresh and satisfying challenge, making it a memorable entry in the franchise and a standout title for players seeking a more thoughtful action-adventure experience.
Reviewed on Nintendo Switch
No reproduction without permission：SeeYouSoon Game Club » Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon review – A spellbinding storybook adventure Master Cereza's journey with expert tips for controlling dual characters, optimizing elemental forms, and navigating Avalon Forest's puzzles.