Dabbling in Demos: Bayonetta Origins – Cereza and the Lost Demon

 

This game is the work of Platinum Games, and it stars a younger version of Cereza, the uber-badass and gorgeous Umbra Witch from Bayonetta; yet anybody expecting anything even remotely close to, well, Bayonetta, is in for a sore disappointment. 

 

 

That’s not to say that Cereza is a bad game; in fact, it’s a truly excellent game, and it’s on its way to becoming a welcome addition to The Collection — and a New Classic of mine, providing that the gameplay remains as fulfilling as in the demo. I won’t elaborate on the splendid graphics and unique atmosphere, because anybody with a functioning pair of retinas can plainly see all the goodness Cereza has to offer on that front; instead, I’ll rave about the gameplay, the controls, and the character chemistry.

 

 

So, gameplay: we’re dealing with an action-adventure game, and a rather deliberate one at that — told you this was no Bayonetta. Little Cereza starts the game on her own, but is soon joined by the titular Lost Demon, who winds up possessing Cereza’s stuffed cat toy Cheshire. Both Cereza and Cheshire boast unique abilities, and can combine them in various ways to progress; as you may guess, that combination of abilities forms the core of Cereza’s gameplay. You have to move the characters sometimes together, sometimes separately; this could have been a recipe for controls disaster, but it’s diabolically well-handled and ends up being incredibly satisfying instead. Well done, Platinum Games! 

 

 

Handling Cereza and Cheshire together doesn’t just feel fulfilling in terms of controls and physics; it also creates a unique emotion I've never felt while playing a game. The pair literally cannot progress without each other; and that common vulnerability is echoed in the player’s experience — because you cannot progress either as long as you don’t find the right way to combine their abilities. As a result, the bond between them is not just a narrative element; it’s also a gameplay element that you get to experience over and over. I can only imagine that bond growing more and more potent and tangible, as the gameplay becomes more intricate and you get to deepen your mastery of Cereza’s and Cheshire’s abilities.

 

 

Long story short: I loved that first bite of Cereza, and I very much wanna play the full thing. And now, on to the next demo! ^^ 

 

Atelier Firis DX: My life as an explorer

 

Or not so much, actually. After 15 hours of intense and satisfying play, I’m done with the grand alchemy test I was given as a goal at the beginning of the game; and incidentally, I’m done with the game as well, even though unroamed areas and unfulfilled side quests are still aplenty. I knew this would happen, mind you; and I started playing while anticipating that I would lose all will to play after I was done with the test. I did lose all will to play all right — with a bit of help from Gust, who decided to make the credits roll after the test. You know that ‘rolling credits’ means ‘next game please!’ to me; and that pavlovian conditioning didn’t fail to trigger this time around. 

 

  

I played Atelier Firis in a trance, over a grand tally of four days and as many playing sessions. I would be hard-pressed to chastise it after gorging on it so shamelessly — and yet, this is exactly what I’m gonna do. See, that game’s subtitle shouldn’t be “The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey”; it should be “Cognitive Dissonance Much?”, or “Look at that Yummy Cake yet Don’t You Dare Taking a Bite!”. 

 

 

Here’s the problem in a nutshell: Atelier Firis gives you a whole world to explore, a wealth of material to forage, plenty of characters to get close to, a myriad of quests to fulfil… along with a super-stringent, non-negotiable deadline that forces you to keep an eye on the passing of days at all times and to run towards your objective at breakneck speed. Forget about losing yourself in alchemy, exploration and fighting; you can do that all right, but only after you pass that darn alchemy exam. 

 

 

I cannot help but question the logic of that whole design. What’s the point of having such a wide and enticing game world, only to curtail the player’s ability to explore it to their heart’s content? I know I would have played Atelier Firis very differently without a time limit — in fact, I would probably be playing it still, not writing about it. I would be exploring every nook and cranny of every single area, fighting like a beast, and synthesizing like the wind… (wistful sigh) 

 

 

Mind you, the alchemy test is not even that thrilling of a goal either. I went there to test the waters, and ended up passing without really trying. The first part of the test is a multiple-choice quiz about all things alchemy; my haphazard answers landed me a tally of 11/20. Then, I had to synthesize the best item I could; I went with a mere Bomb, because it was the only item I had crafted enough to get a Platinum Star synthesis level; my toiling at the cauldron produced a Bomb with a quality value of 53. Then, I had to damage a Puni with 9999 HP; I threw a Lightning Crystal at it, and did 149 damage. Then, I had to fight Ilmeria; and as I was a puny lv.15 against her lv.25, she thoroughly mopped the floor with me. 

 

 

I thought for sure I would fail miserably after such a lacklustre performance on all fronts; but colour me flabbergasted, I actually passed! Did Mom’s lovingly hand-sewn outfit boost my luck, or did the exam committee take pity on me? Or is that alchemy test just really easy, a mere formality to mark the end of the main game? I don’t know, and I don’t really care right now. 

 

  

Technically, Atelier Firis wouldn’t make the cut as a New Classic on its own. I had a blast playing it, that I cannot deny; but I had ten times more of a blast playing Sophie, which I deem better on all fronts bar the openness of the game world. But it so happens that I own Firis as part of the Atelier Mysterious Trilogy Deluxe Pack for the Switch; it’s on the cartridge anyway, which saves me the hassle of deciding whether I keep it or not. And I can always replay it later if my gaming instinct claims it — win-win! 

 

I cannot say for sure if I'll ever replay Atelier Firis; what I know for sure, on the other hand, is that I've written enough about it for now. I'll see you soon with more gaming goodness, dear fellow gamers; keep doing your thing, and take care!

 

Dabbling in Demos: Gal Guardians – Demon Purge

 

I don’t really know why I downloaded that demo, to be honest. I mean, I’ve never found a Metroidvania that suited me; and the only reason I’ve not yet renounced the genre as a whole is my hopeless, never-dying gaming optimism. Still, I didn’t have much hope for Gal Guardians; in fact, I fully expected to get bored upon a few minutes of play. 

 

 

As you may have guessed already, things didn’t turn this way at all. Not only did I polish off the whole demo, but I was also left seriously hooked and craving for more — so much so that I actually replayed the whole thing several times! Needless to say, GG joined my Coveted Game List faster than you can say ‘vade retro’. 

 

 

So, what made me so utterly smitten, you may ask? Why is GG the first Metroidvania ever to touch my jaded gamer’s soul? First, the physics are top-notch; and you know how crucial that element is to me as far as Platformers are concerned. Secondly, the party dynamics are absolutely amazing; never before have I handled a pair of MCs that so perfectly complement and complete each other. Thirdly, the music, graphics and overall atmosphere are downright splendid. Last but not least, the progression curve is darn satisfying: GG is challenging without being unfair, and I could feel myself getting stronger, sharper and better as I replayed the demo. 

 

 

Well, that’s a New Classic all right! Not many games can claim that honour before they even hit the shelves; but that’s the beauty of pre-release demos for you. Talking about demos, I have a couple of them downloaded on my Switch and ready for the testing; they may or may not generate a couple of crushes and future purchases — but they’ll sure generate some posts. Stay tuned, and take care! ^^