Warning, the game being talked about is an 18 as such I will make some jokes that may go over younger people’s heads, I will try to avoid going full into 18+ topics though.

So with talk of Resident Evil 8 having a very tall woman let’s talk about another with a tall woman with considerable sex appeal… in fact she basically oozes it… what with the black skin tight outfit, the glasses and lots and lots of sexual innuendo…. It is an 18 after all.

Originally released in 2009 by then relatively new Platinum Games, Beyonetta was viewed as a spiritual successor to Devil May Cry (given back then Capcom had let that franchise all but die). So if you have played a Devil May Cry game you know what kind of game play you are getting in for (though less going through old areas and more a linear progression… also a lot more insanity).

You play as Beyonetta the last Umbra witch who kills angels… lots and lots of angels in quite over the top ways. This is done using either her guns of which she has 4, two in hand and 2 working as heels for her boots. Or using a variety of other weapons you can acquire… or just punching them while also having demons she’s contracted to punching them, partially forming out of her very long hair… so long her clothes actually form out of her hair meaning if you’re doing one of the bigger attacks her clothes partially vanish… Sounds more titillating and done for sex appeal than it really is, you’re usually more focused on avoiding attacks and killing things to notice.

As you go through the levels, in standard Platinum Game way you are graded on how well you do, how well you combo abilities to make yourself look good while killing with points taken away for how long you took or taking damage or having used items. These are then tallied together at the end of each stage to determine your grade with a statue being given to you depending on score.

The combat is one of the things Platinum Games are known to excel at with it being well handled even when you face multiple foes. Of note one of Beyonetta’s key abilities (so key it’s one of her ones in Smash Brothers) is if you time a dodge right you enter witch time, slowing down time for your enemies while allowing you to do extra damage, a vital skill to learn that rewards you for remaining in control of your actions and not just button bashing.

However one thing people have criticized is the plot, which is confusing… very confusing… in fact you usually have to bring in some notes to work out what’s really going on. Starts out simple, you play as the last Umbra witch that has no memory of her past, you go to an island with a religious group and are killing angels. Suddenly there’s a small girl that calls you her mother, a guy who blames you for the death of his father, but can’t see you, and a bunch of plans involving time travel as well as another Umbra mage…. time travel makes everything so complicated.

Another more game play related issues is that old annoyance from games in the 00s, quick time events. Now with some examples like wonderful 101 (I’ll get to reviewing that some time) Platinum handled these well as they always kept you on your feet. Sadly they are not handled as well in Beyonetta and going for a good score can be ruined because of a poorly timed one.

Released originally for the PS3 and Xbox360, it was then released for Nintendo consoles as only Nintendo for some reason was willing to pay for more games in the series to be made. Though that reveal didn’t stop fools from complaining about the sequel being a Nintendo exclusive. Here’s a tip people, if you want the game on the other consoles, complain to them because they didn’t want.

Rating