Bayonetta, the upcoming title from Sega is bound to turn a few heads. Pun intended? The game is certainly not shy about their female protagonist being, well, female. Bayonetta, a shape-shifting witch, uses her sexuality to her advantage and then some.
At first glance you will notice that Bayonetta is fully clothed, a far cry from the female protagonists of many games, think Soul Calibur, Dead or Alive, etc. On another glance you'll notice that her skin tight body suit isn't a suit at all, it is her hair. When performing special attacks her hair comes off her body, leaving her naked except for a few gold chains. Sega is classy though, it is all implied nudity. Sorry, boys.
The femininity of the game doesn't stop there. Bayonetta bleeds rose pedals. Certain attacks will bring out a giant boots to crush enemies. A theme of butterflies is prevalent throughout the whole game. Her double jump brings out butterfly wings to help her hover and even the jewels on her glasses are in the shape of a butterfly. Flowers, gemstones, etc all make appearances in the game to play up her femininity.
The game takes a less "girly" approach however, with gameplay. The game heavily focuses on combos and timed attacks. These attacks are called "Climax Attacks.' When making this game they knew they wanted to convey a certain sexiness to the game, using words like Climax just made sense. In fact, the first trailer for the game was called "First Climax" and the second was called "Foreplay." Other fighting moves, called "Torture Moves" bring out ancient torture device like the guillotine to finish off enemies. Sexy and violent.
Bayonetta's style of fighting reflects her sexuality as well. Two separate models were used to accurately create her movements. A dancer/acrobat and a stunt woman were used to make her fighting moves real. Bayonetta uses several different types of attacks, punches, and kicks included, all of which she is very flexible. There is also a move where she swings around a poll to defeat enemies. I'm not surprising anyone when I say it was very much like a stripper.
You cannot argue with me that this game has several sexual and suggestive themes. Bayonetta is a very girly, sexual and strong character. That's not up for debate. However, you can argue that this game may be offensive, particularly to women. This game has all the makings of controversy, female hero, partial nudity, and sexual themes. But for the record, I find nothing wrong with this game. I think it's beautifully made, gameplay flows really well, and Bayonetta is a character that uses her sexuality for "good." There is nothing wrong with sexuality, nothing wrong with using it to kill evil Angels either. Those who have issues with it will most likely be against sexuality in games as opposed to the sexuality of Bayonetta.
I'm sure it is only a matter of time before critics of the game's approach come out of the woodwork but I am not one of them. I am looking forward to this game and can't wait to get to play more than just one level.
What do you think? Is this game taking the idea of a strong female protagonist and abusing the concept? Or are they making a strong female character?
Sadly Bayonetta was slated for November of this year but has recently been pushed back until 2010. It will be for the Xbox 360 and the PS3. It will have an ESRB rating of M for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes
