Bayonetta 3 is the best action game of 2022, despite being mired in controversy. The story puts a bow on the story of the titular witch (though not everybody is happy with how it ended), so it was a surprise to see a new Bayonetta game announced during the 2022 Game Awards.
But Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is not like the rest of the franchise: it is a prequel, and a seemingly gorgeous one at that. Here is everything you need to know about Bayonetta Origins, including when you will be able to get your hands on it — and it’s sooner than you might expect.
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What is the Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon release date?
The surprise December 8 announcement of another Bayonetta game came with the welcome surprise that fans will not have to wait long to get their hands on Bayonetta Origins. The game will launch exclusively on Nintendo Switch on March 17, 2023.
Is there a Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon trailer?
Yes! Bayonetta Origins was announced by Nintendo and PlatinumGames at the 2022 Game Awards with a gorgeous trailer highlighting the game’s storybook aesthetic. Check it out:
What is the story of Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon?
As the name suggests, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is a prequel to the Bayonetta franchise. The player will control a young Bayonetta (using her birth name Cereza) and the demon Chesire. Here is how Nintendo describes the game.
Long before this trainee of the dark arts would come to be called Bayonetta, she took a fateful journey into the forbidden Avalon Forest. Alongside her was Cheshire, her very first demon, possessing Cereza’s stuffed toy. Play as both Cereza and Cheshire and search through the treacherous forest to look for the power to save Cereza’s mother.
There are some details of Bayonetta’s youth that players learn, mostly in the first game. She is the child of an Umbran Witch and a Lumen Sage, a forbidden union that eventually led to the two sides warring. A younger Bayonetta using the name Cereza does appear in the first game, but at an age that appears to be younger than she is during the events that will occur in Bayonetta Origins.
Of note is that Chesire the demon appears as Viola’s companion demon in Bayonetta 3. So, there is a possibility Origins sticks to the franchise’s time-bending plots and includes some connection to later games.
What will the gameplay be like in Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon?
Bayonetta Origins will be developed by PlatinumGames, the longtime developer of the Bayonetta franchise. While the series is known for its intense high-octane action gameplay, Bayonetta Origins seems to dial this down.
There is still action combat, but it highlights the teamwork between Cereza and the demon Chesire. Players will be tasked with controlling both demon and witch. Using the Left Joy-Con controller will move Cereza and bind enemies with her magic. With the Right Joy-Con controller, players move Cheshire to slash and chomp foes.
In addition to combat, Bayonetta Origins has a focus on childlike puzzle platforming that will require you to utilize both parties to solve puzzles. Think of something like Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon comes to Nintendo Switch on March 17, 2023.
