Pyroclastica

Even though this is a 2009 game, it is by far the newest one I’ve done for this series. I debated as to whether it should even be included, it’s so new
However, Bayonetta plays like a very old-school game. This is meant as a compliment!
While it is extremely self-indulgent about its’ own story and cutscenes, do not be fooled. Bayonetta is PURE gameplay. There’s not a single cutscene you can’t skip, and the story makes no sense anyway, so you don’t really miss a thing by cutting straight to the game.
Combat is simple, and extremely deep at the same time. The system is easy to pick-up-and-play, yet it keeps rewarding you for understanding it better and better
Enemy variety is not very high; you can tell this was conceived as a small project where they were very selective about putting in huge effort to things they HAD to get right.
Pictured above is my first play-through, on Normal mode, and there is obviously…. A lot of room for improvement. This game does a great job encouraging you to do that, and I actually do want to immediately pick it back up and try to get platinum trophies on all these levels.
….With the exception of a couple levels that are very, very annoying (looking at you, Route 666).
The weapon variety and the way it does loadouts is not TOO deep, but it is enough to still be fun. Players are rewarded for trying out different things with the weapon sets, and using them to come up with new combos.
It’s only March, but this is already my favorite of the 6 games I’ve finished so far this year.

Bayonetta