Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demonis the Bayonetta backstory we’ve all been waiting for. A coming-of-age tale wrapped in a colorful, storybook-like aesthetic, it’s a worthy addition to the Bayonetta canon. It’s also likely the most accessible entry in the franchise, looking and feeling more like a classical action-adventure game.
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As anexperimental entryinto a series that is constantly evolving, Bayonetta Origins feels both unique and familiar. It doesn’t feel like it belongs to one genre. There are plenty of games that match that vibe, and all are worth your time. Maybe you’ll find something you love.
8Bayonetta
Well, obviously. As Bayonetta Origins is, as its title suggests, a prequel, there is a chance you’ve never played the original Bayonetta in all its glory. That is easily remedied. Available on virtually every platform, Bayonetta is impossible to ignore, regardless of where you play. It’s all the best parts of character-action games, coupled with an even keener eye for style and the good old razzle-dazzle.
Who can say no to a snazzy witch who can shapeshift and fight with her hair, after all? Bayonetta is a staple of not just the genre it belongs to but of video games.
7Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons
What starts as a fairly unassuming adventure story about two brothers quickly becomes an emotional sucker punch.Brothers: A Tale of Two Sonsis what it sounds like - a game centering on a sibling duo as they journey through the world searching for a cure for their father’s illness.
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What’s unique about Brothers is the way it plays with mechanics. You must control both brothers simultaneously, using both joysticks to make them move. The brothers are not evenly matched in skill or speed, relying on one another (and you) to drive them forward.
6Devil May Cry 5
A character action game from another beloved franchise,Devil May Cry 5doesn’t share much in aesthetics or story content with Bayonetta Origins. Its combat, on the other hand, is another story. While structured as more of an action-adventure game, Bayonetta Origins still remembers the importance of satisfying combat and stylish execution. And if there’s anything Devil May Cry 5 is, it’s stylish.
There’s more to Devil May Cry 5 than combat, however - it’s got good platforming, fun characters, and a cowboy hat that makes Dante dance like a pop star. And, like Cereza, one of Devil May Cry’s main characters, V, uses animal familiars in combat. So if you want something to scratch that action itch, look no further.
5The Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker HD
Colorful and as vibrant as Bayonetta Origins,The Legend of Zelda: Wind Wakeris a timeless entry into the Zelda series. As always, you control Link, the green-clad hero, as he searches for his kidnapped sister. Along the way, he meets an eclectic crew of pirates, a boat that talks, and one of the best interpretations of Ganon the series has seen.
You travel across a vast ocean, drenched in cel-shaded splendor, diving into puzzling dungeons and probably taking pictographs. It’s what you expect from a Zelda game and just as engaging. Unfortunately, Wind Waker HD is only available on Wii U currently, so here’s hoping for a Switch port.
4Okami HD
One ofHideki Kamiya’s finest works,Okamiis a joy from beginning to end. You’re journeying in a mythologized Japan in the form of a white wolf - the sun goddess Amaterasu’s earthly avatar - as you meet characters from Japanese legend and lore, as you solve the resurgence of an ancient evil. But, hey, you’re a goddess; it’s all in a day’s work.
Helping you on this journey is an inch-tall artist named Issun, who helps you wield your primary weapon, the Celestial Brush. you’re able to see the Okami DNA in Bayonetta Origins quite plainly - both use real-world mythology, have a vibrant, painterly art style, and are simply gorgeous.
3Fran Bow
Another coming-of-age tale, Fran Bow puts you in control of the titular character, a young girl traumatized by the violent death of her parents. Fran escapes the psychiatric institution she was sent to in search of her only living relative, comforted by the presence of her beloved cat, Mr. Midnight. It’s whimsical.It’s disarmingly cute. It’s terrifying.
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Fran Bow is not an action game - it’s a traditional point-and-click adventure with a horror twist. Gameplay-wise, it shares very little in common with Bayonetta Origins. Still, the core duo and presentation, are mirrors of one another.
2Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna)
The arctic wind is bitingly cold, the snow is a wall of white, and you are just a child.Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna)is about a young Iñupiat girl, Nuna, whose village is starving because of an endless blizzard. Nuna has resolved to find the source and fix the problem, though she isn’t alone - she has an excellent animal companion in the form of an arctic fox.
Never Alone is primarily a puzzle platformer that can be played co-op or alone. You gathercultural insights- small vignette videos about Iñupiat culture and tradition - as you play. When you’re a little weary of the bombastic nature of Bayonetta, Never Alone will be there.
1Forspoken
A general ‘(potentially) magical girls with a companion’ theme is going on here.Forspoken, aperfectly decent gamemarred by the discourse surrounding it, puts you in the shoes of Frey, a young woman in New York City who is transported to a magical, medieval-adjacent world ruled by tyrants. Luckily for the citizens of Athia, Frey can move freely through the world and is the only person truly capable of dealing with the monsters just outside their doors.
Not that Frey really wants to be doing that. She just wants to find a way home to her beloved cat. Forspoken is a fast-paced RPG with a magic system that feels excellent in your hands. And, regardless of what you’ve heard, Frey is a cool, capable character with much to offer. It’s not as colorful as Bayonetta Origins, and if you don’t have a PS5, it requires a beast of a PC to play, but it’s an adventure worth having.
