Fans have been eagerly anticipating the launch of Bayonetta Remastered ever since Sega announced it late last year.
To recap, Bayonetta was originally released in 2009 on PS3 and Xbox 360 and later ported to PC via Steam. The console release ran at 720p resolution and 60 frames per second – at least on the 360.
The PS3 version of Bayonetta suffered from frame rate and control issues as well as long load times. In fact, they were nearly a half minute long. The game was generally well-received and reached cult status after its sequel was made an exclusive on Nintendo’s ill-fated Wii U.
And, to be sure, fans are excited about the remasters of both Bayonetta and Vanquish on PS4 and Xbox One via a physical 10th-anniversary bundle. Both titles, by the way, may be bought separately through Sony and Microsoft’s digital stores as well.
Hooray for 4K!
The Bayonetta remaster brings 4K visuals running at 60 frames per second on PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. The base PS4 and Xbox One top out at 1080p resolution. Of course, that’s still an improvement over the last-gen versions.
The graphics in this remaster are definitely clear and crisp, although the visual assets do not seem to be updated. That said, you could already achieve 4K resolution on PC, and that release made the console port highly likely. Comparing the visuals to the original console release, the details brought out by the clarity of 4K make Bayonetta impressive for its time.
For the uninitiated, Bayonetta is a third-person hack and slash action game. The main character is a hyper-sexualized witch named Bayonetta who has guns for high heels. It is very similar in style and tone to the Devil May Cry series.
Bayonetta Remastered plays as well, if not better, than the original console release thanks to the added clarity of 4K. The game appears to be on par with the PC version. Meanwhile, the gameplay remains unchanged; there does not appear to be any changes or updates in the design of the game. One very notable upgrade is that the loading times are much faster. They’re so fast that you don’t even get a chance to interact with the loading screen most of the time.
Conclusion
Bayonetta Remastered is very much a straight-up re-release, aside from the visual and load time improvements. There is no new content, and the graphical updates seem limited to a resolution bump, although a very significant one if you’re on Xbox One X or PS4 Pro.
Frankly, anyone who has played and beaten Bayonetta on PS3, Xbox 360, PC, or Nintendo Switch won’t really get that much more out of this release. As a collector’s item for fans, it’s a great purchase. That’s especially true if you buy the physical copy since you’ll get Vanquish as well. It’s also worth picking up if you’ve never played the game before.
