Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon’s premise is in the title. This is a prequel to the entire series, when Cereza was still a young girl in witch training. The game begins with her struggling to gain enough power to rescue her mother from jail.
One day, a mysterious boy tells her to follow a white wolf into the woods. In her quest for power, she raises a demon that binds itself to her stuffed cat toy, Cheshire. That’s the basic plot of Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, but there is still so much to go over. It s a different game for the Bayonetta series to be sure. Let’s get on to some hot tips.
6 Play With The Game Help Settings
Cereza and the Lost Demon follows the trend of games that do not include difficulty levels. The good news is that there is a wealth of assist features for players to fine-tune their experience instead. Players cannot set this up before beginning the game unlike most titles though.
They must wait for the game to begin, and once players can access the menu, they can scroll down to the Game Help Settings. Here they can adjust the damage they receive, or even turn it off completely. They can adjust how hard enemies are and the list continues. Be sure to check these settings out if things are too tough (or too easy).
5 Turn On The Automatic Witch Pulse
There is one Game Help Settings feature that is recommended for both hardcore and casual action game fans. Cereza cannot participate in the action as she normally does in the mainline games, where she appears as the titular Bayonetta. In Cereza and the Lost Demon, she can aid Cheshire by freezing enemies with vines, or other spells she will learn along the way.
She can also use spells outside of battle to solve puzzles. Using magic in this way is called Witch Pulse. This creates a little mini-game wherein players have to time their button presses just right to make a bunch of flowers grow into a bridge, for example. It’s not hard to understand, but it is a bit clunky to perform. Turn on the automatic feature for Witch Pulse in Game Help Settings and don’t think about it again.
4 Move Characters Like A Tactics Game
As previously mentioned, Cereza cannot fight traditionally. Her stuffed cat, Cheshire, gets possessed by a demon and does all the action instead. Players do not switch between which character they control. For example, the AI doesn’t kick in while players control Cheshire in battle, and vice versa for Cereza. Players instead control Cereza with the left stick and the left shoulder buttons on the Nintendo controller, while Cheshire is controlled using the right stick and right shoulder buttons.
This is mechanically just like Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, an indie game that came out in 2013. Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon can get confusing when trying to move both characters at the same time. So, instead, players should treat the game like a tactical RPG. Move Cereza and Cheshire separately, inching toward goals methodically so as not to confuse the brain.
3 The Virtues Of Hug Mode
Eventually, players will not have to worry about marching along with two different control schemes all the time. This is called Hug Mode. Cereza will figure out that she can shrink Cheshire back into a doll and carry it around like a baby. When the opportunity knocks, this is how players should move through Cereza and the Lost Demon.
Players don’t always have to try and make that awkward trek forward using the aforementioned tactical RPG method. There are certain sections wherein characters have to split apart though, so it’s not like this is a perfect solution. It just helps to carry Cheshire around as much as possible to save time, because both Cereza and Cheshire move slowly. There is an upgrade later, but it's not perfect.
2 Attack Bushes
There are items all over the place in Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon. Once Cereza learns how to make potions, these materials can be used to brew things like healing tonics. Materials can be gathered in the world naturally, from monsters or from chests.
What players may not realize is that materials and other items can sometimes be hiding in bushes too. It’s kind of like how the grass in The Legend of Zelda series tends to hide money and items. A quick swipe of Cheshire’s claw should make items burst out of the brush. If one thing comes out, chances are more are hiding too. Treat bushes like slot machines, and only give up after a few swipes in a row don’t turn up anything.
1 Good Early Upgrades
In chapter 3, players can finally upgrade Cereza via skill trees found in typical RPGs. Both Cereza and Cheshire have skill trees with different currencies. There are a few automatic ones like Cheshire's Charge Strike, but overall players get to choose where they go.
There are two, technically three, upgrades players should get at the start. First, unlock This Way! in Cheshire's skill tree. This will give the duo a makeshift run while in Hug Mode. The other important upgrade is the two dodge skills for Cereza and Cheshire: Demon Dodge and Dodge Roll. From there, upgrade freely, but don't go hog wild on spending points right away.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon was released on March 17. 2023 and is available on Switch.