Bayonetta

Bayonetta introduced the titular witch with supernatural powers battling the angelic forces of heaven in a lavish, over-the-top style that became the trademark of designer Hideki Kamiya, creator of Devil May Cry. The game from PlatinumGames is built on an extremely fluid, deep combat system combining punches, kicks, and four guns strapped to Bayonetta's hands and feet, while her hair — which also serves as her clothing — transforms into giant demonic monsters when special attacks are activated.

A key element was the Witch Time system, which slows down time on a perfectly timed dodge, rewarding precise play and allowing players to chain long, visually spectacular combos. The game thus punishes defensive caution and instead rewards the courage to keep attacking as long as possible and dodge at the very last split second. Add to that a wide range of unlockable weapons that can be assigned separately to hands and feet, allowing players to build their own combination of style, and a medal rating for every fight that drives ambitious players to replay entire chapters. The bosses, in the form of giant angelic entities, ranked among the most ambitious and demanding fights of the generation. The camera work and cutscenes emphasized cinematic flair and exaggerated stylization, while the heroine's humor and self-irony lightened an otherwise dark mythological subject matter.

The visual presentation, with fast, fluid animations, was one of the technical high points of the genre on Xbox 360, and smooth image quality was just as important to the feel of the combat as the mechanics themselves — the version on the competing console, which failed exactly at that, became a cautionary tale of a botched port. The music deserves a chapter of its own, playfully sung jazz and pop motifs that fit the angelic apocalypse in a wholly unexpected way. Critics praised the depth of the combat system and compared the game to the best works in the character action genre. Bayonetta became a cult classic and the foundation of a successful series that is still considered one of the high points of the third-person action genre.