Bayonetta

Better yet is Bayonetta’s ability to swap her sleeves for wings to hover for mid-air combos, her lightning-fast swipes with stray strands of hair and her pièce de résistance: whipping her thatch into a tornado,which then transforms into a dragon and swallows even the largest of foes whole. These moves add previously unseen layers to the combat, meaning that Bayonetta’s the most ambitiously animated character to ever grace the platform.

So the hair’s a formidable weapon, but Bayonetta’s a wily fox even when fully clothed. Her guns – named Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme – let her attack in four directions at once. Our lass is rarely static as a result, and her blammo-strapped boots are often flicking about as she balances upside down to fulfill her two tasks: killing enemies and, angling her naughty bits toward the camera for the money shot.

Bullet Witch this isn’t, despite the similar premise. Bayonetta’s an acrobatic hero with equally energetic foes – the angels being her main enemies. They’re the equivalent of DMC’s marionettes; cannon fodder for most of the adventure but able to put up a fight if encountered in large enough numbers. Then there are the others – a currently mysterious red witch who’s just as powerful as Bayonetta, and a young man called Luca with wavering allegiances. But the bosses really put Bayonetta on the map.

If you happened to think DMC4’s bosses were awesome, prepare to be stunned. Bayonetta’s are bigger, badder and most definitely more impressive. Imagine squaring off against monsters so large they can pick up the ground you’re on – say, a bridge – and hurl it across a level to take the fight to a different location.