A Bayonetta interview with Hideki Kamiya

Hideki Kamiya talks to Gamezine about Platinum Games' upcoming PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game Bayonetta.

The director of Bayonetta, Hideki Kamiya has been kind enough to join us hear at Gamezine.co.uk to not only answer our questions, but yours too.

Kamiya-san has an impressive resume, spanning the original Resident Evil, the first Devil May Cry, the ground-breaking Okami and Viewtiful Joe. It's Bayonetta that he now turns his attention to with a talented team of developers at Platinum Games to back him up.

The team's first PS3 and Xbox 360 game is set to take action games by storm, with Kamiya-san claiming that Bayonetta will shake up the genre in the following interview.

This interview was conducted in collaboration with our good friends at PS3Attitude.

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So first off, the team, and specifically yourself, believe that the video game action genre hasn't moved terribly far since the first Devil May Cry. Why do you think this is the case?

Hideki Kamiya: There's been lots of action games that have followed Devil May Cry and a lot of these games have been really good, although some haven't been so great. Devil May Cry drew a lot of inspiration from previous games of its kind, just as Bayonetta draws on all the 3D action games of the past too.

I think that sometimes genres just get into a comfortable place and it takes just one game to push them along. With Bayonetta we're pushing to make not just a fun game, but a game with lots of excitement, something new that people haven't seen before.


What is it that Bayonetta brings to the genre that we haven't seen before?

Hideki Kamiya: Innovative ideas - it's quite a common thing that in an action game the player's character can perform cool moves fighting against enemies. The key to making this gameplay mechanic different is in creative ideas and imagination of how to implement excitement and dynamism in the game to provide gamers with great experiences, with something new.

We are doing our utmost to make Bayonetta the new benchmark in action gaming, and we hope you'll appreciate what we've accomplished when you have the controller in your hands and get to play the game.

Is Bayonetta an evolution or a revolution of action games before it?

Hideki Kamiya: I would say it's a bit of both, it's an evolution because it draws inspiration from the 3D action games that have come before it, and it's a revolution because it shakes up and redefines the genre, in our opinion.

Bayonetta has been described as a climax action game - what exactly does that mean?

Hideki Kamiya: Climax action is about action at its most intense, all of the time. So from the cutscenes to the intense combat to the dynamic way Bayonetta moves around the environment. Bayonetta is full on from start to finish.


Will the game be limited to skilled players or will it be accessible for players of all levels?

Hideki Kamiya: We have difficulty settings to suit all players, be they casual or hardcore, so anyone can pick up and play the game and get stuck into the action.

Can we target multiple enemies in different directions with Bayonetta's hand and heel guns? And how complex will Bayonetta's move list be?

Hideki Kamiya: I'm not a witch so you'd probably have to ask Bayonetta herself to find out! She's a witch so maybe she doesn't even need to pull the trigger to fire a gun. We've spent lots of time to give Bayonetta a huge series of moves, and with many different weapons to choose, there's a lot of customisation available to a player's combat style.

Will there be any kind of puzzles or platforming segments in the game?

Hideki Kamiya: Bayonetta will have lots of combat obviously, but there will be puzzles and platforming too. The gameplay will depend very much on the player's ability to do the right thing at the right time, so just pounding the buttons won't do.

The combat is almost a puzzle in itself; the player will have to decide what weapons to use and how to approach each enemy as Bayonetta cannot block enemy attacks, so she needs to dance around her foes and strike at exactly the right time.


Will Bayonetta gain abilities and weapons as we continue through the game, like an action-RPG?

Hideki Kamiya: The game isn't an RPG but yes, in Bayonetta, by collecting in-game points and power-ups you can increase your health limit and magical powers, as well as adding special moves which you can learn and perfect over time.

We give the player lots of options to customise their combat style so they can decide exactly how they'd like to fight their enemies. As you progress through the game and amass more weapons and powers, you'll really see Bayonetta starting to kick some serious ass.

In an indirect way, Bayonetta will have an in-built fan base made up of those of us who have enjoyed some extremely popular games you've worked on: Viewtiful Joe, Devil May Cry, God Hand, Okami. How has this impressive backlog influenced Bayonetta - if at all?

Hideki Kamiya: All of the titles myself and the team have worked on have fed into this title to some extent. When you develop games you can't help but have each project rub off on you, and you're always looking to learn from each game you've worked on so you can use that experience for the future.

With Bayonetta we've been enabled to make the game we've always wanted to make, and we hope it's the game that players will really want to.


Can you talk more about the story and its origins? We know Bayonetta is a witch and fights angels, or at least monsters masquerading as angels.

Hideki Kamiya: Our influence for the story and for the look of the game came from lots of different things; from films, books and movies, and from architecture for some of our game-worlds. We're always on the lookout for fresh ideas for all parts of our games, from character design to gameplay mechanics.

With Bayonetta we wanted to go very big, and to create something that gamers hadn't seen before and we hope that gamers will think we've done a good job when they play the game.

What are your views on the afterlife? Would you like it to be populated by sexy witches? (I know I would).

Hideki Kamiya: Of course, who wouldn't want to be in an afterlife populated by sexy witches! Thanks!

Our thanks go to you too, in addition to the rest of the Platinum Games team and SEGA.

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Find out more about Bayonetta on the Bayonetta Gamezine game page.