If you’re worried that Bayonetta will be too difficult for you, worry no more – the game’s Automatic mode will let you play the game with just one hand, and look badass while doing it.
Man, I remember back in the day, when Devil May Cry had a “Full Auto” option that made it slightly easier to pull off the game’s slick moves – though you felt like a bit of a wimp for using it. Spiritual successor Bayonetta seems to be following the same path, with Director Hideki Kamiya showing a preview of the game’s Very Easy Automatic mode in a video posted on the Platinum website – or, as he calls it, “Mommy Mode.”
Automatic mode can be used on Very Easy and Easy difficulties, and “leaves the most complex controls up to the CPU.” While the player can still control the character on screen if they want, Automatic mode will act as a helping hand, taking care of all of the carefully timed jumps, dashes, and dodges while the player just needs to worry about blasting the hell out of the enemy. Character designer Mari Shimazaki is holding the Xbox 360 controller in the video, and… pretty much just seems to be hitting one of two buttons in response to an indicator on the screen.
So, essentially, when Automatic mode is turned on, it reduces the game down to one giant Quick-time Event. Press the buttons in response to what it shows on the screen, watch as your buxom, gun-toting heroine shreds your demonic foes in a variety of nifty-looking ways. Interestingly enough, a similar “Gamer Hero” approach to notoriously difficult titles was proposed by Escapist columnist John Scott Tynes a couple of weeks ago – so clearly, we can give all of the credit to him. Thanks, John.
I find it hard to see a downside to this. If you want a challenging game, then don’t turn it on (and why are you playing on Very Easy, anyway)? This just makes the game accessible to those who aren’t button-mashing champs. Or, on the other hand, it leaves you a hand free in case you’d like to, uh, do something else with it.
Look, you guys can make the jokes. I’m just … not going to touch that one, okay?
