Bayonetta Special Effects Design

Bayonetta

How important are special effects in a video game? So important, that it can often be difficult to imagine what a fast-paced action extravaganza like Bayonetta would look like without them.

The team over at Platinum Games has another development update for you, and this time, it's special effects designer Kudo who takes center stage. He begins by saying that although most gamers understand what a "special effect" is, when it comes to the actual process, they don't completely "get it." Perhaps the best explanation is the visual aid he has provided there in the form of video comparisons: in the first video, you can see what Bayonetta looks like with special effects and in the second, what the gameplay looks like when the effects are non-existent. ...kind of a drastic difference, huh? Added Kudo:

"Bayonetta's weapons, the impact of the hits, the enemy attacks, the smoke flowing out in the background, etc. When you have effects on, I think you can see that things seem more exhilarating, enemy attacks are easier to understand, and the atmosphere is played up more, amongst other things. I can't really explain in too much detail without venturing into spoilers, but in the scenes we feel fit to call "Climax Action" the effects change pretty substantially."

One can make immediate comparisons to the long-running and popular Devil May Cry franchise (which shouldn't be too surprising, as Bayonetta creator Hideki Kamiya designed the character of Dante), and that's not a bad thing. We've always loved the frenetic action of such titles and to have a female protagonist definitely puts a twist on the classic gameplay style. That chick is gonna have her own style, but she wouldn't shine half so brightly without those special effects. While you're there, check out other aspects of the game's development, including a recent post about how they went about producing the backgrounds. Great stuff.

Related Game(s): Bayonetta

7/6/2009 Ben Dutka

Put this on your webpage or blog:
Email this to a friend
Subscribe to Ben Dutka on Twitter