20 Best Video Game Opening Levels Of The Last 10 Years

17. The Falling Clock Tower - Bayonetta

Platinum Games have redefined the video game version of 'insanity', with Bayonetta being their most OTT yet. The game's tutorial sees you play as a near-naked Bayonetta herself, practicing high-kicks and gun combos (which fire from cartridges in her heels), only for the first level itself to take place on a forever-plummeting church clock face.

As you do.

If you've played any of the studio's titles you'll know this to be par for the course, but back in 2009 they were just getting started, Bayonetta being one hell of a statement of intent. The sheer level of ingenuity and creativity present in both cutscenes and gameplay feels like a group of hardcore anime and western action fans got together, before throwing every possible idea at the wall, only for them all to stick.

Rumours of Bayonetta 3 are already doing the rounds for E3, and being Platinum canning Scalebound presumably means they're going all out with current-gen tech. Lord only knows what that's going to look like...