It would be one thing for Bayonetta to be strutting about half-naked in a world of Puritan clergymen and Amish settlers. That, at the very least, would be a bit out of place. But the world and atmosphere of the games is so steeped in sensuality and so heavily stylized that Bayonetta herself blends right in. This is perfectly in-line with Platinum's overarching design philosophy of turning the dial so far past 11 that you have to draw additional settings on the freaking thing. Rodin, the bartender from Hell; Jeanne, Bayonetta's skintight leather-clad foil; and the IP's plethora of side characters all absolutely ooze style. They've all been hand-tailored with a very specific theme in mind. This is to say nothing of the soundtrack's eclectic combination of timeless jazz and new-age J-Pop. Hell, you could even argue that the game's many angelic enemies have been fetishised€”the term fetish, of course, not being limited to attraction but also applying to inordinately heightened qualities. Bayonetta isn't a veritable Umbren (her witch faction) Aphrodite because she's a woman. Hell, her partners would probably be put off if she wasn't!
A freelance games writer, you say? Typically battling his current RPG addiction and ceaseless perfectionism? A fan of horror but too big a sissy to play for more than a couple of hours? Spends far too much time on JRPGs and gets way too angry with card games?
Well that doesn't sound anything like me.
