Bayonetta is a third-person action game developed by PlatinumGames and published by Sega. <br />The game was originally released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in Japan in October 2009, and in North America and Europe in January 2010. <br />The game was later released on the Wii U alongside its sequel, Bayonetta 2, releasing in September 2014 in Japan and worldwide the following month. A port for Microsoft Windows was released in April 2017. <br /> <br />Bayonetta takes place in Vigrid, a fictional city in Europe. <br />The game stars the titular character, a witch who is capable of shapeshifting and using various firearms. <br />She also possesses magical attacks, and she can use her own hair to summon demons to dispatch her foes. <br />The game features a rating system, which gives players a grade based on their performance, and a combat system that is similar to the Devil May Cry series. <br /> <br />Development of the game was started in January 2007, with Hideki Kamiya being the game's director. <br />According to Kamiya, the game was completely original, though he drew some inspirations from some Scandinavian mythology, and played Devil May Cry 4 for reference. <br />The game's theme is "sexiness", and that the characters were designed to be "fashionable". <br />Kamiya and artist Mari Shimazaki spent more than a year to create Bayonetta's design. <br />Several demos were released for the game prior to its launch. Bayonetta was the third project released by PlatinumGames, which was founded by former Clover Studios' employees. <br /> <br />Upon release, the game received very positive reviews. <br />The game was praised for its combat, presentation and soundtrack, but was criticized for its story and quick-time-events. The game sold over 1.35 million units worldwide as of 2010, but Platinum was disappointed with the game's sales. The game was awarded and nominated for several end-of-the year accolades. An anime film adaptation of the game by Gonzo, titled Bayonetta: Bloody Fate, was released in Japan in November 2013.
