Bayonetta has actually been near the top of my must-own games for 2009 since it was announced. Directed by the creator of the Devil May Cry series, Hideki Kamiya, it hopes to provide over-the-top cutscenes and gameplay full of innuendo. Yesterday, I was able to get a small preview of the music via a developer-driven demo. From the trailers, there has definitely been some jazz music, but was there anything else worthy of note?
Check out the small preview after the jump!
As the demo started, the first thing about the music that I noticed was a mix of heavy choir usage with bombastic orchestra that gave a very gothic style to the overall music. It definitely helped set the scene of the game, given all the demons you’ll be facing. This style of music was used a few times, sometimes with industrial beats mixed in. The end of the demo featured a boss fight against a dragon in the sky. As I expected, the music had a mix of choir, organ, and strings. This was one of my favorites of the demo because while creating the tension needed for a boss fight, it also managed to throw in some mysterious and haunting undertones.
While this music was good, I was more impressed by the jazzy side of the soundtrack. One of the miniboss battle themes was a vocal jazz piece that really focused on the use of piano mixed with some more electronic influences. I found the choice of music, at first, a bit surprising, but it also ended up working really well. Some more jazz was seen in a different area of the game. This jazz, as opposed to the more upbeat vocal theme I had heard previously, had a bit of a “smoky” atmosphere, like the kind heard in old detective films.
Unfortunately, the demo was short and I didn’t get a chance to delve any further into the musical direction of the soundtrack. At the end of the demo, however, there was a short Q&A with Hideki Kamiya, so of course I asked about the musical direction of the game. Kamiya told me that while you’ll hear more grungy, orchestral sounds for some of the more dramatic scenes in the game, the jazz was chosen to personify Bayonetta. He noted, “being a sexy elegant female, I wanted Bayonetta’s sexiness to be portrayed through the music, so that’s the reason we ended up going with the jazz music.”
So, there you have it. When Bayonetta drops this fall, presumably with an OST release as well, you can expect to hear a mix of sexy and dramatic music. Are you looking forward to the game or the soundtrack? Are you a fan of the Devil May Cry series?
Tags: Bayonetta, Devil May Cry, E3 2009, Jazz, Orchestra, Previews, SEGA, Videogame
I’ve never heard of Bayonetta, although I’m glad you brought it to my attention. Gothic/jazz mix… interesting.
I watched some demos of this game, but the lines were so long, it was nuts. Unfortunately didn’t hear much of the music. Norihiko Hibino is doing the cutscene music though! That’s exciting.