SEGA Europe have confirmed what most people had expected since their teaser website went up, and that’s the fact that the original Bayonetta is being released on PC, exclusively on Steam. What we didn’t anticipate is that the game is already available on Steam right now. And for a limited time only, the Digital Deluxe Edition is available at no extra cost to all those who purchase the game before April 25. The Digital Deluxe Edition includes a 5 track soundtrack sampler and digital art book from the original Climax Edition, enhanced with concept art, and exclusive wallpapers and avatars. The game is priced at $19.99/€19.99, similar to the cost of the highly successful PC version of Valkyria Chronicles.
I imagine Bayonetta will prove to be a success for SEGA as well, as the game was one of the best action games of the past console generation. That said, the PS3 version, ported by SEGA rather than PlatinumGames, was notably inferior to the Xbox360 version. The game was later ported to Nintendo’s Wii U and released alongside the Nintendo exclusive Bayonetta 2. However, the PC version has a number of graphical improvements that will likely make it the definitive version.
Like on Xbox360, Bayonetta on PC will run up to 60 FPS (with cut scenes at 30 FPS). However, at the moment the game doesn’t support an unlocked framerate on PC. On the other hand, the resolution is indeed unlocked. While it’s stated that it supports up to 4k ultra HD at 3840×2160, Durante’s report notes that it can in fact go higher. In addition, more graphic options have been added compared to the console release, including scalable texture and shadow quality. The game also supports keyboard and mouse controls, and it’s fully Steam supported with Steam achievements, Steam cloud save, trading cards, leader boards, and big picture mode.
Also interesting is that the PC version also features the Japanese voice over alongside the English one. In this case, I probably prefer the English version, not in the least because Hellena Taylor’s memorable performance as the voice of Bayonetta. Sega Europe notes that they are continuing to explore PC port options, and are looking forward to sharing more news soon. Below you can see a bunch of media for the game, including the PC launch trailer, a dev diary with interviews with the team behind Bayonetta, as well as screenshots, artwork and wallpapers. You may also want to check out check out Durante’s article on PC Gamer for a more detailed look at the technical side of the PC version.
Trailer
Dev Diary
Screenshots
Key art
Wallpapers
It’s really great they took their time to make a proper port, and even extra promotion for it, let’s see what else comes in the future, I hope they don’t stop like they did with the Dreamcast HD ports after JSR (I still want to play Skies on Vita lol)