Video Game / Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon

Spoilers from previous Bayonetta games may be unmarked. You Have Been Warned.

To save her beloved mother, she enters a forbidden forest… She meets an infernal demon, their fates intertwined…

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is a fantasy video game and spin-off of the Bayonetta series. It is developed by PlatinumGames exclusively for the Nintendo Switch and, as is now standard with the franchise, funded and published by Nintendo under license from Sega. The game was released on March 17, 2023.

Players take control of Cereza, the young witch who will one day become Bayonetta, as she sets off into the mysterious Avalon Forest to rescue her imprisoned mother. With the aid of Cheshire, her stuffed cat now possessed by an Infernal Demon, she will have to fight and puzzle-solve her way through the storybook inspired woods to gain the power needed to save her mum, on a journey to become the badass witch she is destined to be.

A gameplay teaser was available in Bayonetta 3 by purchasing the "Old Picture Book" item and collecting the Tricolored Keys during the post-game. A standalone demo consisting of the first two chapters was released on March 8, 2023, with progress carrying over into the full game.

Previews: Announcement Trailer, Story Trailer, Overview Trailer

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Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon contains examples of:

• 11th-Hour Superpower: During the final battle with Morgana, Cereza unlocks Witch Time, which activates with the same evasion mechanics as her adult self uses.
• Alice Allusion: The game is essentially Cereza in Wonderland, and Cereza even gets an unlockable costume that looks like Alice's iconic blue dress and pinafore (with Cheshire getting a Mad Hatter's top hat).
• All for Nothing: Stated by Morgana herself. She's trained numerous trainee witches over the years in the hopes that one of them will go into the forest and sacrifice their demon to free her son, Lukaon, from his spell. But many of the witches were unable to even reach Lukaon through the faeries' torture, and those that do (like Cereza) refuse to go through with the sacrifice. And in the end, she only gets enough time to hug her son before he fades away into light and she gets dragged off into Inferno.
• Anachronistic Animal: Or plant in this case. Given this is during Cereza's childhood, it should take place five hundred years in the past. Yet the Biologist's Journal's pages found during the game contains references to the Victoria amazonica plant (among other things), a South American plant which wasn't described by European naturalists until 1837. To say nothing of how the modern system of classification used by this in-game biologist itself only began in the eighteenth century.
• Antiquated Linguistics: The Faerie King, Púca. Cereza has trouble understanding his "accent".
• Arachnid Appearance and Attire: Like many Umbra Witches, Morgana's clothes reference the demon she has a pact with, a spider demon in this case. Her skirt has web patterns, and her bodice is decorated to look like a spider. It is a fitting motif, as a lurer of unwitting victims.
• Art-Shifted Sequel: In addition to a Genre Shift away from Stylish Action to Action-Adventure, Cereza and the Lost Demon foregoes the more realistic 3D visuals of the main games in favour of a cel-shaded, fairy tale art style.
• Ascended Extra: Lukaon, who appeared for a few cutscenes in 3, plays a bigger part in this game.
• Astral Projection: In Jeanne's side-story, she uses this ability in order to figure out what happened to Cereza.
• Bad Samaritan: Although Morgana is one of the few people who treats Cereza decently, she didn't become her mentor out of the goodness of her heart. She needed a pawn to rescue her son.
• Beam-O-War: During the showdown between Lukaon and Cheshire, the faerie wolf fires a beam of blue fae energy, while Cheshire enters his Super Mode and fires a beam of red demonic energy. The two struggle back and forth, but Cereza is able to empower Cheshire enough to overwhelm Lukaon.
• Bittersweet Ending: Morgana dies after her Umbral Watch is shattered but at least gets one moment of having a small embrace with her son before she's dragged off into Inferno and Lukaon dies from his curse. Meanwhile Cereza and Cheshire part ways but vow to see each other again when Cereza is much stronger. She also gets to see Rosa one final time before she heads off on a new adventure.
• Bookends: The game starts and ends with a dream of Cereza entering the prison where her mother is kept and her waking up from it.
• Call-Forward:
  • In Bayonetta 3, Cheshire's description depicted him as "The Lost One", whereas in this game he is called "The Lost Demon". He also gets the multiple eyes he has in Bayonetta 3 while in his Super Mode.
  • Back in the first game, Bayonetta and Luka had a couple conversations about rosemary being a demon repellent. Here, patches of rosemary serve as barriers that Cheshire cannot pass through.
  • The item used in Cereza's skill tree are onyx roses. In Bayonetta 1, Onyx Roses was the name of a shotgun weapon used by Cereza. The weapon's description says that it contains the souls of faeries, who gather the titular flowers that bloom in Inferno. Avalon Forest contains a number of plants native to Inferno, so the namesake roses also appear in this game.
  • When confronted by a pack of faeries early on, Cereza tells them to "flock off".
  • During a conversation with Cheshire, Cereza proclaims that when she becomes stronger, she's "going to do it with style".
  • Cereza and Cheshire kill Púca's Affinity angels by throwing them in the iron maidens meant for the young witch. This will inspire Bayonetta's iconic torture attacks.
  • After absorbing Cheshire's powers, Prince Lukaon's new form eerily resembles Strider, the form Luka Redgrave — a distant descendant/reincarnation of Lukaon — would obtain in 3.
  • At the start of Jeanne's Tale, the narrator mentions that she and Cereza "never missed a chance to compare strength". This was already seen in one of Bayonetta's flashbacks in 1; during Jeanne's ascension as a witch, she picked Cereza as her opponent for the battle, asserting that "It is not the first time we have faced one another" (much to the elder's dismay).
  • Invoked by the Affirmer of Phenomena (AKA Singularity) in Jeanne's Tale, as he straight up shows her visions of her future death to him in 3 to attempt to deter her from stopping his attempt to kill Cereza.
  • The description for the Arch-Eve Origin costume (her Bayonetta 3 attire) states how she will be reunited "with my true prince" referencing the end of 3, where that world's Bayonetta and Luka are a couple.
• Character Name and the Noun Phrase: Cereza and the Lost Demon.
• Chess Motifs: Faerie ranks are named after chess pieces. The most common are pawns, followed by the stronger knights. Three of the game's bosses are a bishop, a rook and a king.
• Circus of Fear: A group of faeries run a circus that lures children to turn them into Whisps. The ringmaster, Amadán Dubh, serves as a boss fight.
• Coming of Age Story: The game is about Cereza learning to grow up to become the Umbra Witch Bayonetta.
• Company Cross References: There's an optional Tír na nÓg named "Revengeance".
• Continuity Nod: Cereza sings "Fly Me to the Moon" — featured prominently in the first game — to Cheshire as a lullaby, with the narrator saying she remembered hearing it a long time ago, implying she's the same Cereza from the first game.
• Cosmic Motifs: Fairies have dark colored bodies with their faces consisting of haphazardly placed glowing dots for eyes, connected by white lines, evoking constellation imagery. This aesthetic is repeated in the designs of the Tír na nÓg, along with the core sometimes designed like a giant orrery.
• Cue the Sun: The sun rises after Cereza and Cheshire part ways.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Púca, the evil fairy responsible for the events of the game, gets wiped out by Morgana, the wife of the King of Avalon whom Púca killed, like it was nothing.
• Dainty Little Ballet Dancers: Cereza and Jeanne's outfits invoke this, with tutu-like skirts and ballet slippers. Taken even further, there's unlockable costumes for Cereza and Cheshire that reference Swan Lake.
• Darker and Edgier: Jeanne's bonus story, for one reason. Singularity is back. And he plans to kill young Cereza to regain his old powers in true Skynet fashion in a setting where the villains don't stoop to a level where they openly commit genocide.
• Demonic Possession: Cereza summons an Infernal Demon but, unable to use her hair as a medium to remain in the world, the demon binds itself to her plush toy cat, Cheshire (which, in turn, forces him to remain close to Cereza lest he lose his power and perish). In Jeanne's scenario, the demon ends up in her toy cat and she calls them Charles.
• Double-Meaning Title: The "Origins" represents how this is the origin story of the witch who will become Bayonetta, and also because Singularity declares this Cereza as Arch-Eve Origin.
• Don't Go in the Woods: Morgana, Cereza's tutor, is adamant that Cereza not to go into the woods due to her lack of power, lest she be gobbled up by a fairy.
• Dragged Off to Hell: Morgana's fate after Cereza and Cheshire defeat her.
• Early-Bird Cameo: The "Old Picture Book" in Bayonetta 3 is the first section of Chapter 2, demonstrating Cereza's half of the gameplay.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: Cereza finally gets to see her mother after traversing through Avalon Forest before she heads off on her quest to become stronger.
• Elemental Absorption: After Cereza absorbs the power of an Elemental Core, she can further absorb concentrations of that specific element through Avalon Forest. This not only gradually increases the gauge of magic Cheshire uses while transformed, but also opens new pathways.
• Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors: Mage type enemies can protect themselves with an elemental barrier. Cheshire has to use the barrier's apposing element to break it and attack the enemy.
• Empathic Environment: A Gray Rain of Depression falls over Avalon after the harrowing first encounter with the Jabberwock and Cereza's confidence is shattered.
• Expository Hairstyle Change: At the end of the game, Cereza changes her hairstyle to her beehive that Bayonetta from the first game would wear.
• The Fair Folk: Morgana (regularly, it's implied,) warns Cereza about the dangerous faeries that live in the woods. Sure enough, they make up the enemies she and Cheshire must face in Avalon Forest. It's shown to be true that fairies like trapping humans in their illusions, feeding on their life energy until they wither, then further keeping their souls to torment to draw further energy from their suffering. This creates Wisps.
• Fairy Dragons: One of the bosses is the Jabberwock, a powerful draconic faerie with a bifurcated lower jaw.
• Five-Second Foreshadowing: The narrator notes how odd it is that Morgana has such a tender look on her face when she sees the white wolf aka Lukaon. Then we get the Wham Line that reveals that Morgana is his mother.
• Flower Motifs:
  • Cherry blossoms for Cereza, as befits her name. Her health is represented by cherry blossoms.
  • Violets for Morgana, as Cereza picks some for her to make a bracelet for her mentor. Violets can mean everlasting love, mysticism and remembrance. Quite fitting for Morgana who deeply loves her son and the fact that she's connected to the fae.
• Foreshadowing: Isn't it quite convenient that Morgana's bracer allows Cereza to dispel the fairy illusions of the forest? Turns out it's not. Morgana's done this plenty of times before.
• Gameplay and Story Integration: The sanctuaries that Cereza passes upon throughout her trek through Avalon Forest were left behind by witches before her. Given how Morgana has been training witches for the exact purpose of freeing her son, this wouldn't be the first time.
• The Greatest Story Never Told: Jeanne's side-story ends this way, as she requests Cheshire to never reveal what happened to Cereza and the narrator requests to the player that the story remains their secret.
• Grievous Harm with a Body: During Chapter 11, Cheshire hurls Púca into a pair of fairy soldiers trying to sneak up on Cereza from behind.
• Half-Breed Discrimination: Aside from Cereza's status as a Child of Forbidden Love, Lukaon is seen as illegitimate by Púca's faction because he's half human, prompting the coup.
• Have a Nice Death: Whenever Cereza dies, a slide shows what became of her depending on how she died (anything from her body being encased in a glass coffin for eternity to being devoured by an unleashed Cheshire or being mourned by a fully restored Lukaon.)
• Healing Checkpoint: Resting at an Arcane Lantern restores Cereza's health in addition to giving the player a chance to make a manual save.
• Herald: A mysterious boy, later confirmed as a young Lukaon, appears to Cereza in a dream and tells her she can come to Avalon Forest to get stronger.
• Important Haircut: Cereza lops off her braid and uses the hair as thread to dress Cheshire's wounds.
• Inept Mage: Cereza is still learning basic sorcery. The reason her stuffed toy ends up a demon's vessel is because she cannot yet bind him with her hair, like other Umbra Witches.
• Interclass Friendship: This was always an Informed Attribute of Bayonetta and Jeanne's shared backstory, and it's on display here. Cereza is an outcast barely tolerated by the clan, whereas Jeanne is a prodigy loved by the clan. This is embodied by their dolls; Cheshire is handmade out of mismatched fabrics, and Charles is store-bought from a famous boutique.
• It's a Wonderful Failure: Upon dying, the text "The End" will be displayed, followed by a message corresponding to the current situation and the brief aftermath of Cereza's defeat.
• Legacy Boss Battle: Of a sort. Púca summons illusions of Affinity angels, said to be as strong as the real ones. While Affinities are the lowest enemies in the main games, for Cereza and Cheshire, they're a Wolfpack Boss.
• Lighter and Softer: This game is a considerably more fluffy and fairytale affair than previous Bayonetta games as it follows a teenage Cereza going off on an adventure to save her mother rather the series' usual blood-soaked apocalyptic save-the-world affair. Its ESRB rating is even Teen in contrast to the M-rated main series.
• Magic Dance: Cereza casts spells through dance, translated for the player as Rhythm Games.
• Meaningful Name: Morgana is named after Morgana le Fay who is usually associated as a sorceress or the fae, hinting that she is the mother of Lukaon.
• Mythology Gag: During the escape from Avalon Forest, Cereza tops off her first Thorn Bind of the sequence with "Don't mess with a witch!" - the same Bowdlerisation of her signature Precision F-Strike that was used in Bayonetta's Super Smash Bros. reveal trailer.
• The Narrator: As seen in the demo, a narrator provides exposition throughout cutscenes and gameplay, befitting the fairytale theming.
• Noble Wolf: There's a white wolf that seems to be observing Cereza, and she's drawn to follow the creature due to a recent dream. It's revealed to host the soul of Lukaon.
• Not in Kansas Anymore: After going through the portal at the end of Chapter 2:
  Cereza: Cheshire, I've a feeling we're not in Avalon anymore.
• Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: Illusions of Affinity angels show up as part of Puca's boss fight. For an inexperienced teenage Umbra Witch and a newborn demon, even the lowliest and least threatening creature in the Hierarchy of Laguna is a challenging opponent.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: The titular demon does not have a name, as he's actually a newborn. Cereza calls him "Cheshire" after the doll he's inhabiting, and in Jeanne's Tale, after he possesses her doll Charles, Jeanne similarly refers to him as such.
• Our Fairies Are Different: Fairies are explored as the main enemies of this game. There is a hierarchy signified by the lower ranks having four legs, while Elite Mooks have two, and being winged is a random mutation. They're highly skilled in illusion magic, to the point that they can form pocket dimensions and do real damage through their enchantments.
• Pet the Dog:
  • Morgana is strict with Cereza and was ultimately using her to free her son, but she did wear the bracelet of violets Cereza made for her.
  • In Rosa's profile, it's mentioned that some Umbran witches feel pity that Rosa humbly accepted her punishment, thus they pretend to ignore Cereza silently sneaking into the prison to spend time with her mummy.
• Point of No Return: After the battle with Prince Lukaon, speaking to his wolf form brings up a warning that the story is about to reach its conclusion. For those interested in 100% Completion, this is the time to go running around Avalon; for those who just want to see the story through, now is a good time to hit the nearby sanctuary and top up on potions.
• Plot Coupon: The mysterious boy sends Cereza to expand her power by finding and destroying four elemental cores.
• Plot-Mandated Friendship Failure: Cereza and Cheshire's tenuous partnership finally boils over after Cheshire attacks a Rosa illusion. They have a big fight and agree to part ways.
• Prequel: The story takes place during Cereza's childhood.
• Precision F-Strike: Owing to her younger age and the game's T rating, Cereza only gets to use one curse word right at the end, as Cheshire is returning to Inferno.
  Cereza: And you better be one hell of a ferocious beast the next time we meet!
• The Reveal:
  • Lukaon is the son of Morgana and Morgana has been training numerous witches over the years, leading them into Avalon Forest in the hopes that they will summon a demon that can be used for Lukaon to snack upon and free him from his curse.
  • A minor one comes from how Rosa's face is finally revealed at the end of the game and indeed, she does look like a Bayonetta herself in the main games.
• Rewatch Bonus: Morgana's conversation with Cereza in Chapter 3 — namely how she begrudgingly accepts the demon she summoned with "that'll have to do" and reminding Cereza that demons are weapons — becomes this in hindsight. She needs a demon as an offering to free her son, not to mention her dim view on demons in general.
• Rule of Symbolism: Throughout the game, Cereza's hair is a very large ponytail, and she's shown to be insecure and nervous. Like her hair is dragging down, her own fears are also keeping her from reaching to her full potential. When Cheshire's host body (the doll) is damaged, she cuts off most of it below the shoulder to use in mending the wound, showing that she's overcoming her fears. After everything she goes throughout the game, she styles her hair into the beehive that her future self will have, as she gains more confidence in herself.
• Screw Destiny: Played with in Jeanne's Tale. Singularity shows Jeanne a vision of her death at his hands from Bayonetta 3 and offers to spare her if she lets him take Cereza, and when she refuses he angrily declares her fate is sealed. The narrator is ambiguous as to whether or not Jeanne will be able to avert her destined death, positing that while fate may be immutable there's a chance she may be able to find "a true path".
• Sequel Hook: At the end of Jeanne's Tale, after saving Cereza and defeating the Affirmer of Phenomena, the narrator brings up the question of what happened to Jeanne after learning of her fatal fate from 3, as well as noting her resolve and spirit would guide her on a true path, suggesting there may be more adventures for Jeanne in the future.
• Ship Tease: Cereza is noted to have a crush on Lukaon. Appropriate, as they're destined to be Viola's parents (in his case via his human reincarnation Luka). Unlocking the Arch-Eve Origin costume (her Bayonetta 3 outfit) has a description that she will be reunited "with my only prince".
• So Proud of You: Rosa's words to her daughter once they reunite at the end of the game.
  Rosa: You have grown into a splendid witch, Cereza. You are going to be just fine.
• Sleep-Mode Size: When Cheshire exhausts his reserves of magical energy, signified by a gauge that depletes whenever he attacks or takes damage, he's forced to return to the form of a plushie and be carried around by Cereza to recharge. This is called Hug Mode.
• Spin-Off Babies: Naturally, as the game stars Bayonetta as a child. A young Jeanne is also present, appearing in Cereza's dream during the prologue. There's also a child version of Lukaon that appears in Cereza's dreams.
• Stealth Sequel: Or rather, Stealth Prequel. The first half of Chapter 2 is playable in Bayonetta 3 via the "Old Picture Book", with there being little indication that it was a demo for an entire spin-off title until the game was announced two months later at the Game Awards 2022.
  • Played straight with Jeanne's Tale, which has Singularity (Who the game titles "Affirmer of Phenomena") serve as the final boss, revealing that he's Not Quite Dead after the events of 3, with dialogue and visions of Jeanne's death in that game only proving he's already been through these events. He's prepared to kill young Cereza to reacquire his Phenomeneal Affirmation, with a young Jeanne and the demon (Now inhabiting Jeanne's doll Charles) being the ones that have to stop him.
• Stern Teacher: The narration describes Morgana as this and Morgana doesn't mince words when it comes to Cereza's training.
• Tamer and Chaster: The gameplay lacks the fanservice of the main games. Justified, as this is a prequel focusing on a child Bayonetta.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: It is made clear that the demon inhabiting Cheshire would rather have nothing to do with Cereza if he could help it, wanting to immediately return to Inferno. However, since leaving the stuffed animal's body will kill him, and leaving her side will effectively do the same, he has no choice but assist the young witch on her quest in hopes that she can figure out how to send him home when it's over.
• Together in Death: Averted. Lukaon fades away into light while his mother, Morgana, gets sent into Inferno when her Umbral Watch is shattered.
• Translation Convention: In a curious subversion, Cheshire speaks Enochian in-universe, but doesn't receive a specific voice actor; rather, the game's narrator speaks Cheshire's lines in an exaggerated deep voice. When the faerie king Púca is negotiating with Cheshire, he receives similar treatment and is identified as speaking Enochian in this scene, but he receives his own voice actor once he speaks to Cereza directly.
• Tragic Villain: Morgana is simply a mother who is desperate to do all she save her son, Lukaon, from the curse Púca put on him and mourning the loss of her husband. Tragically, the only time she gets to spend with him is for Lukaon to give her a hug before they are separated forever as he disintegrates into light and she getes pulled into inferno
• True Final Boss: After completing the main story, a secret chapter focusing on Jeanne becomes available, where she, with the help of the demon who's now possessing her doll Charles, has to face off against the "Affirmer of Phenomena", AKA Singularity, who captured Cereza in an attempt to kill her to reacquire Phenomenal Affirmation.
• Unmoving Plaid: A significant aspect of the art style is a static pattern on all cloth materials, most visible on Cheshire when he's transformed.
• Unwitting Pawn: Morgana tutored Cereza so she would summon a very particular demon, and then wander into Avalon Forest to sacrifice said demon and free her son Lukaon. And worse, Cereza isn't the first victim of this.
• Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: While Púca only at most staged a coup against the Fairy King that killed him and placed a curse on Lukaon unlike the Angels in the original game and 2 who openly commit mass genocide, in Jeanne's scenario, Singularity shows up. Yes, the same vicious maniac who wiped out over two thousand universes to collapse the entire omniverse into one singularity in Bayonetta 3 has survived in a heavily weakened state to exact revenge, with killing Cereza to regain his full strength being his goal.
• We Cannot Go On Without You: While Cheshire can revive as many times as he wants after getting knocked out, it's Game Over if Cereza runs out of health. Justified, since her magic is the only thing tethering him to life.
• Wham Line:
  • Cereza learns out how to save Lukaon, and realizes what the cost is.
    Lukaon: Cereza, you brought the sacrifice! That demon [Cheshire] is perfect, just what we need to break the curse.
  • When Cereza brings Lukaon to Morgana, the elder witch spits out:
    Morgana: You still don't get it? Do you know how long I prepared for the day my precious Lukaon would return!
• Wham Shot: The beginning of Jeanne's Tale has Cereza being petrified by a mysterious force, as the camera reveals Singularity as the cause, with later dialogue revealing he's not quite finished yet after the events of 3.
• What Measure Is a Non-Human?: Morgana and Lukaon have little respect for demons and see them as slaves to be used up and discarded. Cereza is horrified to learn that in order to free Lukaon, she must sacrifice Cheshire (and it's hinted that previous witches Morgana has trained have also refused to offer them up). Lukaon has a change of heart after Cheshire saves him, though.

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"I'm an Umbra Witch, just like my mum! Come on, let's dance!"