Sega releases 8-Bit Bayonetta on Steam, teases Bayonetta reveal

Back in 2010, on April Fool's no less, Platinum Games' 'joke' was the reveal of a sidescrolling, pixel art version of Bayonetta. At the time—as is the way with April Fool's—many of us immediately wanted to play it, and then felt sad that it didn't actually exist. Fast-forward to 2015, and a version of that game was made a reality, in the form of Platinum's 404 Error page. It's a bit of fun: a browser-based timewaster in which you can jump and fire bullets to avoid incoming enemies, while a chiptune version of the Bayonetta theme plays in the background.

Now, in the space year 2017, and again on April Fool's, Sega has re-released the newly renamed 8-Bit Bayonetta on Steam. It's the same free game as the one on that still-active 404 page, but with added Steam achievements sporting jigsaw-style puzzle pictures that, oooooh, combine to reveal a link to this teasing teaser page.

You'll notice a big timer on there counting down to April 11. Also, the image in the background is of Bayonetta's stylish gun-heels. The most likely explanation is that Sega will reveal a PC port of the original Bayonetta on April 11, but I suppose it could also be a new sequel, a collection of Bayonettas 1 and 2 (unlikely, seeing as Nintendo funded the Wii U-exclusive sequel), a giant April Fool's lie, or a match-three spin-off in the form of Bayonetta's Mean Bean Machine. I'm hoping for the latter, obviously.

In the meantime, have a go on this simple Bayonetta score attack game. Or play it online here, if you can't be bothered to download it.

Thanks, NeoGAF and Destructoid.

Tom Sykes

Tom loves exploring in games, whether it’s going the wrong way in a platformer or burgling an apartment in Deus Ex. His favourite game worlds—Stalker, Dark Souls, Thief—have an atmosphere you could wallop with a blackjack. He enjoys horror, adventure, puzzle games and RPGs, and played the Japanese version of Final Fantasy VIII with a translated script he printed off from the internet. Tom has been writing about free games for PC Gamer since 2012. If he were packing for a desert island, he’d take his giant Columbo boxset and a laptop stuffed with PuzzleScript games.