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.

Latest in Action
Onimusha 2 cover art
If you were worried Onimusha 2 won’t be hard enough, I have great news: Hell mode is here to ruin your life
Image of Yasuke striking an enemy in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows has convinced me that Ubisoft will never make a good RPG
Assassin's Creed Shadows Twitch Drops - An upper-body shot of Yasuke standing in a battlefield at night, lit by a fire.
All Assassin's Creed Shadows Twitch Drops and how to get them
Best Assassin's Creed Shadows armour - Naoe with her arm back about to attack with a katana.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows sneakily tones down the mess players can make across Japan’s religious sites in its day one patch
assassin's creed shadows protector's armor
Grab this ridiculously overpowered Yasuke armor as soon as possible in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Split Fiction trailer still - Zoe and Mio staring into a large pipe
A pair of Split Fiction players will be heading to Sweden for an early look at Hazelight's next game after completing a secret challenge so tough, some developers can 'barely' beat it
Latest in News
Two airships fire broadsides into each other's hull in Echoes of Elysium.
In this airship-building survival game, I faced an enemy worth punching trees over: 'The hubris of man'
Onimusha 2 cover art
If you were worried Onimusha 2 won’t be hard enough, I have great news: Hell mode is here to ruin your life
A mascot character from The Finals winks at the camera while brandishing a minigun.
The Finals new season is here, toting permanent team deathmatch and a giant minigun
Astarion, a silver-haired vampire from Baldur's Gate 3, places a hand on his chest and pouts.
Wizards of the Coast gaming head says Baldur's Gate 3 'certainly raised the bar' and changed how they think about big budget D&D, but they still want 'different entry points' including smaller games
A jester eating a banana
'He's just gonna show up one day and say, here's 100 new jokers:' Balatro's publisher doesn't know how big the 1.1 update will be or when it's coming
Gabe Newell in a Valve promotional video, on a yacht.
Marketing guy invents the concept of 'Real Steam' to explain why 'magic' games, AKA good games, end up selling: 'Don't tell Valve'