Summary
PlatinumGames went to great lengths in its attempts to makeBayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demonrun at a stable 60 frames per second on theNintendo Switch. That’s according to a senior company official, who recently offered some keen insights into the studio’s decision to ultimately abandon the idea of trying to make itsSwitchmeet that performance target.
The issue offrame rate has long been a source of never-ending debatesamong gamers. Hitting a stable 60 FPS is generally considered more important when it comes to genres that emphasize reaction times, like first-person shooters or action games in the vein ofBayonetta Origins.
PlatinumGames Tried Making Bayonetta Origins Stable at 60 FPS ‘For a Long Time’
Although the latestBayonettagame didn’t attract too much scrutiny with regard to its frame rate, its director, Abebe Tinari, has nowrevealedthat the studio was still doing its best to hit a stable 60 FPS. Reflecting on the debate about thePaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Doorremake’s frame rate, Tinari revealed that he empathizes with Nintendo’s decision to cap the game at 30 FPS, stating that PlatinumGames tried to makeBayonetta Originsstable at 60 FPS “for a long time.”
While the developermanaged to achieve some impressive things withBayonetta Origins, it eventually had to abandon its original performance target, finding it unfeasible to meet without sacrificing too much fidelity. Elaborating on that point, Tinari explained thatCereza and the Lost Demon’s art style is dependent on post-processing effects that may not seem obvious individually, but all come with a performance cost. Doing away with VFX just to hit a stable 60 FPS would have hence had a major impact on the game’s visuals, which were widely touted as one of its biggest strengths.
A Variable Frame Rate Cap in Bayonetta Origins ‘Felt Extremely Jarring’
While PlatinumGames did manage to makeBayonetta Origins' Tír Na Nóg stagesrun at a stable 60 FPS, the developer was unable to maintain that performance target in the forest levels. It eventually found itself with a choice between having a variable frame rate and capping the entire game at 30 FPS. This was after the studio considered a variable frame rate cap that would limit some levels to 30 FPS while allowing others to run at double that rate. The idea was abandoned because going from 60 to 30 FPS “felt extremely jarring,” Tinari said.
Following extensive testing, the studio decided that a variable frame rate offered the best compromise between performance and realizing its artistic vision. Tinari suggested he’s certain that Nintendo did something similar withThe Thousand-Year Doorremake, concluding that the decision to cap that game at 30 FPS certainly wasn’t made lightly, or out of laziness, like some people have suggested on social media.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon
WHERE TO PLAY
Once upon a time, there was a young witch named Cereza… Long before this trainee of the dark arts would come to be called Bayonetta, she took a fateful journey into the forbidden Avalon Forest. Alongside her was Cheshire, her very first demon, possessing Cereza’s stuffed toy. Play as both Cereza and Cheshire and search through the treacherous forest to look for the power to save Cereza’s mother.
