PlatinumGames faced significant challenges while trying to ensure that Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon could maintain a steady 60 frames per second on the Nintendo Switch. A high-ranking company representative recently shed light on the reasons behind the decision to let go of the pursuit of this performance benchmark.

The debate around frame rates has always been a hot topic in the gaming community. Achieving a consistent 60 FPS is particularly crucial in genres that demand quick reactions, such as first-person shooters and action-packed titles like Bayonetta Origins.

PlatinumGames' Struggle for a Stable 60 FPS in Bayonetta Origins

Despite not receiving intense scrutiny for its frame rate, the director of the latest Bayonetta installment, Abebe Tinari, disclosed that the team invested significant effort in attempting to lock the game at 60 FPS. Tinari recognized the decision to cap the frame rate of the Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door remake at 30 FPS, expressing empathy towards Nintendo's choice, while revealing that PlatinumGames persistently aimed for a stable 60 FPS for Bayonetta Origins for an extended period.

While achieving remarkable milestones with Bayonetta Origins, the studio eventually had to relinquish the goal of a consistent 60 FPS, as it proved unattainable without compromising the game's visual quality. Tinari elaborated that the game's art style heavily relied on post-processing effects, each incurring a performance cost. Sacrificing these effects to achieve a stable 60 FPS would have significantly impacted the game's aesthetics, which were highly praised as one of its key strengths.

The Challenge of Variable Frame Rates in Bayonetta Origins

Although PlatinumGames succeeded in maintaining a steady 60 FPS in Bayonetta Origins' Tír Na Nóg sections, sustaining this performance level in the forest stages posed difficulties. The team confronted a dilemma between implementing a variable frame rate or capping the entire game at 30 FPS. After contemplating a variable frame rate cap that would restrict some levels to 30 FPS while allowing others to run at double that rate, the idea was discarded due to the jarring transition from 60 to 30 FPS, as disclosed by Tinari.

After thorough evaluation, the studio opted for a variable frame rate as the optimal compromise between performance and preserving the game's artistic vision. Tinari drew parallels with Nintendo's approach in the The Thousand-Year Door remake, emphasizing that capping the game at 30 FPS was a deliberate decision and not a result of negligence, contrary to some online speculations.