Golem

The Golem is a major enemy in the games so far, Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2. In the first game, it appears to be a large ball made of square interlocking blocks which can be rearranged to take many different forms, all of which resembling Bayonetta's own Infernal Demons. The player only encounters two of them in the main story, while a third is encountered in an Alfheim level. The first time it appears in Chapter IX, Bayonetta will undergo a dangerous chase sequence, after which it becomes a major obstacle for the rest of the chapter.

The Golem in Bayonetta 2 takes a more streamlined and smaller look, being able to transform its pieces into different shapes instead of just rearranging them into different configurations in order to attack Bayonetta. This Golem is the 'original' that was created by Aesir as a means to guard the Remembrances Of Time he created. Like in the first game, it will hound Bayonetta and Loki over the course of 2 chapters until she is able to destroy it.

Bayonetta
"Long ago, to protect their homeland from invasion, the Umbra and Lumen came together to develop a giant weapon. Only the Lumen and Umbra knew the secrets to controlling its enormous form, causing it to transform into monsters capable of attacking foes. The Golem, as they called it, would become more powerful in accordance to its master's strength. The Golem's control center is its core, which receives the orders of its master. It is the weaker point of the device; however, no weapon is capable of destroying it. Numerous Golems were constructed in case of war, but were secreted away in another dimension. Now, even 500 years after the two clans' destruction, Golems remain hidden away, still under their master's orders."

Bayonetta 2
"A biological weapon made by the God of Chaos as a means of protecting his city. It is able to freely shapeshift into countless biological creatures, accessing their signatures and morphing its liquid metal body into their form. Upon encountering an invader, Golem immediately analyzes the threat level and switches to the most appropriate battle form for their disposal. With the God of Chaos presently absent, it is still said to lie dormant, ready to obliterate those who would carelessly enter Aesir's realm."

Guardian
"God made a special place to protect his Remembrances of Time, which came to be known as the Garden of God. The garden needed a strong protector to watch over his creations. The guardian was a robot-like solider, built to obey only the orders of its creator. It could change its form freely to whatever would defeat its opponent in the swiftest manner possible.

''With time, humans discovered the fearful soldier God had created and imitated this technology to build their own solider of war, the Golem. While Golem was originally intended to be used as a protector of their homelands, its power became too great to control. Eventually, mankind was left with no other choice but to seal the Golem off in another dimension.''

''As for the original guardian that God created, what it's doing now is anyone's guess. Who knows, it might still be lying in wait somewhere, keeping its territory safe from intruders. This means that it's not the safest bet to be loitering around in any kind of sacred realm if you catch my drift." ''- The Journal's Echoes

Gameplay (Bayonetta)
When the first battle against Golem begins, it will randomly change forms to use various different attacks. The location of its exposed core differs depending on the particular form it has chosen. Upon beating a Golem and summoning the Infernal Demon Hekatoncheir, several pairs of its large hands appear to play volleyball with it. One set of hands flubs a return and the demon pauses for a moment before all its hands begin to pummel the Golem until it is destroyed.
 * Arms - As a pair of arms, Golem will either slam Bayonetta with one of its fists or crush her by clapping its hands together. The core is at the base of its arms. Golem favors this form and will use it frequently.
 * Dragon - In its dragon form, Golem will try to deliver a fast snap attack with its jaws. The core is located on top of its head.
 * Raven - Golem's raven form will flap its wings to create two small tornadoes and can also charge at Bayonetta. Golem clings to its core with its talons.
 * Centipede - Golem will spin its body around for a few seconds, during which it can hurt Bayonetta if she touches its body. The core is on top of its head.
 * Spider - Golem has two attacks in spider form. The first is to shoot a fireball from its core, and the second is to leap into the air and try to crush Bayonetta. The core is fitted into its head.

Gameplay (Bayonetta 2)
Golem returns in the sequel, though in a more compact and easily changeable form compared to the first game. In order to do damage, Bayonetta must use her weapons to damage its outer shell directly rather than wait for the opportune moment to strike. Like in the first game, the Golem can transform into different shapes. Upon defeating the Golem during the second battle with it, Bayonetta once again summons Hekatoncheir to defeat it. This time being able to successfully spike the intact core after destroying its outer shell with punches, the demon is able to use the Golem's body to destroy the last remaining piece of the barrier surrounding the Gates Of Hell.
 * Initial - The Golem's default configuration and most compact. It primarily attempts to attack by spinning around like a top into the ground, either aiming at Bayonetta herself or moving around her in an arcing motion. It can also fire laser attacks from each corner of its diamond body incredibly quickly, making it difficult to dodge.
 * Beast - Resembling a four-legged animal of some kind, this configuration will sweep its feet or headbutt at Bayonetta. It can also close distances rather quickly with a lunge attack if she is far away or can choose to fire at her from afar with projectiles from its tail.
 * Wing - Similar to the Raven form from the first game, this configuration allows Golem to use sonic waves of energy to blast Bayonetta back as well as send out an attack of blue crescent shapes that appear with each wing flap. Like the default form, it can also spin and impale itself into the ground.
 * Blade - Arguably the most dangerous of the configurations, the Golem's Blade form resembles a turret and allows it to both fire energy projectiles and also thrust physically at Bayonetta with the cannon on its top half. It can also spin the cannon around in a circle, dragging it along the ground in an attempt to uppercut the witch.
 * Abstract - A form that only appears when chasing Bayonetta and Loki up a spiral staircase tower, this form is able to latch onto other surfaces and destroy them with its sheer bulk.

Trivia

 * The walls that must be attacked repeatedly to open in the first game are in fact a type of a Golem, according to Hideki Kamiya.
 * The Golem, from the first game, bears a strong resemblance to Yami, the final boss of Okami, in its design.
 * The Golem's initial forms in Bayonetta are based on the Infernal Demons: Hekatoncheir, Gomorrah, Malphas, Scolopendra, and Phantasmaraneae. During its appearances, it will not turn into a form based on a demon that Bayonetta has not yet summoned in other chapters.
 * If Bayonetta is crushed by the Golem's ball form in the first game, she becomes flattened in a cartoon-like fashion and loses a tiny bit of health.
 * The "Tumeekey" enemies from The Wonderful 101 bear a resemblance to the Golem and function nearly identically, changing their form in order to copy the player's abilities. The resemblance comes to a full circle in Bayonetta 2, as the new Golem's default form heavily resembles the Tumeekey's octahedron form, as well as having attacks that reference the Tumeekey's.
 * The Golem's beast configuration in Bayonetta 2 is reskinned and used as the basis for the Labolas boss fight in Tag Climax mode.
 * Bayonetta 2's Golem looks similar to the Ramiel from Neon Genesis Evangelion.