Review — Bayonetta 3 — Another Excellent Outing with Nintendo’s Favorite Witch

I believe that Bayonetta 3 is an excellent character action game that any fan of the genre would do well to play.

I believe that Bayonetta 3 is an excellent addition to Platinum’s repertoire of games, and is also a great addition to my collection of character action games.

As someone who has played through previous Bayonetta games, I have to say that for our third outing with our umbral witch friend, things (on normal difficulty) felt a little simpler and a little easier. I’m not sure why that is! Maybe it’s the weapons this time around, maybe it’s the seemingly generous enemy attack telegraphs, or perhaps it’s the added assistance of massive umbral demons. Whatever the case, in my first playthrough on normal, I didn’t die a single time and rarely used any consumables. I don’t mind it though! It let me appreciate the story and the mechanics before I now start focusing on honing my skills on the harder difficulties where those initial introductions won’t be the focus of the playthrough.

Circling back, I think this feeling of simplicity could be from Platinum Games doubling down on Bayonetta’s bizarre brand of climactic action-packed spectacles. With the ability to summon any massive demon in your arsenal during combat, you can practically will a mini-kaiju scale fight into existence whenever you want, each combat leading into end-of-chapter climaxes on an unbelievably grandiose scale. Seeing as this is the only big change to the DNA since the previous two entries, that’s what I’d place my bet on why it feels a little more simple. Though to mention, I found that the bigger scale didn’t make combat any less fun! But, I do believe many find enjoyment in their mastery of the deep combat systems, especially in the first entry of the series, so I think mentioning the feeling of lost minutia in combat is worth noting.

Again, that’s not to say this is a bad change! I enjoyed myself around every twist and turn of each chapter and verse, I loved the awe-inspiring direction of every chapter’s climax and still found myself lost in seas of serotonin whenever I could earn a pure platinum medal from popping off a series of perfectly executed dodges, intermixed with some insane combos, spiced with some assistance from any gargantuan demonic slam. It is an incredibly good time.

The story here is nothing to write about (and I’m not sure any of the games have been). But essentially, it’s Armageddon on a multiverse scale, and as one of the many Bayonettas, it’s your job to stop the madness and save all of the universes. Along the way, you’ll meet other Bayonettas and “borrow” their weapons and contracted demons somewhat like Pokemon, all furthering the size of your arsenal in the hopes that it will help you stop the apocalypse.

The game has an impressive number of chapters (many with corresponding secret chapters), and the game runs for about 20 hours as you skip across dimensions in stages with unique theming. The Switch’s hardware doesn’t allow for super extravagant-looking areas, but each has a linear path, with some hidden collectibles found hiding around nooks and crannies, so it paid to be a bit curious as I traversed these realms.

I was impressed with how many enemy types there are in this game. It seems like every chapter reveals several new fellas whose heads need bashing in. While I can’t tell the difference between some of them because of how they’re colored and designed, I appreciated that each combat scenario felt different. Even if the enemy variety wasn’t as diverse as it is, Bayonetta 3 is excellently paced in giving you new weapons and demons to try out, with at least one new pair for just about every chapter completion.

There are heaps of upgrades for every weapon and demon, (as well as Bayonetta, Viola, and eventually Jeanne) plus plenty of consumables to get your hands on as you collect all the various currencies found throughout the game. These all help your playthrough to feel almost unique to you, as you decide what weapons and demons you think are most fun to use.

Additionally, you’ll probably end the game with plenty of upgrades and cosmetics left to purchase (not to mention an exorbitantly priced ticket to fight Rodan), giving you as the player the slight nudge to try harder difficulties or play the endless mode, all furthering the games replayability and overall value. I’m beyond impressed with how dense the game is, and I would say in terms of content, this is the best Bayonetta for your buck.

I do have to mention my critiques, and one of them is Viola. I’m not a big fan of how they wrote her as a character in general, but her playstyle is especially jarring to get used to. You’re only required to play as her for 3 chapters, but because of how different she plays, they seem to take forever. I think it’s quite egregious that the devs thought it a good idea to put the witch time activation behind not just a completely different button, but behind an action that requires more perfect timing as compared to Bayonetta. Baffling to me. I don’t know why they wouldn’t just change the animation and leave the rest the same.

The only other thing that bothered me was how some of the challenge stages had just the slightest lack of detail that would make them almost impossible. There are a couple of stages that specifically require you to do combat in the air to complete them, but the game fails to tell you what kinds of combos keep you in the air. So unless you’re willing to research every combo in the game, or google what you should do, you’re dead in the water. Most of the challenge stages seem to be puzzling to get you to think more critically about the game design and weapon combos (like a tutorial), so I thought having some that seemed impossible without outside help was weird.

Lastly, without spoiling anything, I thought the finale was cool, and I had my moment fangirling over what was going on, and whatever. But I am not happy with the post-credits scene. If they keep this narrative trajectory for future games, there is a large chance I will skip the next entries. It’s a bizarre choice and you’ll probably know exactly what I mean when you get to that point.

Ultimately, I have a very high opinion of Bayonetta 3, and I do think that many of the game’s elements come together to make a cohesive and compelling game for all sorts of players across a broad spectrum. I get there’s a small subset of players that aren’t into the pseudo-biblical designs, the scantily clad dancing witches, or whatever else it may be in this series… but for those who can put those reservations aside, and for those who are just plain interested… y’all are in for an absolute blast of a time that you won’t regret. Kaiju scale fights, weapons, and combos to keep you entertained for days, set pieces to make you drool (at least for Switch standards), and action sequence after action sequence to keep you entertained for as long as you’re willing to engage with, certainly makes for a great addition on any Nintendo Switch, but especially for those who have been keeping up with the franchise.

Originally published 7 May 2023 at https://www.backloggd.com.