It’s been an eight-year wait for Bayonetta 3. In the world of video games, especially where sequels are concerned, that’s a lifetime and usually has you wondering whether or not the game hasn’t succumbed to delayed sequelitis. So after eight years, we finally get to find out if Bayonetta 3’s development cycle was worth the wait. Would it surpass its predecessors or sink under the weight of our lofty expectations?
Starring Bayonetta. . .
Life can never be quiet for our Umbra witch star. A quiet day of shopping descends, as it usually will, into mass chaos as a new threat reveals itself. It’s not just the end of the world but rather the end of all worlds. For the multiverse is in danger of annihilation and only Bayonetta can stop it. Well, Bayonetta, her friends and the new character Viola.
Bayonetta 3 hits the ground running and doesn’t stop. Platinum Games throws everything and the kitchen sink at you from the get-go. It’s one blistering, insane, bombastic set piece after another. What’s even more impressive is that Platinum has somehow managed to continue this inventive, explosive action tour de force throughout the game’s entire thirteen-hour-plus run. What most games would use as an action finale, Bayonetta 3 uses a mini-boss fight or, perhaps even, just a standard combat sequence.
One of the reasons it does work as well as it does is that Platinum has taken a design leaf from their Nier development guide. While not as extensive as in Nier, Bayonetta 3 also offers up some different play styles and mini-games to break up the constant action bombardment. A cool little Elevator Action sequence, Kaiju fights and side-scrolling missions pepper the gameplay. When you’re not fighting, there’s light environment exploration to engage in, items to find, combat missions to undertake for power-ups and specific level challenges to complete. For the most part, it’s a blistering, white-knuckle ride that rarely lets up.
. . . And Bayonetta Too. . .
Of course, the meat of the game is the combat and it’s just as tight and excellent here as it’s ever been. The base combat is extremely responsive with plenty of moves to use. It’s no exaggeration to say that Bayonetta’s default move set can carry you through the game easily. But Platinum has expanded on her move set with a skill tree that you can buy new moves from. While I went through half the game just using the default move set when I started opening up new moves the combat expanded considerably with a wealth of new offensive options to play around with.
The largest addition to the combat is the new Demon Slave system. Your summons from previous games, including new ones here, can now be controlled. Bayonetta dances her life away while you take control of these massive powerhouse monstrosities to decimate the enemy ranks. Each demon acquired also gives you a new weapon to use and gifting you with a hybrid form that can be used for traversal and combat as well. Be careful though, while summoning a demon, Bayonetta is vulnerable to attack and any damage taken releases the summon. If that wasn’t enough, each demon also has a skill tree to unlock even more moves and combos for you to invest time in.
While Jeanne makes a small playable cameo, it’s punk rock princess Viola that you will be spending more time playing as, outside of Bayonetta herself that is. Viola favours a katana and, when using her Cheshire summon, goes hand-to-hand with the enemy. Some of her charged-up katana moves are stupidly devastating. The biggest change to playing her is that her Witch Time is activated through a perfect parry and this is much harder to pull off than a perfect dodge.
. . . In The Multiverse of Madness!
Traditionally, action is meant to serve the story but here the story serves the action. Bayonetta 3’s story is easily the game’s weakest aspect. It’s not terrible mind you, but it really is just an excuse to engage in some Marvel-style Multiverse shenanigans. Heroes fight heroes, worlds are sundered and there are plenty of quips to go around, along with the logic-bending, planet-sized plot holes that just seem to be par for the course. There’s something about a milk toast villain trying to destroy all reality for some reason that’s never fully fleshed out and, well that’s it really. As a vehicle for ushering in a new age of protagonists and, seemingly, concluding Bayonetta’s story, it does well enough with the fan service and requisite heart-in-throat moments. It’s that nostalgia and history with the series that matters though.
It does, however, do a better job of showcasing multiple realities for you to play through as there’s a significant amount of time spent running around the crumbling cities and war-torn locations. And while I would have liked some clearer definitions, ultimately I didn’t mind because the certain body parts to the wall gameplay kept me thrilled from start to finish.
There are some caveats to this package though.
Level design isn’t a patch on previous games I have to say. This time around, while the locations are quite large and some more memorable than others, they lack the tight definition and details from previous games in the series. The only reason I can see for this has to do with keeping the game’s frame rate steady rather than a lack of creativity on the design team’s side. I think the gameplay itself speaks bundles for that aspect.
There’s also a dynamic frame rate in play and the game does drop to a lower resolution enough to be noticeable. Make no mistake, the game isn’t ugly but clearly, that frame rate brings with it some compromises. As for the frame rate during combat, I can’t recall any moment where I suffered lag or frame drops and in a title like this where quick reflexes are in need, you want all the stability in the world.
Finally, there’s the game’s difficulty. There are four difficulty options, one unlocked after you complete the main game. On the default difficulty, I found the game to be a bit on the easy side. I’d like to say my history with the series along with some god-tier combat skills made the game a breeze, but I feel like the default difficulty has been adjusted for players of all skill levels to make it through. You can change the difficulty between missions but I think seasoned players may want to start on the hardest difficulty from the get-go.
Rounding out the package are a series of unlockables and in-depth lore, item and enemy descriptions. There are some wonderful character and enemy detail sheets to pore over along with concept art to look through. Unlockable 3D Models are in the games Gallery section while in game you have quite a codex to pore through. Most of these, including music for the jukebox, are hidden across the world for you to find.
There’s also some light post-game content to engage in, including a hidden level that promises to be continued and Witch Trials, which are essentially a series of combat arenas to take on. Of course, you can also replay missions for better scores, specifically that coveted Platinum trophy while searching for any items and fights you may have missed.
Platinum Games have completely outdone themselves with Bayonetta 3. The weak story and Spartan-level design certainly don’t affect the game’s quality as far as I’m concerned. It’s been a long time since a game has kept me glued to the screen the way this has. I’m here for the combat, and in that respect, Platinum has delivered a hundred-fold. With over-the-top action, ballistic set piece after set piece and a combat system that is one of the finest ever developed, Platinum Games haven’t just delivered this year’s best action game, but one of the best period. Bayonetta 3 isn’t a game you think about getting, it’s one you just do.
Grab your copy here https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-games/Bayonetta-3-2045649.html
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