A new Bayonetta game is like bringing the circus to town. Of course, Bayonetta is the ringmaster, and she appears out of nowhere with boxcars full of odd monsters, unusual allies, hazardous spells, exquisite apparel, and infinite promises to wow. Her storylines don’t always make sense, but they’re full of melodrama and action, magic and bullets, and once Bayonetta steps into the limelight, there’s no turning back. Not when she’s dancing her way through a spell in a dress fashioned of her own hair, while 40-story creatures struggle for her life behind her.
Bayonetta 3 is packed with traditional Bayonetta lunacy, all amplified by one degree. The stakes are bigger than ever, the foes are gigantic, Bayonetta’s magic is immensely strong, her clothes are fantastic, and the battles never cease. The whole game is held together by a hazy storyline – an army of man-made bioweapons known as Homunculi is threatening the survival of the universe – but it’s basically an excuse to toss Bayonetta and companions into an unending series of combat across a variety of collapsing cities. In that sense, Bayonetta 3 isn’t dissimilar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but PlatinumGames’ newest entry contains much more witchcraft, silliness, and shoe-operated weaponry than anything directed by Robert Downey Jr.
Bayonetta 3 is as rich structurally and technically as its predecessors. Throughout her mission, Bayonetta gains new talents and weaponry; she gathers pieces of slain opponents to buy equipment, consumables, and accessories in the Gates of Hell store, while orbs unlock abilities on her skill tree. Combat is all about executing well-timed dodges and completing elegant combos, and each encounter is indefinitely replayable if you’re pursuing high scores. Each level also has several difficulties and surprises to discover.
Bayonetta 3 is a Switch exclusive, and it suffers from the same issues as every other fast-paced action game on the system: controls seem sluggish at times, and it’s tough to tell whether moves are properly lined up. The game does a good job of giving visual clues for assaults, and there is a rhythm to the fight, but it all runs in Switch Reaction Time (does not adhere to daylight saving).
Fans of the franchise will find nothing lacking in Bayonetta 3 – in fact, there is more. More strangeness, one-liners, swag, and battle mechanics. For example, on one level, players take control of Bayonetta’s witchy pal, Jeanne, for a side-scrolling action scene reminiscent of 1960s espionage. Another element enables Bayonetta to manipulate time in brief spurts, reverting to her younger form at times. The Demon Masquerade ability adds hellish elements to Bayonetta’s weaponry and enables her to turn into numerous demons throughout the game, whilst the Demon Slave talent lets her summon and control huge monsters of hell, each with a unique move set.
The majority of Bayonetta’s demons are based on traditional creepy creatures like moths and spiders, but one of her forms is an actual train. Bayonetta is filled with the energy of Satan’s choo-choo around halfway through the game, and she can summon a demonic tank engine during combat. Attacking as the train with Demon Slave briefly slows time, enabling players to swiftly construct a track and mark points of damage along the route, preferably in the direction of close foes. When you release the Demon Slave button, the train barrels down the ghost track in real time, causing massive damage to whatever it comes into contact with. Through Demon Masquerade, Bayonetta has the power to transform into a genuine train-witch hybrid, charging ahead with heavy-duty chainsaw-like strikes. Because she, of course, does.
When the train demon emerges, it really fits quite well with the rest of the game. The world of Bayonetta has always been bizarre, and 3 is no exception. If you can cope with Umbra Witches and bartending angels, you can handle some light locomotive play.
We don’t take Bayonetta games seriously, and this seems like the appropriate decision, particularly after seeing the third installment. The series’ combat is robust, and the plot is complicated, encompassing celestial battles and other worlds, yet it all seems like an excuse to have Bayonetta dance her way through a spell while gigantic monsters fight in the backdrop. Bayonetta is strong, and fighting in her (gun)shoes feels wonderful, but her personality is what makes this franchise a cult success. Bayonetta is self-assured, caustic, and always accurate; her clothing, like her companions, is exquisite; she dances like an angel; she never has a hair out of place; her one-liners never stop. She’s a drag queen in a world kept together by witchcraft, and the mayhem that results is genuinely amazing.
Bayonetta 3 is absurd and disconnected, but that’s exactly what makes it so fantastic. It is based on a universe of strange and witchy notions, and it offers precisely what series fans anticipate – something completely unexpected.
