Bayonetta 3

Genre: Spectacle Fighter

Players: 1

.

Review:

Announced in 2017 with little more than a logo, Bayonetta 3 was one of those titles, like Shin Megami Tensei V, No More Heroes 3, and Metroid Prime 4, that many feared had turned into vaporware when years passed and we didn’t see a hint of its existence. Gradually, players would have their fears put to rest about these games – Shin Megami Tensei V and No More Heroes 3 both eventually got released, and it turned out that Metroid Prime 4 needed to restart development (and it’s once again getting to the point where fans are concerned about the lack of information about the game). But Bayonetta 3 was still a mystery for the longest time, until footage of the game was finally shown off in late 2021, to be released on the Nintendo Switch in late 2022, nearly a full year later.

Well, I can gladly say that much as with Shin Megami Tensei V (and to a lesser extent, No More Heroes 3), the wait was worth it. Bayonetta’s first game created specifically for the Nintendo Switch is a masterpiece on par with its predecessors. And while I strain to say which of the games in this series I like the best (they all have their charms), I will say that Bayonetta 3 is the game that takes the biggest risks with its series formula, and those risks pay off.

For the most part, Bayonetta 3 plays much like the other games in the franchise. This is once again a Spectacle Fighter where players stylishly thrash hordes of enemies with immensely satisfying combos, with a little bit of platforming and exploration of the game’s mostly-linear levels to make for good variety and pacing. However, Bayonetta 3 ups the stakes by channeling the spirit of Platinum Games’ canceled ScaleBound, and to some extent its sleeper hit Astral Chain, as well.

This is thanks to Bayonetta’s most impressive new ability in this game, Demon Slave. At any time during combat, players can press ZL to summon one of the series’ demonic monsters to fight in Bayonetta’s stead, and players control this monster directly. This is an absolutely delightful element of the action that basically enables players to have brief kaiju fights in the middle of Bayonetta’s epic battles.

However, more than being a fun and exciting new bit of gameplay, Demon Slave adds a new level to the strategy of the game’s action. These monsters sap your magic meter quickly, meaning you can’t use them non-stop during fights. Rather, you need to pace yourself, switching back and forth between these monsters and Bayonetta so your magic meter has a chance to recharge. In addition, swapping control to the monster doesn’t remove Bayonetta from the battlefield – she’s still there, vulnerable, and players must keep track of both characters as they fight, swapping back to Bayonetta the instant she needs to dodge.

All of this is handled with the same silky-smooth gameplay the series is known for, meaning that players can potentially incorporate these massive creatures into their beautiful flowing combos, and there are even new Demon Masquerade moves to punctuate your combos with a flashy monster attack.

There are also some incredibly satisfying setpiece moments threaded throughout the game to really make for sublime pacing and absolutely wonderful adrenaline-pumping moments, such as riding the dragon-like Gomorrah down a series of tumbling skyscrapers in the midst of a city being torn apart by an invading inter-dimensional army. While the gameplay in these moments isn’t quite as intricately-crafted as Bayonetta’s typical combat, they’re such a fantastic spectacle that they frequently had me grinning ear to ear and enjoying every second of them.

Speaking of spectacle, wow this game is pretty. Large, detailed environments, intricately-crafted and imaginative character designs, beautiful animation, wonderful “magic” effects… this game is an absolute delight to look at, and unquestionably one of the best-looking games to be released on Nintendo Switch. All this comes with a smooth, consistent framerate that never hitches, even as the action gets increasingly intense. If you look hard, you can see the Nintendo Switch’s limitations creeping in at the edges here and there – unnamed human characters have less-detailed character models than the main cast of characters and their enemies, and you can spot some dithering here and there. Also, I do find the game’s heavy use of aqua coloring for enemies and pink/purple coloring for Bayonetta’s magic to be somewhat monotonous. However, these issues never interfere with the gameplay, and overall this game is an absolute feast for the eyes.

It’s pretty satisfying for the ears too. Bayonetta 3 once again features an interesting mix of epic orchestral music, intense metal music, fun anime-style tunes, and cheesy jazz music, which all works to make this a game that’s distinctly… Bayonetta. And while there has been a great amount of hubbub over this game replacing longtime Bayonetta actress Hellena Taylor with veteran voice actress Jennifer Hale, I don’t think most people would have known there was anything different if this hadn’t made it into the news – Hale slides into the role extremely comfortably, delivering Bayonetta’s smooth, sassy, dominant attitude with a flair that’s perfect for the character, even if it starts out on a surprising note.

That note is, and I’ll warn you now that this paragraph contains spoilers for the game’s opening prologue… that the first thing Bayonetta does in this game is get absolutely trounced and then killed. However, as it happens, Bayonetta 3’s story is jumping on the currently-hot trend of taking place in a multiverse, with new supporting character Viola escaping into another universe to warn a different Bayonetta about this new multiverse-destroying threat that aims to destroy not just this reality, but all realities. Where Bayonetta is used to fighting the denizens of Paradiso and Inferno (the Bayonetta series’ heaven and hell), this new threat is evidently human in origin, and somewhat putting Bayonetta out of her element. I’ll say that while this game’s story isn’t exactly Shakespeare, it’s trying something new for the franchise, and I can appreciate that, especially when it results in the backdrops Bayonetta fights in being the beautifully-realized specter of contemporary cities that have been absolutely demolished by this bizarre multiversal army, and currently in the process of being disintegrated into a sort of multiversal ether.

Bayonetta 3 is, quite simply, an Action masterpiece. And while its smooth, finely-crafted action is nothing new for the series, the addition of the new Demon Slave mechanic makes for deeper gameplay that offers more complex and interesting strategies that push players to multitask while managing the game’s superb combo system. And all of this is packaged within some absolutely beautiful visuals that push the Nintendo Switch to its limits. If you are an Action game fan with a Nintendo Switch, you need to get this game.

tl;dr – Bayonetta 3 not only delivers on the finely-crafted gameplay this Spectacle Fighter series is known for, but expands on it with the wonderful new Demon Slave ability that has you swapping back and forth between Bayonetta and her kaiju-sized demonic creatures. Add to this some breathtaking setpiece moments and a gorgeous presentation and you have one of the best Action games of recent years. Do not miss this game.

Grade: A+

.

This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2022 Game Awards:

Winner:

Game of the Year: Silver Award (Second Place) – After announcing the game with little more than a logo, we heard nothing about Bayonetta 3 for years, with many fearing that the game had fallen into development hell. However, anyone who knows Bayonetta knows that she eats the forces of hell for breakfast and has demons at her beck and call, so all this time in development resulted in a game that’s on par with the other games in its series, if not even better… and since we’re talking about some of the very best Spectacle Fighters ever made, that means we’re talking about an Action game that few others can compare to.

Not only does this game bring the impressive setpiece moments and smooth, skillfully-crafted gameplay we’ve all become used to in this series, it has been given added depth with the new Demon Slave ability, challenging players to transition back and forth between Bayonetta kicking butt with her fists, feet and guns, and her kicking butt through massive summoned monsters she controls. The result is the most ambitious step forward the series has seen yet, and a truly peerless Action game.

Best Action Game – The silky-smooth, skillful gameplay of the Bayonetta series would have already made this game a favorite to win in this category, but add to that the extra layer of strategic action the game gets through its new Demon Slave ability, and this becomes one of the best Action games of the last few years, at least.

Best Graphics – More than any prior year, I think 2022 is the year where people really started to question if the Nintendo Switch’s hardware limitations were holding it back. However, Bayonetta 3 shows that the Nintendo Switch can still present an impressive spectacle without taking a hit to the framerates or constantly making us put up with ugly pop-in. Between the massive kaiju battles and epic setpiece scenes, Bayonetta 3 shows a deft hand can still make striking visuals on Nintendo Switch.

.

^{You can support eShopperReviews on Patreon! Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!}

^{This month’s sponsors are Andy Miller, Exlene, Homer Simpin, Johannes, Talissa, Eli Goodman, Francis Obst, Gabriel Coronado-Medina, Ilya Zverev, Kristoffer Wulff, and Seth Christenfeld. Thank you for helping to keep the reviews coming!}