Man, this game really doesn't play fair..
This review will likely be structured as a multi-layer shit sandwich, which honestly is kind of appropriate for my feelings toward the game. For every few good things, there is at least one.. not good.. Kinda.. Let me explain.
The first thing I took note of when playing for the first time was a much needed and welcome change from the previous 2 games, in the form of the upgraded Menus and UIs, particularly the former. The menus in Bayo 1/2 weren't all that much to look at and in 1 especially felt kinda awkward to use, 3's aren't the most user-friendly thing in the world either to be fair but they're a step up and more importantly they look much better. I actually used the skill trees and crafted items, and the Gates of Hell store page was so much more interesting than the previous games simply for having idle animations of characters on screen. It's the little things sometimes.
The second thing I noticed were the changes to combat. I'm hardly a combo expert and I suck at these games, but Bayonetta's moveset and combos are changed quite a lot which was an exciting surprise. Furthermore, when using her default weapons, if you stop a combo midway (or just attack once) Bayonetta does a little dance-transition from her position following the attack, back to her fighting stance. There's no reason for this to happen but I love it so much letsgo! There are a decent number of weapons that can be acquired during the game (most through the story - no more missing the fun ones!) and these all have their own combos as well. They're a little hit or miss, but when they hit they feel amazing. (And when they miss it's most likely bc they just don't fit my playstyle, which is okay :p)
Finally the usage of demons in combat is mostly pretty awesome, at times you feel a bit dependent on them maybe and some of them are a bitch to use, but I liked the mechanic a lot overall.
Honestly I think my biggest letdown with Bayonetta's combat is that the torture attacks have been downscaled, and now just sort of happen on their own. I'm all for cutting down on QTEs and button mashing, but the game still has plenty of the latter and the torture attacks are simply less fun when they're not close-up with my direct engagement -- perhaps an option to toggle this on/off or even trigger it or not depending on the prompt would've been nice, oh well.
To sprinkle just a tiny bit more shit in here real quick, the repeated voicelines gripe I had with 2 is back, and while it's not as bad bc the combos and stuff are more varied, there is quite literally 1 spoken line for when you check your objective marker, and she says it every single time you check it. There's also only a single line spoken when you're idle for more than a minute or so, which is a real shame bc the first time I was like "oh hey nice I like when games remind me I'm playing them" but by the fourth time I was like "omg I just took a sip of my tea stfu" (it's not that bad but I'm easily distracted and I talk online while playing a lot lol)
Bringing this back to the positives, one of the other new things that I was pleased with is that traversal has been given a bit of love and now varies depending on your equipped weapons. Off the back of this, while I still prefer Bayo 2's hairstyle, the customisation options in 3 (while fairly limited and don't look phenomenal) were a nice touch.
Okay I'm rambling too much already so I'm gunna run through my thoughts on the story pretty swiftly: I personally enjoyed it. It's not what I expected from this entry and it's not necessarily what I would've wanted either, but it was easy to follow for the most part and by the end I was left with minimal questions so I really can't complain. It's not like 2's story was exactly the next best-seller either, but this is an action series :p
That said, the new enemy types and their designs got old pretty fast, kinda disappointed by the lack of variety there, in the colour palette more than anything.
[FYI, this section is about mechanics/sections that are new for this title]
One of the most conflicting things for me in this game were the parts that happened partway through the levels, normally near the end, and were really cool to watch or on paper, but simply were not very fun to play in my opinion. The Kaiju fights varied from each other in more cases which really helped for this point not to pull my opinion down further, but my god some of them just do not land for me. As someone who flies through the game with fast combat and agile evades, slowing down to a crawl and throwing heavy punches just killed the pacing and really took me out of it. Not to mention some of them are kinda like platforming but the controls are either a little stiff or not really explained bc you're thrown right into it... Idk I like the idea of them but I kinda wish they were just cutscenes honestly.
On the flip side, the Jeanne side missions were nowhere near as bad as they could've been. I daresay I enjoyed them even. I've played games in that style before and I think if it was longer it'd definitely need work, but for what it is I liked it. Jeanne is neat and I was never disappointed to see one of those levels appear.
Now, with that said... It's time to address the most divisive parts of this game.
Viola. I'm sorry folks I tried so damn hard to like her and I just don't. I don't dislike her, she just doesn't resonate with me at all idk. Punk is very much not for me and her whole vibe sorta comes across as like, DmC Dante mixed with Enzo or some shit lol. I get what they were trying and at times it's endearing but more often for me I just wanted her parts to be over. It really didn't help that her combat style is a huge step down from Bayo's imo. DMCV showed us that you can have 3 totally split MCs with their own styles that are all fun in their own way, and it feels like Bayonetta 3 took a leaf out of that book, but dropped it on their way home. V's summoned demons fighting for him is an interesting approach and I'm not even sure how but it kinda works, most likely because you still control the attacks themselves. Viola's fighting style is just, not that idk. It felt like every fight went better if I just held ZL or whatever and kept back as best I could. A real shame tbh.
[Minor Spoilers ahead re: interpersonal relationships, nothing game-ruining I promise, this controversy is so fucking dumb]
Bayonetta, Jeanne, A Man. Ohhh my God Bayonetta fans need to calm their tits so hard. I have now played all 3 games in the series within a couple of months, all with the distinct impression that Bayo and Jeanne were a canon couple bc the fanbase treats it that way. Not once did I ever get the impression they were fucking! They're literally just two hot girl bosses who care for each other deeply. It never came across as romantic to me I'm sorry. Abso-fucking-lutely they're both bisexual, perhaps even pansexual, who knows, but they never once shared a moment that made me believe they were interested in each other romantically.
The internet shit it's ass out so hard when they so much as heard fourth-hand that Bayonetta and a male character might be 'involved' in this game. "B-but Jeanne!!", "Stop straight-washing bi icons" -- It was utterly ridiculous. For starters, people with sexualities befitting of both their own and other genders are allowed to be in "straight" relationships, they're not betraying the cause and treating it as such is an insult. There's a reason it isn't black and white so why is there a stigma around those in the middle taking "the wrong side"? Ridiculous. Anyway. The reveals between Bayo and this male character didn't feel all that shocking to me, if anything they were closer to cliche. Which yeah I get is why everyone's fuming because they got a "generic standard" romance rather than an explicitly LGBTQIA+ one, but my god it genuinely sounded to me before playing that Bayo 2 was full of lesbian sex and Bayo/Jeanne got married and lived together swapping spit for 10 years, only for Bayo 3 to then pluck her up like a claw machine and put her next to a man instead. Honestly it's so annoying I'm wasting half my review ranting about it. I understand being upset that your ship wasn't fulfilled, but if I'm being blunt the ship felt kinda forced anyway. Idk man, the fanbase really ran away with that one and then threw a tantrum when they were told they'd gone the wrong way. I would've loved a lesbian girlboss couple as well, but what we got still worked and y'all are doing the game a disservice by clouding those scenes with a thick layer of hate.
Ultimately, I can say with confidence that Bayonetta 3 is a fantastic action game. Sure it breaks the pattern and starts pretty slow, some of it's level designs are a bit lacking, and not all of the playable sections are that fun- but when it goes, it goes hard, and it feels great.
Also the climax is badass and there is so much dancing omg I am physically incapable of knocking points off oops so sad (It's the 2nd best of the 3 imo)
As per this was much longer than intended, thanks to those who read it all - I'd be Interested to know how much of this I'm in the minority for tbh.
If anyone has a good reason that something I didn't like is actually great please tell me, I wanna love it more :)
This review will likely be structured as a multi-layer shit sandwich, which honestly is kind of appropriate for my feelings toward the game. For every few good things, there is at least one.. not good.. Kinda.. Let me explain.
The first thing I took note of when playing for the first time was a much needed and welcome change from the previous 2 games, in the form of the upgraded Menus and UIs, particularly the former. The menus in Bayo 1/2 weren't all that much to look at and in 1 especially felt kinda awkward to use, 3's aren't the most user-friendly thing in the world either to be fair but they're a step up and more importantly they look much better. I actually used the skill trees and crafted items, and the Gates of Hell store page was so much more interesting than the previous games simply for having idle animations of characters on screen. It's the little things sometimes.
The second thing I noticed were the changes to combat. I'm hardly a combo expert and I suck at these games, but Bayonetta's moveset and combos are changed quite a lot which was an exciting surprise. Furthermore, when using her default weapons, if you stop a combo midway (or just attack once) Bayonetta does a little dance-transition from her position following the attack, back to her fighting stance. There's no reason for this to happen but I love it so much letsgo! There are a decent number of weapons that can be acquired during the game (most through the story - no more missing the fun ones!) and these all have their own combos as well. They're a little hit or miss, but when they hit they feel amazing. (And when they miss it's most likely bc they just don't fit my playstyle, which is okay :p)
Finally the usage of demons in combat is mostly pretty awesome, at times you feel a bit dependent on them maybe and some of them are a bitch to use, but I liked the mechanic a lot overall.
Honestly I think my biggest letdown with Bayonetta's combat is that the torture attacks have been downscaled, and now just sort of happen on their own. I'm all for cutting down on QTEs and button mashing, but the game still has plenty of the latter and the torture attacks are simply less fun when they're not close-up with my direct engagement -- perhaps an option to toggle this on/off or even trigger it or not depending on the prompt would've been nice, oh well.
To sprinkle just a tiny bit more shit in here real quick, the repeated voicelines gripe I had with 2 is back, and while it's not as bad bc the combos and stuff are more varied, there is quite literally 1 spoken line for when you check your objective marker, and she says it every single time you check it. There's also only a single line spoken when you're idle for more than a minute or so, which is a real shame bc the first time I was like "oh hey nice I like when games remind me I'm playing them" but by the fourth time I was like "omg I just took a sip of my tea stfu" (it's not that bad but I'm easily distracted and I talk online while playing a lot lol)
Bringing this back to the positives, one of the other new things that I was pleased with is that traversal has been given a bit of love and now varies depending on your equipped weapons. Off the back of this, while I still prefer Bayo 2's hairstyle, the customisation options in 3 (while fairly limited and don't look phenomenal) were a nice touch.
Okay I'm rambling too much already so I'm gunna run through my thoughts on the story pretty swiftly: I personally enjoyed it. It's not what I expected from this entry and it's not necessarily what I would've wanted either, but it was easy to follow for the most part and by the end I was left with minimal questions so I really can't complain. It's not like 2's story was exactly the next best-seller either, but this is an action series :p
That said, the new enemy types and their designs got old pretty fast, kinda disappointed by the lack of variety there, in the colour palette more than anything.
[FYI, this section is about mechanics/sections that are new for this title]
One of the most conflicting things for me in this game were the parts that happened partway through the levels, normally near the end, and were really cool to watch or on paper, but simply were not very fun to play in my opinion. The Kaiju fights varied from each other in more cases which really helped for this point not to pull my opinion down further, but my god some of them just do not land for me. As someone who flies through the game with fast combat and agile evades, slowing down to a crawl and throwing heavy punches just killed the pacing and really took me out of it. Not to mention some of them are kinda like platforming but the controls are either a little stiff or not really explained bc you're thrown right into it... Idk I like the idea of them but I kinda wish they were just cutscenes honestly.
On the flip side, the Jeanne side missions were nowhere near as bad as they could've been. I daresay I enjoyed them even. I've played games in that style before and I think if it was longer it'd definitely need work, but for what it is I liked it. Jeanne is neat and I was never disappointed to see one of those levels appear.
Now, with that said... It's time to address the most divisive parts of this game.
Viola. I'm sorry folks I tried so damn hard to like her and I just don't. I don't dislike her, she just doesn't resonate with me at all idk. Punk is very much not for me and her whole vibe sorta comes across as like, DmC Dante mixed with Enzo or some shit lol. I get what they were trying and at times it's endearing but more often for me I just wanted her parts to be over. It really didn't help that her combat style is a huge step down from Bayo's imo. DMCV showed us that you can have 3 totally split MCs with their own styles that are all fun in their own way, and it feels like Bayonetta 3 took a leaf out of that book, but dropped it on their way home. V's summoned demons fighting for him is an interesting approach and I'm not even sure how but it kinda works, most likely because you still control the attacks themselves. Viola's fighting style is just, not that idk. It felt like every fight went better if I just held ZL or whatever and kept back as best I could. A real shame tbh.
[Minor Spoilers ahead re: interpersonal relationships, nothing game-ruining I promise, this controversy is so fucking dumb]
Bayonetta, Jeanne, A Man. Ohhh my God Bayonetta fans need to calm their tits so hard. I have now played all 3 games in the series within a couple of months, all with the distinct impression that Bayo and Jeanne were a canon couple bc the fanbase treats it that way. Not once did I ever get the impression they were fucking! They're literally just two hot girl bosses who care for each other deeply. It never came across as romantic to me I'm sorry. Abso-fucking-lutely they're both bisexual, perhaps even pansexual, who knows, but they never once shared a moment that made me believe they were interested in each other romantically.
The internet shit it's ass out so hard when they so much as heard fourth-hand that Bayonetta and a male character might be 'involved' in this game. "B-but Jeanne!!", "Stop straight-washing bi icons" -- It was utterly ridiculous. For starters, people with sexualities befitting of both their own and other genders are allowed to be in "straight" relationships, they're not betraying the cause and treating it as such is an insult. There's a reason it isn't black and white so why is there a stigma around those in the middle taking "the wrong side"? Ridiculous. Anyway. The reveals between Bayo and this male character didn't feel all that shocking to me, if anything they were closer to cliche. Which yeah I get is why everyone's fuming because they got a "generic standard" romance rather than an explicitly LGBTQIA+ one, but my god it genuinely sounded to me before playing that Bayo 2 was full of lesbian sex and Bayo/Jeanne got married and lived together swapping spit for 10 years, only for Bayo 3 to then pluck her up like a claw machine and put her next to a man instead. Honestly it's so annoying I'm wasting half my review ranting about it. I understand being upset that your ship wasn't fulfilled, but if I'm being blunt the ship felt kinda forced anyway. Idk man, the fanbase really ran away with that one and then threw a tantrum when they were told they'd gone the wrong way. I would've loved a lesbian girlboss couple as well, but what we got still worked and y'all are doing the game a disservice by clouding those scenes with a thick layer of hate.
Ultimately, I can say with confidence that Bayonetta 3 is a fantastic action game. Sure it breaks the pattern and starts pretty slow, some of it's level designs are a bit lacking, and not all of the playable sections are that fun- but when it goes, it goes hard, and it feels great.
Also the climax is badass and there is so much dancing omg I am physically incapable of knocking points off oops so sad (It's the 2nd best of the 3 imo)
As per this was much longer than intended, thanks to those who read it all - I'd be Interested to know how much of this I'm in the minority for tbh.
If anyone has a good reason that something I didn't like is actually great please tell me, I wanna love it more :)
8 Comments
I didn't really get the impression Jeanne and Bayonetta were more than friends either but I still think that the whole thing with Luka came a bit out of nowhere and was a little rushed
Oh I can absolutely agree with rushed yeah, it could've easily been more woven into the series or at least into this game. I spose it stuck out a bit less to me because I was aware going in. Don't get me wrong either there is one key detail about the finale that I would've expected people to be mad about re: Luka but far as I've seen no one has brought it up so, hm..
Also this is a silly side note but in that scene he's like a foot taller than bayo even tho in 1 they're both tall af lol
Also this is a silly side note but in that scene he's like a foot taller than bayo even tho in 1 they're both tall af lol
I actually enjoyed Viola a lot. I'd say I'm a bit biased (which I am) but I've beaten the game three times now and my opinions haven't changed much. I wouldn't say you're in the minority tho, I know a lot of people didn't like her sections and the kaiju fights could of been implemented better. The Bayo-Jeanne thing is definitely more on the fan side. I've shipped them forever but its definitely mostly projecting lmao. People turning this into a "they made her straight" thing and taking away from other weird-isms from the story is silly. Mostly twitter being stupid tho.
What did you think of the new voice actor?
What did you think of the new voice actor?
good review and youre 100% right about the you know what, it was just asanine lmao
@ditdzy ikr, sad to see some of that leaked into this site tho
@Ditdzy oh yeah I completely forgot to mention, got lost in my rambles lol. That whole VA ordeal was honestly just sad to see unfold, I empathise with the motives but am entirely against the way it was handled by both parties. Unprofessional and dishonest, big shame.
To answer what you actually asked though, she nailed it I think. I love Hale already and she makes for a great Bayonetta. The only one single teeny tiny thing I can't abide, is that during one of the combos she says something like 'last chance' and she pronounces the cha like 'chah' instead of saying 'char-nce' -- Even though when she says dance she says it with the South England dialect. Honestly despicable, 0/10 truly awful (except but a 1 before the 0 and also I love her :p)
To answer what you actually asked though, she nailed it I think. I love Hale already and she makes for a great Bayonetta. The only one single teeny tiny thing I can't abide, is that during one of the combos she says something like 'last chance' and she pronounces the cha like 'chah' instead of saying 'char-nce' -- Even though when she says dance she says it with the South England dialect. Honestly despicable, 0/10 truly awful (except but a 1 before the 0 and also I love her :p)
Just saw this review, and I like the fresh take on the Bayonetta/Luka thing. I haven’t finished the game yet, but kind of think some people are overreacting…well, on one hand, yes, on the other, no. I really would have preferred it being up for debate on who Bayo is with (Luka or Jeanne.) If anything, it made Bayo seem bisexual or sexually ambiguous, and I liked that about her! I am kind of mad that she is canonically with Luka now, even though I like him and all of the Bayo characters. Maybe I would also be mad if she were with Jeanne? Who knows, but I really loved the quasi love triangle that was going on! By affirming it in either direction, they are doing the series a disservice…in my opinion at least.
Rant over…nice review!
Rant over…nice review!
ThatOneKilla68
1 year ago