This review contains spoilers
GAMEPLAY
Bayonetta 3 was my most anticipated game in recent years. I have absolutely loved both 1 and 2, so much that Bayonetta has become one of my favourite franchises ever; plus, the wait since 2017’s TGA had been consuming me.
I can happily say I was not disappointed in the slightest; I was almost sure it was going to be good because I’ve greatly enjoyed every Platinum game I’ve played so far, but I was obviously still a bit scared it wouldn’t live up to the high expectations I had because of the continuous “Development is going well” announcements.
Exploring felt freer thanks to all the Demons’ perks and it also was quite rewarding because of all the collectibles (some of which were needed to unlock Phenomenal Remnants) and achievements.
The combat was as great as always: the different weapons were so fun to use and, although I had favourites (Simoon and Alruna), all the possible combos and tricks to pull off were very satisfying. Being able to summon Demons during “normal” combat was a nice addition as well, even though I didn’t do it much.
Viola was definitely much harder to play as, which was fitting considering she’s less experienced; she was still pretty fun, but I think Witch Time shouldn’t have been that hard to trigger.
Jeanne’s Side Chapters were genuinely cool: it was more Metroid-like but it was awesome and pretty challenging nonetheless.
This was my first time completing all levels, including extra ones, in a Bayonetta game; I’m not sure if 3 is easier or I just got better, considering I played the past titles 5-6 years ago. I can surely say I wanted to play even more, earning all achievements; I had to stop myself solely because I don’t have much free time.
The game looks pretty different from its predecessors; it had more of an Astral Chain (which I loved) feel to it and it looked fantastic, especially considering I had no frame drops nor visual glitches of any kind.
The OST is amazing, as expected from a Bayonetta title. The “new” instruments bring something new while keeping the right vibe. Some pieces still get me truly emotional, being excellent in every aspect of them: Al Fine and We Are As One are perfect examples.
CHARACTERS AND STORY
I don’t have much to say about the characters, because all the old ones were almost unchanged (which is good) excluding the new awesome designs. Cereza is a sassy icon as ever.
I should say something more about Viola, since she’s new: so many disliked her, but I actually found her quite funny and enjoyable. The daughter twist was a bit foreseeable, though, considering she is very similar to her parents, and I think it needed more explanations, because we didn’t see them together that much, leaving many questions unanswered, like since when did Cereza and Luka know about it? Where was their Viola, granted she already existed?
People also complained about the oddity of her parents' love; I think it was hinted at since the first game, and one should also consider the alternate universes. I myself am still not sure how it worked, as in I don’t know if Bayo 1 and Bayo 2 are the same person as Bayo 3, just in a different moment in time or not; the way those two came back for the final fight was awesome as well, but I don’t understand how.
I loved to see the different iterations of Cereza, although it saddened me how little time they got to shine and how they had to disappear, too.
Although Viola might become the protagonist in the future – which could potentially change the gameplay too much – it seems a bit odd to completely remove Cereza from the spotlight. She’s way too iconic as a character, and people in this series “cheated” death many times: she went to Inferno and was not killed by Singularity, after all. This means she could come back, but then the heartbreaking ending would basically be pointless: I want her to return but I don’t want to feel like I was emotionally destroyed for nothing at the same time.
Someone that likely can’t come back is instead Jeanne… she died for good and in a dumb way, at that; she got done dirty too many times in this series.
At least, the comedic/fun side of the writing was as strong as ever.
In the end, I loved the story but I also think it wasn’t so great… it needs to get less confusing and better paced in a future game (hoping there will be one).
Bayonetta 3 was my most anticipated game in recent years. I have absolutely loved both 1 and 2, so much that Bayonetta has become one of my favourite franchises ever; plus, the wait since 2017’s TGA had been consuming me.
I can happily say I was not disappointed in the slightest; I was almost sure it was going to be good because I’ve greatly enjoyed every Platinum game I’ve played so far, but I was obviously still a bit scared it wouldn’t live up to the high expectations I had because of the continuous “Development is going well” announcements.
Exploring felt freer thanks to all the Demons’ perks and it also was quite rewarding because of all the collectibles (some of which were needed to unlock Phenomenal Remnants) and achievements.
The combat was as great as always: the different weapons were so fun to use and, although I had favourites (Simoon and Alruna), all the possible combos and tricks to pull off were very satisfying. Being able to summon Demons during “normal” combat was a nice addition as well, even though I didn’t do it much.
Viola was definitely much harder to play as, which was fitting considering she’s less experienced; she was still pretty fun, but I think Witch Time shouldn’t have been that hard to trigger.
Jeanne’s Side Chapters were genuinely cool: it was more Metroid-like but it was awesome and pretty challenging nonetheless.
This was my first time completing all levels, including extra ones, in a Bayonetta game; I’m not sure if 3 is easier or I just got better, considering I played the past titles 5-6 years ago. I can surely say I wanted to play even more, earning all achievements; I had to stop myself solely because I don’t have much free time.
The game looks pretty different from its predecessors; it had more of an Astral Chain (which I loved) feel to it and it looked fantastic, especially considering I had no frame drops nor visual glitches of any kind.
The OST is amazing, as expected from a Bayonetta title. The “new” instruments bring something new while keeping the right vibe. Some pieces still get me truly emotional, being excellent in every aspect of them: Al Fine and We Are As One are perfect examples.
CHARACTERS AND STORY
I don’t have much to say about the characters, because all the old ones were almost unchanged (which is good) excluding the new awesome designs. Cereza is a sassy icon as ever.
I should say something more about Viola, since she’s new: so many disliked her, but I actually found her quite funny and enjoyable. The daughter twist was a bit foreseeable, though, considering she is very similar to her parents, and I think it needed more explanations, because we didn’t see them together that much, leaving many questions unanswered, like since when did Cereza and Luka know about it? Where was their Viola, granted she already existed?
People also complained about the oddity of her parents' love; I think it was hinted at since the first game, and one should also consider the alternate universes. I myself am still not sure how it worked, as in I don’t know if Bayo 1 and Bayo 2 are the same person as Bayo 3, just in a different moment in time or not; the way those two came back for the final fight was awesome as well, but I don’t understand how.
I loved to see the different iterations of Cereza, although it saddened me how little time they got to shine and how they had to disappear, too.
Although Viola might become the protagonist in the future – which could potentially change the gameplay too much – it seems a bit odd to completely remove Cereza from the spotlight. She’s way too iconic as a character, and people in this series “cheated” death many times: she went to Inferno and was not killed by Singularity, after all. This means she could come back, but then the heartbreaking ending would basically be pointless: I want her to return but I don’t want to feel like I was emotionally destroyed for nothing at the same time.
Someone that likely can’t come back is instead Jeanne… she died for good and in a dumb way, at that; she got done dirty too many times in this series.
At least, the comedic/fun side of the writing was as strong as ever.
In the end, I loved the story but I also think it wasn’t so great… it needs to get less confusing and better paced in a future game (hoping there will be one).