I think Bayonetta 3 is a fine game, but it is still a little disappointing in some areas as I wished it had reached the heights that Bayonetta 2 did.
My expectations gameplay wise were surely met, and it's the biggest plus that this game has over the previous 2. Every weapon in Bayonetta's arsenal this time around feels so unique and fresh, with each one being viable and fun to use in any situation based on your preferred playstyle. This was the first title in the series where I didn't use the guns because everything else was just way to fun to not use. I would rack up insane combos with my whip-to-train attack, which sounds absurd but honestly, Bayonetta thrives in its absurdity so go buck wild. Viola is a little strange to pick up at first, but once I learned how to use her, she became an almost 'Raiden" style character where I was parrying everything and slicing demons into bits. The main gimmick of the game, the witch kaiju are really fun to use in fights, but the games over reliance for them in certain boss fights feels a bit draining.
The story however is much akin to Bayonetta 1 in that its nonsensical and just kind of boring to follow. It's very repetitive as in "go to new realm, find alternate Bayo, she dies, kill boss". It attempts to add in some unique character interaction, but many of the characters we have loved from the previous games are set into the sidelines, Jeanne plays very little into the main plot besides her side-scrolling mini games, which is a major disappointment as she was a main focal point of the first two games and her relationship with Bayonetta was important to both of their characters. Same goes for Rodin or Enzo and even Luka in which they only appear prominently in the beginning and just sit back to let Bayonetta clean up the mess. I understand the story isn't what matters in a Bayonetta game, but after Bayonetta 2's character focused plot, I really had hoped they would expand and create something worthy for the Umbran Witch, but it just feels lazy.
Addressing the elephant in the room, Jennifer Hale does a fantastic performance of Bayonetta that is worthy of praise. Taylor is still amazing, but with all the drama I am happy the character is in good hands.
Like I said, I think Bayonetta is still a fun game to just run through when you want to go combo crazy, but I don't feel like it's a true evolution of the franchise after waiting 7 years for a new release, which is very disappointing.
My expectations gameplay wise were surely met, and it's the biggest plus that this game has over the previous 2. Every weapon in Bayonetta's arsenal this time around feels so unique and fresh, with each one being viable and fun to use in any situation based on your preferred playstyle. This was the first title in the series where I didn't use the guns because everything else was just way to fun to not use. I would rack up insane combos with my whip-to-train attack, which sounds absurd but honestly, Bayonetta thrives in its absurdity so go buck wild. Viola is a little strange to pick up at first, but once I learned how to use her, she became an almost 'Raiden" style character where I was parrying everything and slicing demons into bits. The main gimmick of the game, the witch kaiju are really fun to use in fights, but the games over reliance for them in certain boss fights feels a bit draining.
The story however is much akin to Bayonetta 1 in that its nonsensical and just kind of boring to follow. It's very repetitive as in "go to new realm, find alternate Bayo, she dies, kill boss". It attempts to add in some unique character interaction, but many of the characters we have loved from the previous games are set into the sidelines, Jeanne plays very little into the main plot besides her side-scrolling mini games, which is a major disappointment as she was a main focal point of the first two games and her relationship with Bayonetta was important to both of their characters. Same goes for Rodin or Enzo and even Luka in which they only appear prominently in the beginning and just sit back to let Bayonetta clean up the mess. I understand the story isn't what matters in a Bayonetta game, but after Bayonetta 2's character focused plot, I really had hoped they would expand and create something worthy for the Umbran Witch, but it just feels lazy.
Addressing the elephant in the room, Jennifer Hale does a fantastic performance of Bayonetta that is worthy of praise. Taylor is still amazing, but with all the drama I am happy the character is in good hands.
Like I said, I think Bayonetta is still a fun game to just run through when you want to go combo crazy, but I don't feel like it's a true evolution of the franchise after waiting 7 years for a new release, which is very disappointing.