I’ve been a fan of Bayonetta since the original game launched on the Xbox 360 over 10 years ago. It was the game I bought alongside my first HD TV, I voted for her inclusion in Smash 4, and now own the entire series on Switch. Platinum is also the same studio behind one of my all-time favorite games, Metal Gear Rising. So, to see Bayonetta 3 end up as such a mixed bag is disappointing to me. We’ve already discussed the controversy behind the voice actress at length, so this review will not contain any of that, nor are any of the opinions I hold here tied to that.
Bayonetta 3’s Story — No Spoilers
Bayonetta 3 starts off with the series’ now typical playable prologue, but we end up being thrown into a hopeless battle and can only watch as our beloved heroine is wiped from existence. It’s here we meet the series newcomer, Viola. The game wastes no time in setting up its multiverse plot and raises the stakes considerably from the word “go”. Unfortunately, not much is really done with this setup. Though we do indeed see and play as alternate versions of Bayonetta and other characters, they seem to exist only for new costumes and weaponry. Adding to this the new enemies, the Homunculi, are never explored much in-depth.
Now, normally, this really wouldn’t be much of an issue, as the narratives in this series have always been extremely over the top, tackled improbable time loop stories, and were full of characters that lack depth but are fun in spite of that. Bayonetta 3 has lofty goals with its story though, and it takes itself very seriously by the end, to its detriment. I know that’s hard to believe with a game series like this, but I’ll go over this some more in the spoiler section down below.
And no, this has nothing to do with fan theories being proven wrong. This is strictly with things that are established canon in the franchise.
The Gameplay
As with any Platinum game, the real star should be (and almost always is) the dazzling, combo-heavy, gameplay. I’m happy to report that Bayonetta 3 delivers more of Platinum’s stylish combat, but it falls short on a few fronts.
First is the game’s performance. I’m not sure what happened here, as Bayonetta 1 and 2 run great on the Switch. Platinum really should have dialed back the intensity and focused on a stable frame rate. It’s crucial for a game like this. I would have gladly traded some of the effects and set-pieces for a more consistent experience.
The most disappointing thing, however, is that these big spectacles just aren’t fun most of the time. Running through a warping, twisting Tokyo on the back of a giant spider and having a giant kaiju battle should be fun, right? Well, I don’t know how, but they managed to make an enormous kaiju battle disappointing. That, and the numerous city escape sequences in the game aren’t engaging. I’ve linked a video below, pay attention to how long it takes a move to come out after I hit the button.
How did they make a KAIJU FIGHT boring???? #Bayonetta3 #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/DaF7X6uslm
— Quinn (@InputVoid) November 11, 2022
Next, the new Demon Slave system, where you finally get to control Bayonetta’s enormous summons. This system really feels underdeveloped. The demons don’t get much in the way of combos or abilities and they feel more like carnival rides than extensions of Bayonetta. It feels as though the enemies are balanced around this system, and not in a good way. In my first playthrough, I even noticed most enemies do not attack Bayonetta while she’s summoning. Combat does eventually open up and has some of my favorite weapons in the series but something just didn’t click with me like it did for 1 and 2. The crazy gameplay that the series is known for is here, but I’d say 3 is the weakest iteration of the three games.
Other Playable Characters
Viola is a breath of fresh air in Bayonetta 3, but her mechanics are not well implemented. She has a parry system reminiscent of Metal Gear Rising but, where that game had a generous window to activate the parry even on higher difficulties, here the amount of Witch Time you get from it is tied to how good your parry timing is. It’s far too common to get a parry, put the enemies into slow-mo, and then they get right back out not even a second later, making the mechanic nearly useless. This isn’t much of an issue in handheld mode, but if you’re playing on a TV without a proper delay-free mode, you’ll have even more trouble. Adding to her woes, Viola just doesn’t get the same amount of variation and expansion in her kit as Bayonetta.
Jeanne though… Jeanne’s sections are not good. They’re boring, slow, and seem like the prototype for a canceled mobile game spin-off. These sections are 2D stealth-focused snippets that are mercifully short but still manage to outstay their welcome. I’m reminded of No More Heroes’ part-time jobs, but without the novelty and charm. I was hoping they would be optional later on, but they aren’t. It’s so weird to me that Platinum didn’t just give her a traditional set of levels with her usual move set.
I miss the gimmick levels of the older games.
Bayonetta 3’s Presentation
Bayonetta 3 is really struggling with the Switch hardware. Handheld mode leads to some awful textures and bad resolution even when the frame rate isn’t chugging. Also, the art style and graphics in general just don’t seem to have as much of a visual flair as earlier entries did. The new enemies are the biggest example of this, as all the Homunculi have the same drab blue or white palette. The music also never quite hits the same highs as Bayonetta 1 or 2, though Viola’s mid-2000s emo rock theme is one of my guilty pleasures (it’s the cheese factor).
Sidestepping the controversy behind the change, Hale’s performance as Bayonetta took some getting used to, but is enjoyable and stays true to the character, while bringing Hale’s own flair. Bayonetta is a series that was created with English voices in mind, so I tend to stick with those. The original game didn’t even have a Japanese dub until the Wii U re-release. Chick Vennera’s Enzo in the original game is one of my favorite performances in the series, but that was his last acting role before his retirement. Yuri Lowenthal brings his typical charm and dorky delivery for Luka, while Dave Fennoy’s Rodin is as stoic and menacing as ever.
Fly Me to the Spoilers
Now, the real meat of the game’s narrative flaws. This is spoiler territory, so consider this your final warning. For my final, spoiler free, thoughts on the game, skip down to “Conclusion”. Is anyone still here?
Seriously, last warning.
Okay, let’s go.
So, Bayonetta 3 is a tangled web of missed opportunities. As mentioned above, instead of using its multiverse-hopping story to explore these new timelines, they are just plot devices. These alternate versions show up, become briefly playable, and then get killed off. It’s difficult to form an attachment because of this. Not only that, the game completely upends the entire franchise near the end. Where the previous games have some serious moments, a lot of it is pretty tongue-in-cheek and definitely doesn’t take itself too seriously. By the end of this game, we have Bayonetta in an official relationship with Luka, Luka somehow ends up being the main destructive force of this game and one of the “chosen ones” of the franchise due to alternate universe shenanigans. Jeanne is seemingly dead, and eventually, Bayonetta or Luka get dragged to Inferno permanently. Some of that I could see coming, but a lot of it just felt really out of left field.
However, after what feels like the climax of the story, there’s yet another section starring Viola, and the scenes following that set her up as the “new” Bayonetta. This is… troubling. Viola is an alright character, but I feel like we would be better served seeing a continuation with Jeanne, or even some games exploring those other Bayonetta incarnations. I applaud Platinum for letting the character bow out now, as Bayonetta 3 clearly shows there was a struggle with how to move the franchise forward between the odd story beats, underwhelming set pieces, and passing the torch to a new character that hasn’t achieved what Raiden or even Nero have. Her limited gameplay certainly didn’t sell me on her mechanically either.
Conclusion
Bayonetta 3 is a tough game to critique. It has some good times and great combat once it finally opens up, but so much of it is unfocused and unpolished that the bad tends to outweigh the good, at least for me. Platinum has been having some troubles lately and I believe that bled over into this game. It’s easy to blame the Switch hardware for some of the problems, but that defense can only go so far. The deeper issues outside of the performance would still remain even if this was a PC exclusive.
I don’t believe it’s a bad game, but I do believe this series and this character deserved better. If you’re playing for the flashy combos from a more casual side, it may be worth waiting for a sale. If you’re playing for the story, or for crazy in-depth combat like the first game of Devil May Cry 5, you’ll be sorely disappointed.
Bayonetta 3 is available now, exclusively on Nintendo Switch.
