Excited for Bayonetta 3? Play Valkyrie Elysium

At a recent Nintendo press event, I played a demo for Bayonetta 3I was attacked by a procession demon enemy with monstrous clubs, sharp swords and tri-barreled pistols. In addition to summoning friendly demons, I rode along with an ally demon who, in turn was using two train cars to waterski down the canals. I was both embarrassed and happy to have played the Bayonetta games for the first time. Why am I still not familiar with this series? It was my thought. This is absolutely the rule. I was now officially excited for the game’s Oct. 28 release.

I was able to quickly rewind to that evening and find myself savoring my backlog of video games, but they all lack a certain flair. Assassin’s Creed OriginsIt was an established quantity. Total War: Warhammer 3It would take too much effort. Even Vampire SurvivorsI felt stifled by, one of my favourite games of the year. After about an hour I felt certain. Bayonetta 3 had ruined my existing library of games — until I tried Valkyrie Elysium.

In the most recent entry in Square Enix’s experimental slate of 2022 releases, you play the part of the titular Valkyrie, a proxy warrior sent by Odin to do damage control during the mythical apocalypse Ragnarok. This is in contrast to the more strategic predecessors of Valkyrie’s Valkyrie series. Elysium plays out in action-focused, third-person combat — combo chains, elemental attacks, weapon swapping and all. You are matched against homogenous enemies mobs and have a restricted move list. The battle system unfolds slowly. But by the third discrete level, I was grapple-hooking onto distant archers, targeting flankers’ elemental weaknesses, and juggling flying enemies before they even had a chance to fight.

Square Enix

Between combat, the moments are filled with exploration, platforming and light puzzle solving. Occasionally I’ll find camps where I can upgrade my weapons and tweak my loadout. Even though I love the balance and power of the broadsword, sometimes it is easier to defeat some foes with speed and fury of the rapier.

Furthermore (in keeping with a series motif), the protagonist also gradually builds a party of Einherjar — ethereal entities she can summon to fight by her side and enhance her weapons with elemental properties. They’re mainly useful as distractions, and they can’t touch the sheer spectacle of Bayonetta 3’s demons — but they’re an integral part of Elysium regardless. Combat can be a rewarding loop that includes aerial combos, acrobatic attacks and amplified elemental assailments, even early in areas.

I’m about six hours in, and while none of it has matched the excitement I found in 20 minutes’ worth of Bayonetta 3, it’s still a potent display of craft. Square Enix’s glut of fall 2022 releases has already accounted for one of my recent obsessions, and Valkyrie Elysium Every chapter brings new insights and improvements. And so far, it’s tiding me over while I wait for Oct. 28.