Bayonetta 3 Review – For Extravagance’s Sake

Bayonetta 3’s 3rd Chapter is overtly ambitious. It’s like watching buildings fall apart like thin plastic. Giant craters puncture the surface, while giant creatures the size of mountain lions level entire towns. This is the explosive conclusion to three hours worth of stimulation.

It is loud and obnoxious. It was loud and exasperating. 

Bayonetta’s series is at its most when viewers stare at the TV hunched over, muttering incoherently, “What are you doing?” This series is excessive in violence, action and sexuality. Combinations that are rapid and frequent lead to flashy, bloody and elaborate animations. These animated scenes are capped off by funny cutscenes in which the witch demonstrates her sexual appeal and uses it to taunt and distract those around. 

Bayonetta 3 is, of course, no different. In the first seconds of the game, you are thrown into huge-scale battles. You must switch between weapons and summon monsters. Bayonetta’s character is the greatest in the series. Her combat was intense for more than twelve hours. I enjoyed every moment of it, welcoming each new boss or enemy. 

Bayonetta 3 makes this possible. Infernal Demons, which Bayonetta summons as a companion to her fights with large creatures called Bayonetta to battle alongside her, are no longer cut scenes at the end of boss fights. They’re now an integral part of the game. You can summon these monsters (called Demon Slave) as long as your magic is full. They are also available to control while you fight. Because they are not intended for this purpose, I used them primarily as finishing moves. Completing a combo by launching a huge attack from one my four equipped monsters felt heavy and powerful, which helped to level out the many, many bosses. Bayonetta 3 keeps you busy with Infernal Demons, which is why I thoroughly enjoyed testing each one. However, aside from gameplay-specific sections I mostly went back to the two first Infernal Demons the game offers, Gomorrah, and Madama Butterfly. But that is more a matter of complacency rather than lack of viable options. 

Bayonetta 3’s most distinctive characteristic is its absurdly large selection of choices and varieties. Bayonetta also has many weapons. They each have their own advantages, weaknesses, and gimmicks. I used the Ignis Araneae Yoo, which is lightning fast and has a wide reach, as my main weapon. I also had the Dead End Express hybrid hammer-saw for heavier but slower attacks. Dodging Bayonetta’s Witch Time, which slows all but you, I struck quickly with the first. After that, I was able to hammer down enemies before summoning an Infernal Demon. It was always entertaining. I actually wish that there was more encounters. I was able to often defeat most common enemies with just a few combo strings. This left me to race to the next opponent. 

Bayonetta 3’s 14 chapters change between different settings all the time, so you can travel around the globe and back again. Every level is unique in its visual style and core concept, from Japan to New York, Egypt to Japan. It was fun to find out the next level in the game, but I also loved how each chapter ended. Each chapter featured an epic, bigger-than-life finale that often completely flattened that particular level. There are massive kaiju fights that I love, a battle high in the Earth’s atmosphere where an enormous being blasts bubbles at its opponent and, of course, an operatic battle. While some sequences may be better than others they are all spectacular and entertaining to watch. 

All of this happens at an amazing speed. Bayonetta moves at a fast pace, throwing you new bosses, enemies and setpieces every few seconds and asking for your help. It is overwhelming and it was amazing. Bayonetta 3 doesn’t want you to feel bored. It will do everything it can to make sure that your eyes are glued to the TV and Switch screens, regardless of how tiring.

Bayonetta 3, for what it is worth, has the best story in all of the series. It’s also not all gibberish. Bayonetta, along with most of the returning cast members, is charmant throughout. However, the bigger narrative is a repetitive multiverse story. A big bad guy is out to take control of all the dimensions and control time and space. The story introduces multiple Bayonettas, which is a great narrative way to get the aforementioned weapons. There’s also a twist in the final game that changes Bayonetta legends. The narrative, for the most part is forgettable, and serves little more than surface entertainment. 

Bayonetta 3’s most vulnerable parts are introduced in the story. Viola, a young, punk character from another dimension, is introduced to Jeanne early on. She needs Bayonetta and Jeanne to save her multiverse. Jeanne sets out to search for a scientist in order to save the three of them. Jeanne’s levels are a side scroller with stealthy elements, although it isn’t all that exciting beyond running between points A and B and sometimes fighting boring bosses. 

Viola has a few levels that are interesting mechanically but they don’t land on the landing. Viola is hack ‘n slash focused and Witch Time tied to parry, not dodge. The parry window can be very tight. I found it frustrating to learn the basics, and it was an ongoing struggle until I got it down. Her Demon Slave is a large cat called Cheshire, which I used to help me brute force through the levels. 

Viola failed to impress me. She’s a typical office worker who looks like a punk rocker. She’s boring and bland even though she does have a lot of personality. It forces you spend hours with her and it is difficult to find a single character defining her apart from her corny, mall-punk aesthetic. Viola is bland and uninteresting, which is unfortunate considering the series’ sometimes lackluster storytelling but its incredibly enjoyable characters. Viola might play a larger role in upcoming games. This is disappointing considering her charm. 

This is a minor complaint among a lot of praises. Bayonetta 3 is a great game for the majority of its running time. You’ll find it outrageous and exuberant, which leaves you literally in ruins. Each level is being re-mastered to improve my scores. I don’t plan on stopping. While I’m unsure of the future of the series, at the moment, Bayonetta is my favorite game.