Beyond the aesthetics, you have several different enemy types, all of which are visually distinct and have radically different play-styles. Aesthetically, they draw on older influences: The angels combine the beautiful colors and cherubic stylings of classical artwork with the terrifying imagery of old Abrahamic texts. These are usually one of the biggest draws of the franchise. What to not love in Bayonetta 3 (it’s not much)īayonetta 3 has one big problem, which is perhaps a symptom of a few smaller problems: I hate the enemy design. When I’ve had this much fun, I’m not going to let one final wimpy flute solo ruin the entire concert for me. But the game’s extended romp across various locations and time periods more than makes up for its lackluster finish. I wasn’t a fan of the ending, and the game vastly overestimates how much I give a damn about the character Luka. I’m not going to complain about the weaker parts of story - I feel that others have already done so, and better. If Bayonetta is great by herself, more Bayonettas can only improve the formula. J-Pop Bayonetta, French thief Bayonetta, warchief Bayonetta - all are amazing. These sequences are brilliant, if only because it feels like we’re finally getting to see the Bayonettas that otherwise would just exist as sketches in an artbook. But the major hook is about Bayonetta travelling to other timelines and meeting different versions of herself. Jeanne gets her own levels in Bayonetta 3.Īs for the story … well, it’s not my favorite out of the series, if only because its tone is all over the place.

Her character design also grew on me after a while. While Viola’s not above a little whining, she does have her own skillset, distinct from Bayonetta’s, which was fun to play on its own.

I was ready to dismiss her as this game’s Loki, a new “little one” to snottily whine at Bayonetta whenever she comes in clutch to save them. Viola, the new playable character, turns out to be a much more competent and interesting character than she seems on first glance. I only wish the game had more of these levels - or heck, give Jeanne her own spin-off title. It reminds me of the first game’s Space Harrier levels, in that it’s a fun gameplay switch that feels like someone’s homage to their favorite game. No, she actually has her own 2D stealth-action settings where she’s infiltrating. Jeanne returns and, in a major switch, her sections are not thinly-veiled reskins of Bayonetta’s own levels. It adds yet another layer of spectacle and strategy to the already-complex combat system. With Demon Slave, she pulls said demons from Inferno to fight her enemies directly, the logical endpoint of her climax abilities. Demon Masquerade replaces Bayonetta’s Wicked Weaves with her directly channeling her demon familiars for a handful of new powers and combos. The most important new abilities are Demon Masquerade and Demon Slave. Bayonetta’s sassy attitude arrives intact. Bayonetta has a sweet suite of new moves and weapons, some of them even more wild and wacky than we saw in the previous games. The staple of Bayonetta is its fast, fun, action gameplay, and that’s just as good in the third game as it has been before.

But I did manage to pinpoint a big problem I have with the game, and that led me into a handful of smaller complaints. I love so much about this game - the majority of it, if I’m being honest. Besides, if I were to write the review, it’d mostly be praise.

Bayonetta 3 pc