Analysis of Bayonetta 3, the greatest show in the multiverse

Bayonetta 3 arrives stomping, positioning itself as one of the best hack’n slash from any of the current platforms. The study Platinum Games announced this third installment of the saga at the ceremony of The Game Awards of 2017 and, although it has rained since then, the company made sure to reassure fans periodically, reminding them that the title had not been cancelled.

In this particular case, that “sequels are always worse” idea doesn’t apply, this game is up to previous titles, rivaling in originality, script quality and good playability. Unlike continuations of other sagas, doesn’t feel repetitive, is not a forced extension or replica of its ancestors. And this is achieved by introducing new characters interesting and giving a twist to an already great fighting system, taking it to the next level, even creating different forms of play inside the main model. Refering to design quality its menus, characters, enemies, weapons, animations, locations… it’s simply spectacular.

In this analysis I will try not to do spoilers of the argument or teach more, since discovering the story is one of the fundamental parts that make the story gaming experience of this title works so well.

A world made up of many

our adventure begins in medias res, in the middle of the action. What better beginning than an epic battle? This starting point is already promising, but here comes the twist: We enter the multiverse! The saga uses this fashionable resource that we do not stop seeing in great film titles and current series. Although this idea is not new, it is the ideal time to join this multiversal trend.

This premise translates into multitude of locations, different dimensions and even different times. We could already distinguish in the game trailer itself places like Tokyo, China, New York, Paris… I won’t add more so as not to spoil the surprise.

The scenarios surprised me.not only for its breadth, but also for how complete they are, with many hidden secrets, both in the form of collectibles and battles, puzzles to solve, platform areas and spectacular cinematics.

These characters do not lack personality

The protagonist of the story is again, of course, bayonetta the witch (or Cherry, if you feel confident), accompanied by familiar faces like Jeanne or Rodin and with New additions, highlighting Viola, a key character in this sequel. In fact, my favorite dynamic in the game is the one created between Bayonetta and Viola, two very different personalities, colliding with the sarcasm and self-confidence of the first, with the clumsiness and temperament of this rookie who joins the team. In fact, the game itself gives us the opportunity to handle both of them, with a very different gameplay experience depending on who is in charge at all times.

also fits highlight enemies design since, in this adventure, the threat that concerns us does not belong to Heaven or Hell, but are creations of humans themselves, homunculi. To fight them we will ally ourselves with different demons that will already be familiar to us as madame butterfly and other new ones, which I will not reveal here. I anticipate that I am impressed by the successful and original designs, both for the appearance of the demons and for their abilities.

colossal combats

Combat is one of the essential aspects on which this title rests. The attack movements are fluid and careful, you will not find standard or prototypical animations, but a personal and colorful style.

One feature that really catches my attention is that this game can be beaten in two radically different ways: pounding buttons or thinking our moves. The first is a quick and very useful option if the player doesn’t have much time to spend on the console, with a more hectic style. However, the second option is, in my opinion, the most satisfying, since you can improve, unlock and equip different skills, choose between different weapons or demons to summon, dodge enemy attacks by accessing witch time… It’s a complex and interesting system, which I recommend exploring. In fact, the rewards earned in combat can be used to acquire new moves, altering aspects of the fight.

I have mentioned before invocations, an essential element to overcome the game. We can equip three demon slaves, and toggle which of them we want to call for help. When the demon appears on the scene, he fights in our place for a limited time, which varies according to our climax bar and can disappear if our character takes damage. Each one of them has its own abilities and we must weigh at all times which ones will be most useful depending on the situation or scenario in which we find ourselves. This system varies when we have the controls of Violasince it only has one daemon: the cheshire cat. The biggest difference from Bayonetta’s demons is that this summon can fight independently of Viola.

Apart from the fight with Bayonetta and Viola, there is also secondary levels starring Jeanne. These have a more classic air, similar to a arcade game, adapting his fighting style to this type of game. Summarizing, each of our witches has a particular style of playgiving the title versatility and preventing the player from getting bored, with a structure that is far from being repetitive.

a great show

The devil is in the details, well, or the witches. Our protagonist goes from provocative invocation dances to minigames, fights and races controlling giant monsters, shooting chases dodging obstacles at full speed, awesome cinematics who advance through a story full of surprises… You won’t be able to take your eyes off the screen.

I love the irreverent tone of the game, with a great sense of humor and risky resources, like the extreme eroticism that surrounds Bayonetta herself. In my opinion, this element works perfectly on this extravagant character. It is understandable that the sparkling personality of the witch captivated so many fans without problem.

The level of collectibles and areas to explore in the game is such that, although you can finish it in about 15 hoursyou would have to go back to it almost as long to fully discover it.

Apart from the elements already mentioned, such as the design and the plot, this title has a high quality and eclectic soundtrack, bringing together jazz themes with pop songs or even choral compositions in the most epic battles. Furthermore, controversies aside, the dubbing quality, both original and in English, is exceptional. And, despite the drop in quality in some textures or settings, its movement, fast loading times and good optimization for Nintendo Switch, balance quality of the product.

In a nutshell

Once you enter the different universes of Bayonetta 3, you will not be able to let go of the controller. The five year wait has been worth it. Platinum Games presents us with one of the titles of nintendo switch The most compelling to date, with its compelling story and charismatic characters, it wins the player over from the very first sequence.

Even in the technical field get a high grade. if i had to take out some catch, I can think of one: how uncomfortable it is to handle some of the demons in the first person, with their immense size and movements so slow that they are desperate. Even so, Bayonetta 3 it’s a outstanding gameI recommend it.

Technical sheet Bayonetta 3

Bayonetta 3 It is available on the Nintendo website with an official price of 59.99 euros, on the channel specialized in video games and on global platforms such as Amazon, where it can be purchased both in physical and digital copies for the same price. €59.99 or the Special Limited Edition with a 5% discount 149,95 euros.