Beyond the usual Mario, Zelda and others Metroid, Nintendo Switch can sometimes offer more exotic exclusives. This will be particularly the case of Bayonetta 3 who, after years of silence, has come back to the fore. The famous witch of the Umbra will soon be back in this extremely ambitious third installment.
Made official during the Game Awards 2017 through a simple teaser, Bayonetta 3 remained hidden in the shadows for a long time before reappearing miraculously during a Nintendo Direct broadcast in September 2021. Eight long years after the excellent second episode, Platinum Games stacks up with a sequel by once again teaming up with the Japanese manufacturer.
A resurrection not really obvious
If Bayonetta 2 was unanimous among critics (91% average on Metacritic) when it was launched in 2014, Platinum Games' software was too handicapped to hope to shine around the world. Indeed, Nintendo had at the time granted exclusivity for its Wii U, a console which unfortunately never convinced the players. Thus, sales of the title were disappointing and the license seemed destined to disappear. However, in 2018, the manufacturer gave the saga a new chance by releasing a port (with the first opus) on Switch.
But, despite a notable appearance in Super Smash Bros., Bayonetta's popularity never really took off with the general public. It is in this rather particular context that Bayonetta 3 will land later in 2022 (if no postponement is reported by then). As we will be able to see, the gray areas around the game are not lacking.
Even more spectacular
It's quite simple! At the time of this writing, no details have been mentioned by Platinum Games about the scenario of Bayonetta 3. Only a few theories are floating around on the Internet. Some predict the possibility of being confronted with a prequel which could take place in a parallel world. The very urban environment of the second trailer is rather sparing in concrete information on the history of the game.
What is obvious is that the staging has never been so hair-raising. Our favorite witch summons gigantic creatures capable of ravaging everything in their path (the sets could be partially destructible). It will likely be possible to directly control these Kaijū and use them as a mount to glide over the facade of buildings (during probably scripted sequences). One almost wonders how the Nintendo Switch will manage to manage such a riot of visual effects.
An almost unchanged core game
If we are to believe its second trailer, Bayonetta 3 will retain its supercharged beat 'em all gameplay. The witch will use her Bewitchment technique, that is to say a power capable of slowing down time when a dodge is made at the last moment. Our heroine can then chain attacks as fast as devastating. The Incantations that came to punctuate a confrontation by invoking objects of torture, even demons, will quite logically be part of the game.
Finally, the irreverent side of Bayonetta will remain on the program. The witch will not hesitate to clash with the angels she meets before cutting them to pieces. It's a bit of the trademark of the license that never takes itself seriously. By the very admission of Hideki Kamiya, the director of the franchise, the primary objective of Bayonetta 3 is to please historical fans. It will not be a question of reinventing everything to please a wider audience, but rather of refining the elements of the previous opuses.
In short, difficult to say more, as the indices are relatively timid for the moment. Bayonetta 3 is expected exclusively on Nintendo Switch in 2022. The game should not be released on other media, since Nintendo will be responsible for editing it.
