"Bayonetta 3" tested: My first time with the brawling witch

"Bayonetta" fans have had to wait a whole eight years for a new game in the cult franchise. I'm not one of those fans. I only know the witch casually from trailers and screenshots. I've also never played any other games from the Japanese games company Platinum Games. I'm plunging into the third part of the Bayonetta saga on the Nintendo Switch completely blind and without any prior knowledge and hope that I'll enjoy the crazy fighting game even as a newcomer.

Multiverses, witches and homunculi

I'm completely overwhelmed by the story from the very first second of the game. I can remember that much: I not only have to save the world with the witch Bayonetta, but also save several universes from destruction. Giant "Homunculi" monsters have set themselves the goal of wiping out all known worlds until only one universe, the Alpha-Verse, remains. Unfortunately, I don't know the characters and their backstories. The fact that variations of the same characters appear in the different multiverses confuses me all the more.

Despite the absolute confusion, the absurd cutscenes entertain me wonderfully. The dialogue is delivered in a cheesy and cool way by the voice actors, the quick cuts provide plenty of pace and the absurd scenarios regularly make me laugh and marvel. One moment Bayonetta is dancing half-naked in front of a Godzilla-like monster and the next she is surfing a tsunami wave on a cruise ship over the skyscrapers of New York. What reads like a crazy fever dream is just normal everyday life for a witch in "Bayonetta 3".

I particularly like how cool Bayonetta and her supernatural friends are. The game is bursting with style, coolness and kitsch and doesn't shy away from showing bare skin from time to time. The quick-witted witch always has the situation under control, flirts incessantly with the camera (or is she flirting with me?) and always has a suitable line up her sleeve. If you find the whole thing a little too sexy and cool, you can activate the "Naive Angel" mode. With this function, the characters smoke donuts instead of cigars and Bayonetta's bare skin is covered with plenty of clothes.

Chaotic fighting principle with addictive potential

In addition to the story, the complex combat system also gave me quite a headache at first. I quickly understood the basic principle, but struggled to memorise and implement all the possible combinations in battle. But first things first.

I use the A, X and Y buttons to attack enemies on the battlefield with ranged and melee weapons. I can jump with the B button and dodge enemy attacks with the ZR button. By timing my dodges perfectly, I can activate "Witch Time". This allows me to beat up the Homunculi in slow motion and boost my score - it feels very satisfying and is instantly addictive.

Bayonetta can now also summon various Kaiju - giant monsters - in battle. I can use the ZL button to send giant spiders, Godzilla lizards and demonic trains at enemies or use them at the end of an attack combination for a devastating final blow. The different weapon sets that I unlock during the course of the game provide even more variation in combat. The sets range from small, agile weapons to cumbersome giant weapons with which I have to time my attacks precisely. The weapons, Kaijus and Bayonetta's abilities can also be continuously upgraded by unlocking new skills.

From time to time, I also take on the role of Bayonetta's companion Viola. The punk witch plays completely differently to Bayonetta, especially in defence. Instead of scoring points with perfectly timed dodging manoeuvres, I have to block enemy attacks with Viola. A small difference, but one that has a big impact on the flow of the game. Personally, I prefer the more fluid dodging mechanic because it brings more movement and dynamism to the battles.

With all these options, the possible combinations in battle are almost endless. If you know the numerous button combinations by heart and can dodge perfectly, you will quickly play yourself into a high-score frenzy. For beginners like me, however, the whole thing often degenerates into frustrating chaos on the battlefield. This is mainly due to the game's ambiguous visual communication. The battles are a real sensory overload - something is constantly crashing, flashing and exploding everywhere. Visual cues for the correct timing of attack combinations are quickly lost in the chaos.

The annoying camera work also makes it difficult for me to get to grips with the combat system. Especially with larger enemies, Bayonetta often disappears somewhere in the turmoil of battle and my attack combinations are interrupted by unfair attacks that are invisible to me. Blocking attacks precisely with Viola is also frustrating with the sometimes very distant camera and the poorly predictable distance to the opponent.

Not a feast for the senses

"Bayonetta 3" also offers plenty of variety beyond the fights. The game is bursting with crazy ideas. The levels are visually varied and take me to ruined cities, vast deserts and fiery hellscapes. I am constantly surprised by elaborately staged set-pieces - i.e. particularly action-packed sequences - in which I battle other giant monsters with Kaijus or have to fight my way through collapsing levels in sensational chases. There are even a few small 2D stealth levels to complete in the course of the game.

Despite the high density of ideas, the game feels repetitive at times. This is mainly due to the drearily designed tube levels and the sometimes unspectacular designs of the never-ending hordes of Homunculi enemies.

The game's biggest weakness for me is the graphics. The crazy ideas and ambitious action scenes are held back by the limited graphical display options of the ageing Switch hardware. Blurred textures, clearly visible pop-in effects and frame rate dips spoil the overall picture massively. The game also runs at a very low resolution, especially in handheld mode. The environment, characters and enemies look blurred and the strong edge flickering annoys me after just a few minutes of playing. Depending on the game environment, the technical deficits can be compensated for by the harmonious art design. In some levels, however, the game looks like a game from the early PS3 era.

Conclusion: Stylish sensory overload with potential for addiction and frustration

After around 13 hours of gameplay, I have reached the end of Bayonetta's multiverse adventure. I need a short breather first. The crazy hack-and-slay adventure is like a wild rollercoaster ride that constantly floods me with new stimuli. As a newcomer to the genre, it wasn't easy for me to get to grips with the complex combat system and the frustrating camera. The moments when I successfully performed combos and slaughtered rows of enemies felt all the more satisfying.

The cool staging and the game's high density of ideas are sometimes held back by repetitive gameplay elements and an old-fashioned graphical presentation. All in all, however, the game left a thoroughly positive impression on me. The unique mix of coolness, kitsch, crazy storytelling and chaotic action is unrivalled, and not just on the Switch.

After I have recovered a bit, I will definitely give the two "Bayonetta" predecessors a chance and also fight my way through the rest of the games in the Platinum Games catalogue.

"Bayonetta 3" is available for the Nintendo Switch. The game was provided to me by Nintendo for testing purposes.

Video games

Nintendo Bayonetta 3

Switch, Multilingual

15

Video games

Nintendo Bayonetta 3

Switch, Multilingual

15