Bayonetta 3^{[lower-alpha 1]} is a 2022 action-adventure hack and slash video game developed by PlatinumGames and published by Nintendo for Nintendo Switch. The game was directed by Yusuke Miyata and produced by Yuji Nakao, with the Bayonetta creator Hideki Kamiya as supervising director. It was announced in December 2017, and was released on October 28, 2022.^[1][2]

Bayonetta 3 follows the titular angel-hunting witch Bayonetta, who must face against man-made bioweapons called Homunculi, and an entity known as the Singularity which threatens to destroy the multiverse. She is assisted by an ensemble of characters, including a coven of alternate universe versions of herself; and a new witch-in-training named Viola.

Following its initial announcement at The Game Awards 2017, news on Bayonetta 3 went dormant while PlatinumGames worked to release games such as Astral Chain, which was developed concurrently. The game had its first full reveal with gameplay in September 2021 during a Nintendo Direct presentation. Bayonetta's original voice actor, Hellena Taylor, was replaced by Jennifer Hale after a pay dispute.

Bayonetta 3 received generally favorable reviews from critics but it did not fare as well as the previous games. It received praise for its gameplay, presentation, and supplementary content, while receiving criticism for its story, character development, camera controls, and performance issues. The game sold over one million units by February 2023.

Bayonetta 3, like its predecessors, is an action hack and slash game in which players control the eponymous protagonist Bayonetta as she combats various enemies using a combination of melee attacks and gunplay. Dodging enemy attacks at the last second triggers a state known as "Witch Time", during which time and enemies slow down, allowing Bayonetta to continually attack them without interruption, or traverse in real-time to solve environmental puzzles. Unique to this game are the "Demon Slave" and "Demon Masquerade" mechanics, the former of which differs from the preceding Climax Summon and Umbran Climax features in the first two titles, and instead allows players to take direct control of one of Bayonetta's Infernal Demons to perform various attacks and special abilities, some of which are advantageous to particular scenarios depending on the demon being controlled. The latter meanwhile, allows Bayonetta to directly fuse with a summoned Infernal Demon, granting her access to magic-based abilities, including new attack and traversal options.^[3] A new playable character, Viola, can only activate Witch Time through the use of a parry mechanic, and whose only Demon Slave Cheshire cannot be manually controlled. When Viola summons Cheshire, she switches from a sword-based fighting style to a fist-based fighting style.

In addition to the game's standard presentation, a new display mode known as the "Naive Angel Mode" is introduced. This mode conceals displays of nudity during gameplay and cinematics, such as Bayonetta's various dances to summon her Wicked Weaves using her clothing as a conduit, as well as the more graphic designs of certain enemies and demons.^[4]

In July 2013, PlatinumGames executive and series creator Hideki Kamiya responded to a fan question on Twitter regarding the likelihood of a third game in the Bayonetta series in the event the then-upcoming Bayonetta 2 was a success, stating, "I hope so".^[8] Bayonetta 2 director Yusuke Hashimoto was interviewed by the magazine outlet GamesMaster, during which was asked about what game sequels he would like to work on, to which he answered that he had "all kinds of ideas" in mind for Bayonetta 3 in addition to a potential spin-off title.^{[9][better source needed]} In June 2015 following Bayonetta 2's release, Kamiya again responded to a fan inquiry regarding the character Jeanne, and what potential new hairstyles she would look good in following her appearances in the first two games. Kamiya replied, "The answer will be in Bayo 3".^[10]

Bayonetta 3 was announced by Nintendo in December 2017 during that year's The Game Awards alongside Nintendo Switch versions of Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2, confirming the title as in development for the Switch in addition to Nintendo's involvement as its publisher.^[11][12] Then-President and COO of Nintendo of America Reggie Fils-Aimé remarked on the announcement as celebratory for "the fans who love what PlatinumGames does, and are thrilled to have PlatinumGames back on a Nintendo system".^[13] In June 2022, Hideki Kamiya reiterated his recommendation that newcomers play the preceding two games in preparation for Bayonetta 3, as despite there being "no reason why you won't be able to follow the story and enjoy it if you start with Bayonetta 3", he felt that prior experience with the series would help players find the third game "more interesting".^[14]

In April 2018, studio head Atsushi Inaba told Eurogamer at the Reboot Develop 2018 conference that Bayonetta 3 would mark a "turning point" for the developer, mentioning that the game would be a "linear core progression action game" in a similar vein to its predecessors.^[15] In February 2019 during an installment of Nintendo Direct, Nintendo revealed Astral Chain (2019), another action-adventure title from PlatinumGames for the Switch that was released later that August. Despite the reveal of an additional title in development at the studio however, Nintendo Switch general producer Yoshiaki Koizumi who presented the Direct, would reassure that the game would not conflict with Bayonetta 3's development, stating that PlatinumGames were still "hard at work" on the title.^[16]

Inaba was interviewed by Video Games Chronicle (VGC) in May 2019, and described the game's production as an "orthodox development process", additionally remarking that players would be able to easily observe the shifts in the studio's production mentality during gameplay, yet refusing to elaborate further.^[17] Inaba was again interviewed by the publication during E3 2019, clarifying the game's status as "going quite well".^[18]

Bayonetta 3 was unveiled by Nintendo during a Direct presentation in September 2021, revealing the first look at gameplay and its 2022 release window.^[19] The trailer additionally confirmed Yusuke Miyata as the game's director while Hideki Kamiya will be executive director. Miyata's involvement prompted speculation that a mechanic revolving around individually controlling Bayonetta's Infernal Demon summons in combat, was in fact derived from a previously cancelled PlatinumGames project, Scalebound, an action role-playing game published by Microsoft Studios intended to release for Xbox One and Microsoft Windows, as Miyata previously served as that game's lead designer.^[20] Fans additionally noted the resemblance between a new character masked in shadow during the end of the trailer, and Scalebound's intended playable protagonist, Drew.^[21] A blog post on PlatinumGames' website confirmed additional staff involved in the game, including cinematic supervisors Yuji Shimomura and Masaki Suzumura, as well as artist Mari Shimazaki, all reprising their respective roles from the previous two games.^[22]

A second trailer was released on July 13, 2022, confirming the game's October 28 launch date, and key story and character details, notably unveiling the new character Viola, the presence of alternate versions of Bayonetta, and the return of supporting characters Luka, Enzo, Jeanne and Rodin. In commemoration of the game's launch, Nintendo announced that a physical edition of the original Bayonetta on Nintendo Switch would be available in limited quantities on September 30, 2022 via select retailers and the My Nintendo Store. This would be the first time the game was available in a standalone physical format outside the Special Edition box set collecting the first game and its sequel, which released in 2018.^[23][24][25]

Bayonetta 3 was released on Nintendo Switch on October 28, 2022.^[41][42] Alongside the standard physical and digital releases of the game, a special edition box set known as the "Trinity Masquerade Edition" was made available at select retailers, or online through the My Nintendo Store. It features a copy of the game, accompanied by a 200-page, full color artbook with concept illustrations of the game's various demons, and alternate physical cover sleeves for the three Bayonetta games.^[6]

More information Publication, Score ...

Review scores

Publication	Score
Destructoid	10/10[44]
Digital Trends	[45]
Eurogamer	Recommended[46]
Famitsu	37/40[47]
Game Informer	8.25/10[48]
GamePro	88/100[49]
GameSpot	9/10[50]
GamesRadar+	[51]
IGN	9/10[52]
Nintendo Life	[53]
Nintendo World Report	9/10[54]
PCMag	[55]
TechRadar	[56]
The Telegraph	[57]
The Guardian	[58]
Video Games Chronicle	[59]
VG247	[60]
Trusted Reviews	[61]

Close

Bayonetta 3 received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic.^[43]

The combat received widespread praise from reviewers. Mitchell Saltzman, writing for IGN, described it as, "one of the best combat systems in gaming".^[52] GameSpot's Jessica Howard described the gameplay as being "lightning-fast and smooth yet accommodates for different playstyles and skill levels".^[50] Chris Carter of Destructoid added how "seamless" the combat was and highlighted the game's wealth of content.^[44] The game's levels were also noted by Nintendo Life as being larger than prior games in the series, and that the game had greater replayability through challenges, collectibles, and unlockable modes.^[53]

Some reviewers criticized the game's performance and technical issues, such as an inconsistent framerate, long loading times, and occasional low-quality textures.^[52][56][59] Negative opinions were also directed at the game's camera, being labelled as "frustrating" and "annoying".^[45][61] The story and characterization of its titular protagonist in comparison to the game's predecessors drew some criticism.^[62][63][64]