The beautiful witch Bayonetta makes her grand descent after eight years!　Bayonetta 3" Play Review

On October 28, 2022, Nintendo finally released the Nintendo Switch software "Bayonetta 3". Many fans may have been eagerly awaiting the release of this third title in the series. This time, I would like to share with you my first impressions of "Bayonetta 3. This is the first time for me to play the Bayonetta series. Therefore, I am unable to make any comparisons with previous installments in the series, and I would like to emphasize that I am speaking from the perspective of a first-time player of the Bayonetta series.

Bayonetta, a beautiful and cruel witch, confronts the crisis of world annihilation!　Modern-day Tokyo, including Shibuya and Shinjuku, will also be the stage for battles!

Bayonetta 3" is the latest title in the "Bayonetta" action game series developed by Platinum Games. The first game in the series, "Bayonetta," was released in 2009 (by Sega), and the second game, "Bayonetta 2," was released in 2014 (by Nintendo), making it a popular series with a 13-year history.

The "Bayonetta" series is characterized by the overwhelming presence of the main character, Bayonetta the witch, the breathtakingly powerful battles that are like a series of climactic scenes in a movie, and the high-quality 3D action that can be enjoyed through intuitive controls. The "Bayonetta" series is an "∞ (non-stop) climactic action game" that continues to captivate gamers around the world with its abundant appeal. Even if you, like me, have not played the series, you probably know the name "Bayonetta" and the cool and beautiful protagonist who wears glasses.

Bayonetta 3" is the latest numbered title after eight years since the previous "Bayonetta 2. Let's start with the synopsis.

The story begins in a collapsed New York City. In a world where all civilization has been destroyed and all human beings have perished, Bayonetta is engaged in a fierce battle against an unknown enemy, a homunculus, which is neither a demon nor an angel. After a fierce battle, Bayonetta finally runs out of energy, and with wounds all over her body, she fires a bullet that contains the last hope for humanity. ......

The stage changes, and it is once again New York City. The hopeless scene from earlier has vanished without a trace, and we are back in New York City as usual, where skyscrapers soar under a blue sky and people are full of vitality. One day, a girl, Viola, a new witch, appears to Bayonetta, who is leading a freewheeling life in the city. Viola claims that the mysterious "Singularity" is leading homunculi to attack parallel worlds one after another and annihilate them, and she has come to Bayonetta in "this world" to ask for help in order to confront this unprecedented crisis. .......

The "multiverse," which is the key to the storyline of this film, refers to the multiverse, a hypothesis that there may be countless other universes, not just the one we are in now, that exist in parallel, a theme that is often discussed in recent science fiction novels, movies and anime. In the story of this work, the "exhausted Bayonetta of the collapsed world" who first appears in the story and the "Bayonetta living gracefully in New York" who appears in the next story are beings from different dimensions. The next Bayonetta, "Bayonetta living gracefully in New York," is from a different dimension. Bayonetta 3" is a fantasy world with fantastical elements, such as the heavenly and magical realms, and a science fiction worldview of the multiverse, and its grand scale story is also a major attraction.

The story of "Bayonetta 3" follows Bayonetta and Viola as they travel to worlds in other dimensions of the universe. As the story progresses, new weapons and new systems are released, expanding the scope of what can be done.

The parallel worlds that Bayonetta and her friends visit are based on the real world, with some stages set in modern Japan. In some stages, Bayonetta is seen in familiar landscapes such as Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate), and the spectacle of her brilliantly and dynamically knocking down her enemies is strangely exciting and amusing. Incidentally, there is also a scene in which Bayonetta is engaged in a grand battle against an army of enemies in a train car that appears to be on the Yamanote Line. The electric displays and in-train announcements are realistic and a must-see.

In addition to Japan, Bayonetta and her friends travel to various places in the human world. Even leaving aside the fact that the various regions are in turmoil after being attacked by homunculi, the development of the story is just like a "journey," giving players a sense of excitement as they wonder what places they will travel to next. This is another major attraction of "Bayonetta 3.

Bayonetta from "another parallel world" also makes an appearance!　The battle by Viola, a fledgling witch, is also not to be missed!

Now that we have introduced the story and worldview of the game, let's talk about the characters.

The protagonist of the game is, as we all know, "Bayonetta. Or, to be more precise, "Bayonetta from the world where she was living a life of elegance in New York.

Bayonetta is the forbidden child born of the "Sage of Lumen," who controls the power of light, and the "Witch of Umbra," who controls the power of darkness. Living in the present day, hundreds of years after her birth, the witch Bayonetta manipulates her family's powerful and matchless magical arts to brilliantly destroy her enemies. Her overwhelming presence and sexy, sadistic characterization quickly captivate even first-time players like myself.

As mentioned earlier, this title is a story of traveling through various parallel worlds, so another highlight of the game is that you will encounter Bayonetta, who is your "self from another parallel world" in various places. The story is interesting in that while each character has a different appearance, such as hair style and clothing, her trademark glasses and personality are unmistakably "Bayonetta," and one cannot help but be reminded of the Bayonetta of a dimension yet to be seen.

Viola, a new character in this game, is a fledgling witch dressed in punk fashion.

She fights with a Japanese sword on her back and also manipulates magic, but her abilities are still in their infancy and she is only half a warrior. She has a cheerful and energetic personality with no hidden qualities, and her favorite T-shirts are those printed with characters from her favorite cartoon, "Torture Cats.

In this work, there is a part where Viola, a novice witch, controls her favorite Japanese sword, "Mabudachi," and summons a magical beast, Cheshire, to battle. The presence of Viola, who can enjoy battles that are different from those of Bayonetta, is an indispensable point in the story of this work.

The Bayonetta series also features familiar characters such as Jeanne, Rodin, Luca, and Enzo. For those who have played the series before, it is not necessary to explain them, but players like myself who are new to the series will naturally learn who they are and what their relationship is with Bayonetta as we progress through the story. You can also access the information from the "Character Retrospective" in the game's archive, so don't worry.

The exhilarating battles are thoroughly dissected!　Don't miss the scale of the "Demon Slave," which summons huge demonic beasts!

In this section, we would like to introduce the battles of "Bayonetta 3.

The most distinctive feature of the Bayonetta series is "∞ (non-stop) climactic action, " in which players can enjoy powerful battles with intuitive controls. The battles in the Bayonetta series, which begin seamlessly as the player moves through the stage, are so exhilarating that one can feel a sense of exhilaration just by watching as the player stylishly destroys the armies of enemies and giant foes that stand in their way. This may be an element that should be obvious to those who have played the series, but let me explain it again here.

Witch Time is a self-defense spell that is activated by avoiding enemy attacks at the right moment, and has the effect of slowing down the movements of enemies around you for a certain period of time.

It should be noted that Bayonetta is actually "super-accelerated" to the extent that the flow of time around her appears to slow down. By making full use of this Witch Time, you can unleash a series of one-sided attacks on your enemies, and you can also use moves that require time to activate without risk, making it an essential element of battle strategy in this title.

Witch Time is an excellent battle system that provides both thrill and exhilaration to the player, with the risk of being attacked by the enemy and the reward of being able to unilaterally counterattack. Furthermore, in this work, if the player triggers Witch Time by drawing the attacker to the very edge, he or she can accelerate for a longer period of time than usual, making the battle even more thrilling.

The element of "weapons" is also an essential part of the battles in this work.
The "Color My World," a four-gun pistol created by Rodin, a master craftsman of the magical world, the "Zee Pillar," a giant anti-material rifle made from the living tissue of the magical beast Gomorrah, and the "Ignis Aranea Yo-Yo," a yo-yo-like weapon consisting of four pieces, are just some of the weapons available in this title. The "Ignis Aranea Yo-Yo" is a weapon with a wide variety of weapons.

In addition to features such as feel and power, the special actions associated with each weapon, the "Demon Masquerade," also differ depending on the weapon, making it necessary to use different weapons depending on the situation, not only in battle but also during exploration. Although they differ in performance and feel, all weapons share the same "feel-good" factor, giving players a fresh sense of excitement each time they acquire a new weapon.

A new element that is the centerpiece of this work is the "Demon Slave. This is a magic technique that allows Bayonetta to directly control demonic beasts summoned by consuming magic power and using her own hair as a catalyst. The scale and destructive power of the game is breathtaking.

The scale and destructive power of these beasts are impressive. However, although they are very effective against large and hard enemies, it should be noted that Bayonetta herself becomes defenseless while summoning a magical beast. Here, as in Witch Time, the "risk/reward" principle comes into play. Incidentally, this risk of Demon Slave can be mitigated to some extent by "summoning the Demon Slave during Witch Time," which shows that the battle systems are designed to work well together.

There are various types of demonic beasts that can be summoned by Demon Slave, including "Madame Butterfly," a lady of darkness and tyranny, "Gomorrah," a dragon-like monster that lives in the forests of the demon world, and "Roaring Grudge," an armed locomotive that has become a demon by harboring a grudge, each with a different attack method and performance. For example, Gomorrah moves slowly but can launch powerful attacks, and Madame Butterfly can throw a powerful kiss that disables the enemy for a certain period of time. In the archive that can be viewed in the game, the monsters are introduced in a somewhat nostalgic monster book style, which is also a must-see.

The "Demon Masquerade," mentioned during the introduction of weapons, is also a new element in this title. While the Demon Slave is a technique for freely manipulating demonic beasts summoned from the demon world, the Demon Masquerade changes Bayonetta's appearance with the souls of the demonic beasts that reside in the weapon. Not only does it change her appearance, but it also allows her to perform special actions, such as floating through the air on butterfly wings or swinging around on spider silk like a hook shot. These actions can be used outside of combat, making them useful when exploring the map. Like the Demon Slave, the Demon Masquerade also adds depth to the battles and exploration in this title.

This is where it gets amazing! My personal recommendation for "Bayonetta 3

From here, I would like to introduce some of my personal highlights of "Bayonetta 3.

1. Various kinds of "exhilaration" packed into battles

This is, in any case, the most attractive point of this work in my opinion.

The word "exhilaration in battle" can be used to describe a wide variety of sensations. For example, the exhilaration of moving around speedily and brilliantly to destroy enemies, the exhilaration of skillfully avoiding enemy attacks, the exhilaration of unleashing a series of one-sided attacks on enemies while in an invincible state, the exhilaration of delivering a heavy blow to an enemy with all one's might.... .... Bayonetta 3" is filled with every kind of "exhilaration" imaginable. What is exhilarating is up to the individual, but everyone who plays this title will find their own "exhilarating" feeling of "Oh, this feels so good! If you play this game, you will discover your own "point of exhilaration.

Another key point is that this exhilarating battle can be enjoyed with easy controls. Both weapons and magical beasts can be controlled by simply hitting the punch and kick buttons in rapid succession. Remote attacks with the shooting button are also easy to use and feel good. Overall, there are no complicated command inputs, so despite the bold and robust action, the game can be enjoyed with easier controls than one might imagine, which is definitely a strong selling point of this title.

In addition, there is a "CASUAL" difficulty setting for players who want to enjoy the scenario or who want to play more quickly and easily. On the other hand, for players who are confident in their skills, there is an "EXPERT" difficulty level that allows them to challenge challenging battles, which is a nice point that a wide range of players can play.

2. Numerous "fun" and "surprises" packed into the entire game

If this title were to be categorized in the general genre, it would be a 3D action game, as it should be. However, the game sometimes presents players with elements of "fun" that easily transcend the boundaries of the genre.

One of these is a side chapter in which the player takes control of Jeanne. In this chapter, the 3D action game is completely changed and a side-scrolling action game begins. You control an elevator and navigate through floors, hiding behind doors and air vents to avoid enemies, and sometimes stealth-killing them from a blind spot. This unique development, reminiscent of classic games, is so fresh and exciting that it is almost like playing a "different game".

In addition, there are many other scenes that completely change the gameplay, such as a scene in which the player rides Gomorrah, a huge magical beast, through the city like a slider while avoiding obstacles, and a boss battle between giant beasts in which the player must perform the three actions of "strike," "guard," and "throw" while keeping an eye on the opponent's actions. The game features a number of scenes that completely change the gameplay. The author felt that these "play" elements always provide players with "surprises" and make the gameplay of this title exciting and stimulating.

Bayonetta 3" offers an exciting gaming experience that will leave you breathless!

So, that's my first impression of "Bayonetta 3.

As mentioned earlier, this was the first time for me to play the Bayonetta series. Before playing this title, I honestly had the impression that it would be somewhat difficult and difficult to approach due to its robust action, strongly individualistic characters, and rich worldview. However, when I actually played the game this time, I realized that it is the exact opposite of what I had imagined, and that it is an easy-to-play game that welcomes a wide range of gamers.

If you, like me, have never touched the Bayonetta series, please do not hesitate to dive into the world of the Bayonetta series with "Bayonetta 3" if you have even the slightest interest in the series. A game experience so stimulating that you will have no time to catch your breath will surely be waiting for you.

• Title Information
• Bayonetta 3" (Nintendo)
• Release date: October 28, 2022
• Price: Package version: 7,678 yen (tax included)
• Download version: 7,600 yen (including tax)
• #: (in Japanese only)

Author: Nero Hyakkabe

Freelance writer who buys too many games. Currently have more than 300 games in my stack. Also a novelist. His works include "Yubisaki Kaidan: 140 Scary Stories" (PHP Kenkyujo) and "Goa-ken: Unrated Edition" (Kodansha).

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