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The Bayonetta series is as famous for its spectacular and over-the-top boss battles as it is for the titular Umbra Witch and her arsenal of equally deadly weapons. The latest installment in the franchise, Bayonetta 3, is no exception, and features a host of amazing boss fights that range from small humanoids to towering otherworldly creatures.
Much like any other character-action game, most of the bosses in Bayonetta 3 exhibit their own unique moveset, design, and weaknesses to exploit. However, there are a few that might not be as appealing to long-time fans of the series, in part due to them being blatant reskins of previously faced bosses.
There are also a handful of main story bosses that, despite their spectacular visual flair, fail to deliver a captivating and fun boss fight experience, whether it's due to clunky camera work, lack of any challenge or something else. Here are all the bosses in Bayonetta 3, ranked from worst to best in terms of combat difficulty.
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Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author's opinions.
From Arch-Pyrocumulus to Strider, here are all Bayonetta 3 boss fights ranked in terms of difficulty
12) Arch-Pyrocumulus
While the presentation of the boss fight against Arch-Pyrocumulus and the narrative behind it is pretty enthralling, its execution is anything but stale and boring.
Arch-Pyrocumulus is basically a Humunculi version of Sun Wukong. It flies around the sky spawning multiple copies of himself, and the Umbra Witch has to attack them by shooting "Bubbles" in her demonic witch form.
On paper, the fight sounds quite interesting. However, the execution is not so well done, given the clucky aiming system and a lack of options, which make for a rather boring and forgettable boss battle, a rare thing for a mainline Bayonetta title.
11) Kraken
The first actual boss fight in Bayonetta 3, Kraken is the perfect mix of spectacle and fun, which makes for a really cool boss fight for any newcomer to the series.
However, the fight can be incredibly easy for anyone experienced with the previous games, given most of the attacks of the Kraken are well-telegraphed, giving players ample time to dodge and enter Witch Time.
It also doesn't help that the boss has a rather minuscule healthpool that, even without using the spectral demonic summons, goes down in just a few combos.
10) Singularity Chaos
This boss is basically a showcase for the game's new demon-summon battle system, which allows the titular Umbra Witch to summon a gigantic demon depending on the equipped weapon type.
The feature is really cool for the first few large scale battles in the game. However, it quickly loses luster, given the clunky and stiff animations for the demons and the awkward camera angles.
The Singularity Chaos boss fight is a bombastic one-on-one battle that sees players take control of Gomorrah, the dragon-like infernal demon, with options to attack, block, and occasionally counter. The fight is a visual spectacle, but not something that is fun to engage with past the first playthrough.
9) Dark Bayonetta
This is, hands down, the most anti-climactic boss battle in the game, both in terms of spectacle and difficulty.
Although the narrative behind the presence of Dark Bayonetta and her being a test for series-newcomer Viola can bring some levity to the battle, it is still lacking in almost every department that makes a boss fight fun, especially when it is the game's final major battle.
There are essentially two phases to the boss fight. For some reason, instead of featuring any of Bayonetta's own demonic summons, the first phase sees Dark Bayonetta turn into the Kraken, with all the identical movesets as the very first encounter with the creature. The only differentiating factor this time around is that instead of the veteran Umbra Witch herself, players take control of Viola.
The second phase does offer players the chance to go toe-to-toe against the titular Umbra Witch herself, but she is nothing more than a pushover, with a rather minuscule healthpool and telegraphed attacks.
8) Perlucidus
Perlucidus in Bayonetta 3 is easily the best example of a gimmicky boss battle done right. Taking notes from the likes of Yhorm the Giant and Rykard from developer FromSoftware's "Souls" games, PlatinumGames created a really enjoyable battle that does not overstay its welcome.
Although the fight boils down to just a glorified quick-time minigame, the music, visual flair, and narrative significance make for a rather enjoyable boss battle. The only complaint players might have is having to go through the rather easy boss fight again on repeat playthroughs.
7) Stratocumulus
The Stratocumulus boss fight easily takes the crown of being the flashiest and visually-stunning battle in the entire game, in part due to the arena and also the immaculate design. It is also one of the few bosses that players will need to fight entirely in the Infernal Demon mode, which, considering the scale of gigantic Stratocumulus, is a wise choice on PlatinumGames' part.
The boss fight is very reminiscent of Team Ico's Shadow of the Colossus, where players will need to damage specific parts of the Stratocumulus' body in order to scale the towering creature and deal damage to its vulnerable parts. While it isn't particularly difficult, it is an undeniably satisfying and fun boss fight.
6) Aureole
Aureole is basically the same fight as the Kraken, at an even larger scale, more complex attacks, and the restriction of playing exclusively as Bayonetta's infernal demon, Madame Butterfly. Fortunately, the basic movesets of Madame Butterfly remain almost identical to Baynetta's, and thus controlling her is a rather fun experience for players.
Although the fight boils down to attacking Aureole's tendrils to weaken it and deal massive damage to its fortress-like head once it staggers, the unpredictable moveset coupled with Madame Butterfly's own unique attacks makes for a very enjoyable and memorable boss battle.
5) Cirrostratus & Cirrocumulus
Duo fights in character action games are pretty rare, given these titles are mostly balanced around one-on-one confrontations when it comes to large-scale boss battles. However, there have been a fair few attempts at creating mechanically good and memorable duo fights in iconic games with varying results.
The Cirrostratus & Cirrocumulus fight in Bayonetta 3 is one such instance that, while it does not top the charts when it comes to asymmetrical boss fights, is still a pretty great and spectacular boss fight in the game. It has some really challenging scenarios that will put players' ability to dodge and manage multiple enemies at once to test.
4) Singularity Balance
Singularity in Bayonetta 3's narrative is shaped up as an ominous entity that wants to destroy the multiverse in order to build its own singular universe. The premise and lore behind the character and the Homunculi, in general, is really intriguing, and something that exudes from the actual boss fight against the entity itself.
With a spectacular first phase that sees Bayonetta use every single tool in her arsenal to battle it out against the multiversal threat, the fight is taken to the moon itself for the second and final round. The scenic beauty of the battleground and the energetic background score make for a really mesmerizing boss fight that will test players' control and knowledge over Bayonetta's movesets.
3) Singularity Definition
As the game's main antagonist and one that essentially starts the chain of events that leads to everything that happens in Bayonetta 3, Singularity Definition does not disappoint.
Despite being a humanoid boss, Singularity Defiition, much like her Balance counterpart, offers some really varied and complex movesets that are fun to counter and punish due to the very slim dodge window.
The best aspect of this boss fight, without a doubt, is the arena, which feels ripped straight out of the mirror dimension sequences from Marvel's Doctor Strange movies. The visual spectacle, complex moveset, and grand narrative conclusion make this boss fight one of the best in the entire game.
The only thing that bogs down the whole experience of fighting against Singularity Definition is its rather minuscule healthpool, which goes down with only a few timed Witch Time combos.
2) Strider
Undoubtedly one of the most entertaining boss fights in Bayonetta 3, the Strider appears a total of four times during the game's runtime. Despite that, every single encounter feels refreshing and equally challenging, given it is one of the most agile enemies in the game, and one that feels like a genuinely formidable opponent for the Umbral Witch.
Although the Strider relies mostly on just a few melee attacks, its speed and damage potential more than makes up for that. Its attacks require proper timing on the players' part in order to successfully dodge and enter Witch Time. This is the only feasible way to deal any damage to it since it usually does not stay in one place for long and can lunge at Bayonetta without any prior telegraph.
While not the most difficult encounter in the entire game, the Strider does make it up there among the most challenging bosses in the Bayonetta series.
1) French Rosa
A returning optional encounter in the Bayonetta series, Rosa is easily the most fun and energetic boss fight in Bayonetta 3. The constant aggression from the boss and barrage of surprising and over-the-top attacks keeps players on their toes. The taunting from the Umbra Witch herself feels very much like a climactic battle in games of the same ilk, such as the classic God of War or Devil May Cry.
One of the most interesting aspects of the Rosa boss battle is the constant phase change, which is very much reminiscent of PlatinumGames' previous work in Nier: Automata. The fight is fairly drawn out, giving players ample time to learn the timing on each of Rosa's moves and attacks.
While there aren't any lore implications to this boss battle besides Rosa being Bayonetta's mother, and as such one of the most powerful Umbra Witches in existence, it is still the best boss fight and easily the most difficult one in the game.
This concludes the ranking of all bosses in Bayonetta 3, in terms of combat difficulty. PlatinumGames are masters at creating some of the best character-action games, be it Nier: Automata, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, or the Bayonetta series itself.
The passion and thought that the developer puts into every single boss encounter is more than commendable. While not all boss fights feel equally epic, some of them do end up becoming the most memorable experience for players, which is very much evident from their most recent release, Bayonetta 3.
