Bayonetta 3 review: The Umbra Witch returns with a bang

Bayonetta 3 is a swansong for fans of action games, and is an equally majestic send-off to one of gaming's most iconic characters, the titular Umbra Witch herself. For players familiar with the character-action genre, PlatinumGames' Bayonetta series needs no introduction.

Developer PlatinumGames is known for creating some really whacky action titles that, despite having a rather bonkers story, offer incredible depth when it comes to the gameplay. As such, Bayonetta 3 is exactly that, an immaculately creative action game with a rather convoluted but mediocre story.

Being a fan of character-action games like the classic God of War, Devil May Cry, and Platinum's own Metal Gear spin-off, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, I was extremely excited to see the final chapter in Bayonetta's story. While the gameplay of the third entry did not let me down, the story and a few of the technical aspects of the game bogged down the overall experience.

Bayonetta 3 has jaw-droppingly intense action-heavy gameplay

In keeping with the series' tradition of over-the-top weaponry and set-pieces, Bayonetta 3 offers a huge arsenal of weapons that you can use to inflict damage on enemies and look stylish while doing so.

As much as I love character-action games, I never got around to playing the previous Bayonetta titles, which makes this entry the first time I got to experience the "seductive" combat that the series is known for.

The basic attacks and combos from the previous games are back, but are expanded further by the availability of a few new weapons that significantly improve the overall combat experience.

The closest I can relate to Bayonetta 3 in terms of its combat and weaponry is Capcom's Devil May Cry 5, which feels like a direct inspiration for PlatinumGames when designing Bayonetta 3's gameplay.

One thing that I found really fascinating in Bayonetta 3 is that all the basic combo strings were unlocked from the get-go, giving me full access to the Umbra Witch's moves. Usually, in most action games, combo strings, following a basic set of light and heavy attacks, are locked behind a skill tree or unlockable abilities.

Bayonetta is back with an impressive new look (Image via Nintendo)

It was really refreshing to see PlatinumGames opting to give players full control over the character right off the bat. The combo list also expands as you unlock more weapons via progression. Not just that, gamers also get control of another playable character: Viola.

Viola is an excellent new addition to the Bayonetta series (Image via Nintendo)

Viola is basically the "Nero" of the series, a newcomer who has her own playstyle and quirkyness. Where Bayonetta feels like the queen of the franchise, Viola feels like a jester, a comic relief character that, in all fairness, is a great addition to the story.

Weapons of chaos and style

From the iconic pistols to an actual steam engine, the weapons at Bayonetta's disposal are both spectacular and chaotic. From all the trailers and marketing material that Nintendo released before launch, I was worried that the game might end up overwhelming me.

However, that never happened since the game is structured in such a way that new weapons and even playable characters are introduced at a steady pace, giving proper time to each one of them.

While there are a handful of moments when the game introduces a new weapon or ability and allows players to use only them, these instances are few and far between.

One of the new additions in Bayonetta 3 that really caught my attention was the demon-summon mechanic that allows the Umbra Witch to summon the infernal demon tied to the primary weapon she currently has equipped. My personal favorite was Madame Butterfly since she is basically a giant version of Bayonetta herself, and uses magic and her bare fists to smack demons.

The Umbra Witch gets new set of tools to play with in Bayonetta 3 (Image via Nintendo)

While it seems like summoning demons will be a nightmare to balance in combat, the damage these hulking beasts deal to enemies is basically the same as Bayonetta's own melee attacks. Summoning the infernal demons works best against the gigantic homunculi enemies that are hard to manage using the player character's melee attacks.

Much like any other action game with an emphasis on combat, Bayonetta 3 is ripe with some truly spectacular boss fights. I enjoyed almost every major battle in the game, barring a few that I felt relied too much on gimmicks and area-of-effect attacks, which I feel are a lazy way of adding artificial difficulty.

While not a game-changer, the infernal demons are a lot of fun to use in combat (Image via Nintendo)

Most boss battles in Bayonetta 3 are filled to the brim with mindless action and spectacular set-pieces. An example is one of the earliest boss fights that sees the Umbra Witch riding her infernal demon, Gomorrah, as she tears through the city's skyscrapers while chasing a Kraken. The game is filled with these set-piece moments and it's all the better for it.

The multiversal narrative is convoluted

The Bayonetta series, or the character-action genre in itself, is mostly gameplay-driven where the narrative takes a backseat in favor of delivering a crunchy and satisfying combat. Only a handful of titles deliver a rather engaging narrative, such as PlatinumGames' own Nier: Automata, and the highly underrated Astral Chain.

The expectations from Platinum were at an all-time high on delivering a satisfying narrative conclusion to the Bayonetta series, given their last two projects. However, I, along with many long-time fans of the series, were completely let down by the game's story.

I did enjoy parts of it, including the powerful opening as well as a few segments during the finale of Bayonetta 3. However, it was a far cry from the narrative excellence of Nier: Automata or Astral Chain.

While I was initially intrigued by the multiple-universe aspect of the narrative, it was not fleshed out at all, which made it feel very disjointed and jarring. Seeing different versions of Bayonetta and getting to use their arsenal of weapons was an absolute joy. However, the narrative behind any of these spectacular sequences felt shallow.

Bayonetta 3 is a celebration of the Umbra Witch's bravado and prowess. However, it's a shame that the stellar gameplay and characters are marred by a rather pale storytelling.

Spectacular presentation coupled with an equally impressive soundtrack

I enjoyed the particularly somber moments in Bayonetta 3's gameplay where there was complete freedom to explore certain levels, find out secrets tucked away in the corners, and engage in light platforming.

However, the visuals of these open sections feel very dated and jarring when compared to how stylized some indoor segments of the game look.

Bayonetta 3 can look breathtaking at times (Image via Nintendo)

While I understand that PlatinumGames had to make sacrifices in order to make such a game run at the targeted 60 FPS on Nintendo's console hardware, it still feels like a blemish on an otherwise fantastic presentation of Bayonetta 3.

The open levels look barren and the ground textures seem very dated for a game releasing in 2022 (Image via Nintendo)

Much like the previous entries in the series, the soundtrack needs a special mention, since Bayonetta 3's combat OST is pure perfection. I’ve always liked games where the frantic action-heavy gameplay is complimented by an equally energetic score, and the soundtrack here does not disappoint in that regard.

The shortcomings

Bayonetta 3 is a joy to play on the Nintendo Switch, however, that's not to say that the game is perfect, far from it really. Apart from the aforementioned issues with the story, gimmicky boss battles, and dated visuals, the title also suffers from performance-related hiccups.

Spectacles like these come at the cost of performance (Image via Nintendo)

Performance issues are prevalent throughout the game's runtime and crop up during the most hectic battles and set-piece moments. While the title isn't unplayable, the frequent framerate drops and texture-streaming stutters massively impact the gameplay experience as a whole.

I played the entire game from start to finish on my Nintendo Switch Lite. While it was pretty stable, with only a single crash during my 25-hour-long playthrough, it did suffer from glaring performance issues.

In conclusion

Bayonetta 3 is a bombastic conclusion to the series, one that will be remembered for a long time among the character-action game enthusiasts. The experience is somewhat marred by a shallow narrative with a surface-level plot, dated visuals, and sub-par performance.

However, it is still one of, if not the best, action game available on Nintendo's handheld console.