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Bayonetta 3 from PlatinumGames is around the corner and fans are excited for the most part. I say "for the most part", because many fans have begun to express concerns over the voice actress change.
Speaking in an interview with Game Informer, director Yusuke Miyata confirmed that Jennifer Hale will be replacing Hellena Taylor. The latter has lent her voice to the main protagonist and Umbra Witch Bayonetta since the first game.
What is the big deal with Jennifer Hale voicing the titular witch in Bayonetta 3?
According to fans, while Hale's track record is impressive, she is not a replacement for Taylor. They have taken to social media to express this concern:
However, some have expressed faith in Hale's efforts towards bringing the sassy witch to life:
To top this off, project director Yusuke Miyata also tried to quell these concerns from his end. Miyata gave a reason for the absence of Hellena Taylor for the third installment in the acclaimed hack & slash series by saying:
Various overlapping circumstances made it difficult for Hellena Taylor to reprise her role. We held auditions to cast the new voice of Bayonetta and offered the role to Jennifer Hale, whom we felt was a good match for the character.
Offering support for Hale, Miyata continued:
I understand the concerns some fans have about the voice change at this point in the series, but Jennifer’s performance was way beyond what we could have imagined. I’m confident that her portrayal of Bayonetta will exceed our fans’ expectations.
Jennifer Hale has reprised roles for popular characters such as Samus Aran (Metroid Prime series), Bastila (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic) and Phoenix/Jean Grey (Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3). She has even worked in non-gaming media, which is where she began her career, voicing Ms. Little (Stuart Little TV series) and Sam (Totally Spies!).
Though she has a lot of experience under her belt, fans being worried is completely valid. Hale's performance in the trailers and demos for the upcoming Platinum Games title is pretty solid, but it will be noticeably different for longtime fans of the series.
What is the game about?
Set after the events of the second entry, the beloved Umbra Witch is back for another supernatural adventure. This time, threats arrive in the form of man-made Homunculi, dangerous bioweapons that intent to destroy humanity. With both familiar and new faces to discover in this action-packed tale, the gameplay will be similarly fresh yet familiar.
The fast-paced, DMC-inspired hack & slash is more fluid than ever before. New mechanics like Demon Masquerade allow Bayonetta to channel the power of her weapons to change forms, each with unique playstyles. This is topped by bombastic Kaiju-esque fights as she is also able to summon her demons from the Inferno to wreck havoc on enemies - this time being fully controllable. Throwing in a new playable character, the sword-wielding Viola will offer a jam-packed experience.
Bayonetta 3 is headed to Nintendo Switch for an exclusive release on October 28, 2022.
