Bayonetta 3 Release Date and New Features (Switch Exclusive)

Following a wait of nearly four years, news about the highly-anticipated Bayonetta 3 has been revealed. In the time before then, fans of the series knew nothing about this new title outside of some various hints - a shadowy figure in the teaser, updates through the years noting development was “going well”, and the fact that the project was funded by Nintendo. Nothing was directly shown off about Bayonetta 3 since that time, and the developers occasionally even had to confirm the game simply wasn’t canceled.

Thanks to the Nintendo Direct last week, however, all of this changed. A brand new trailer was revealed for the title; one that you can watch below.

The trailer includes new gameplay, new story elements, and even a tentative release window for the game - 2022. No full date is shown just yet, but the trailer has brought with it a whole slew of features and secrets to analyze. Many of these new tidbits will be quite interesting for fans of the Bayonetta series, and even newcomers might find themselves enamored with what’s been revealed.

Alongside the trailer, official statements were released by the developers of Bayonetta 3. The message from the director offers a glance at the game’s development and its new features. While much of this is shown in the trailer, the action-packed gameplay is touched upon in the director’s message. It’s noted that, like previous installments, Bayonetta 3 will continue to have “satisfying action gameplay that comes from being able to control the character exactly how you want”. 

As if to emphasize this focus on control, the message notes a mechanic shown off in the trailer called “Demon Slave”. This mechanic allows players to control large demons to battle foes with, utilizing their special abilities to their fullest. The director’s message implies this is at least partially a replacement for the QTE finishers of older games, noting this ability is “unlike the Climax Summons...that automatically defeated enemies”.

Further News from the Website

There is more to be shown in the trailer than already discussed, but a page discussing the game on PlatinumGames’s official website provides even further information. It notes the name of another ability shown in the trailer, Demon Masquerade, and provides extra information regarding the story. Most notably, the enemies Bayonetta fights against are described as “neither angel nor demon”, a far cry from previous encounters in the series.

Of course, a keen eye can reveal even more than what was discussed. The trailer for Bayonetta 3 (embedded at the beginning of this article) shows off plenty of additional content and information, though some of it might not be seen at first glance. 

This is all subject to change in the final release, of course, but anything shown will give players a good idea of what to expect. Feel free to skim through the trailer as you read, and perhaps you’ll find something interesting that even this article doesn’t mention!

As could be expected, the style of Bayonetta’s interface has changed with this newest release. Familiar elements like combo points and the Witch Time indicator are given more dynamic animations, and health bars for more powerful enemies have been relocated to hover on top of them. The trailer also shows the return of ‘verses’ that act as sections of a chapter. All the verses in the trailer show as Verse 7, but it’s possible that’s simply a placeholder - especially due to the radically different environments during gameplay. 

Bayonetta’s health bar has a new design as well, featuring a butterfly design next to it. The ever-familiar magic meter under the bar has been removed, too; judging from what happens in the trailer, it’s possible this is related to the aforementioned new mechanics.

The classic action gameplay of Bayonetta returns in full force on the Nintendo Switch. Many familiar moves are shown during her fights, such as the Charge Bullet and the After Burner Kick. She also utilizes a new technique, rapidly snapping her fingers to finish off a group of smaller enemies. This is akin to Torture Attacks from previous games, possibly acting as a more streamlined replacement for them.

The Demon Masquerade ability is shown in the trailer as well, appearing to act as a powerful end to Bayonetta’s combo. She fuses with a butterfly-like demon to launch a flurry of punches at a foe. It doesn’t last for very long, and there’s seemingly no indication of how many times it can be used. The vague wording on the official website implies that she can only fuse with one demon at a time, but the butterfly design next to her health bar could be an indication of the ability’s limits. Perhaps she can fuse with other demons, and that design will change accordingly?

Much more information can be found about the new Demon Slave mechanic in the trailer. The interface at the bottom-left of the screen shows a meter slowly depleting as the demons are controlled, implying that they can’t be used forever. When fighting in more cramped spaces, the icons for the demons are crossed out as well, so they aren’t available at all times either. 

As the demons attack, icons are shown for what type of attack they use. The icons include a fist, a heel, a gun, and an icon marked “SP”. It seems that by pressing buttons corresponding to the icon, players can queue up which actions the demons use, including possible special abilities outside of normal attacks. The same icons are used for different actions, as well, implying a much deeper level of control than what the trailer shows.

Finally, the end of the trailer shows Bayonetta riding one of her demons down a collapsing building. The segment has her swerving to avoid debris, showing there will be plenty of familiar PlatinumGames-style action sequences throughout the new title.

Of course, with a new game comes a new story. Bayonetta 3 takes place in Tokyo, featuring Japanese signs and advertisements all around. The humans in the trailer even speak Japanese, with subtitles translating their words. This will likely carry over to the full game, even if there’s a split English and Japanese dub; Bayonetta still speaks English, after all, and her words aren’t even subtitled.

The enemies have some special quirks to them, as well. In previous Bayonetta games, angels and demons were the main foes, staying hidden from the public in a parallel world. The new foes in the trailer, however, are fully visible and aggressive; they appear in gelatinous forms and seem to be behind the destruction shown in the game’s setting. Their goals are hard to understand, but it’s possible to hear them speaking an unknown language as they attack humans. There is some intelligence to these new foes; perhaps they’re an invading force outside of the usual worlds of Bayonetta?

There are further setpieces beyond Tokyo, but not much is shown outside of some mysterious ruins and the interior of a train. The ruins only show up for a brief moment, but flying islands and odd land formations can be seen. It appears that Bayonetta will travel to at least one place where the normal laws of physics don’t apply; a possibility shared across numerous titles in the series.

Not much else is shown in regards to Bayonetta 3’s story, but there is a mysterious character at the very end of the trailer. The red lighting makes it tough to see who exactly is shown, and they barely show their face before the trailer fades. One possibility is that the character is Jeanne, Bayonetta’s friend and rival from previous entries in the series. She is known to wield a katana, just as the mystery person in the trailer does. It could also be an entirely new character; with the ominous mood they set, they might very well be an even greater enemy Bayonetta will face.

As a bonus, the trailer shows off the mascot of Astral Chain, Lappy. Its appearance is floppy and rubbery, implying Bayonetta might use it as a decoy for enemies to attack. PlatinumGames commonly references their previous titles throughout gameplay, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume further cameos might appear.

As a fan of this series, this new trailer gives a lot to look forward to. It’s obvious how much work and effort has been put into Bayonetta 3 even with how little was shown. The game is in its final stages of development, and there will surely be much more information about the game in the coming months. I look forward to the full release in 2022, and I hope readers of this article are psyched up as well!