Bayonetta 3: our analysis of the latest trailer!

Bayonetta 3

Bayonetta has always been a name with enormous importance for any action lover. The series born from Hideki Kamiya's shiny skull - conceived as a sort of spiritual successor to Devil May Cry, after the well-known director left Capcom - boasts some of the most layered and spectacular mechanics in the entire genre, and its inspiration has spread to the point of moving the discussion on the third chapter even outside the niches of fans.

The title we are talking about, however, has not captured the general attention of gamers only because of the its spectacular combat system ... to this day it is seen by many as a sort of "litmus test" that PlatinumGames absolutely must pass, to prove that it still lives up to fan expectations. The well-known Japanese software house in fact comes out of a rather dark period, where the terrifying flop of Babylon's Fall and the prolonged silence on the many projects in development have caused quite a few worries in the fanbase.

A game like Bayonetta 3, therefore, must at all costs represent a return of the flame: a sequel capable of not making its predecessors regret and demonstrating how Platinum is still a hotbed of talents in the Japanese panorama of the development. And for heaven's sake, the release scheduled for October 28 is not the happiest given that it places the game in a period that is nothing short of hot for the market (God of War arrives shortly after, Call of Duty practically concurrently, and various titles Important switches in the same period), but at least what we saw in the new gameplay has sent us very positive sensations, albeit with some concrete doubts related to the novelties presented.

Today we will therefore try to analyze the latest trailer of Bayonetta 3 and discuss it as usual with you.

In the Bayoverse of coolness

Bayonetta 3: opening scene in which Bayonetta makes a massacre by dancing gracefully? Present Considering the discussion on combat systems made earlier, it may seem strange to start this article with a discussion on the narrative, but we believe that it is impossible to ignore the elephant in the room after the last trailer, not to mention that the two Bayonettas boast a more enjoyable story than one might expect (caciaroni and excessive moments absolutely included). Already the second chapter, in truth, slightly pushed the accelerator on the alternative timelines, but Bayonetta 3 seems to want to start already at maximum speed, with a confirmed "multiverse" and a series of upheavals capable of making the worst novel about travel pale. between dimensions.

The first trailers were already suspicious: in the original presentation teaser Bayonetta was seen apparently dying, and it is since there was the very first official video that the fanbase theorizes that the protagonist of this third chapter is not the original Bayonetta, but a grown up version of Cereza (Bayonetta as a child in another timeline ... oh well it's complicated). Now this theory seems to be confirmed by an inattentive tweet from Kamiya himself (later deleted), and the fact that more "Bayonetta" alternatives linked to other universes are confirmed in the description of the game and in the trailer only reinforces the whole.

The new enemies of the game would also be linked to this curious multiverse: the Homunculus, who, according to the good Rodin's voice, are neither demons nor angels, but partially human creatures created on earth. In short, it would be a mysterious artificial army with the sole purpose of destroying the various universes, for some reason closely linked to the existence of our favorite witch.

Bayonetta 3: the homunculus are not stylistically much , but they are certainly dangerous. In short, it is a great mess, and videogame fiction rarely hits the mark when there are time travel and alternative dimensions involved. The Bayonetta series, however, has always had the ability to "make the rounds" of its absurdities, and even this chapter could prove to be a pleasant surprise in terms of history. Certainly there is a further mystery to be revealed: the true identity of Viola, a cool fresh witch who appears in the universe of the aforementioned Bayonetta / Cereza, and seems to accompany her during the adventure.

A first look this debut would seem to represent a sort of equivalent of "Black" in Devil May Cry: a new playable character - and playable it is - with different mechanics from the classic protagonist and a very important link with the primary characters. Considering that the girl can apparently evoke Cheshire - a demonic version of the stuffed cat that Cereza played with as a child - and clearly has connections with the good Luka (another important character in the saga), we suspect that it may be a descendant. than of another alternate version of one of the witches. Who knows, maybe Viola is nothing more than a variant of Jeanne, although the confirmation of the presence of the platinum witch during the trailer also points us to other possibilities.

Kaiju, swords and ... devil trigger?

Bayonetta 3: The "new" Bayonetta can use some sort of Devil Trigger, and this mechanic has a lot of potential. The citation doesn't seem to be just tied to Viola's possible nature anyway. During the trailer Bayonetta seems to be dealing again with Phantasmaraneae (a large demonic spider of lava and stone), in a scene that is a crystalline direct reference to the encounter between Phantom and Dante in the first Devil May Cry. Of course, a direct link between those universes is unlikely, yet the underlying connection seems to be there and could be the reason why, exactly as it did with the last few chapters of the Capcom series, Bayonetta also seems to have moved towards multiple characters with different mechanics. br>
As mentioned, in fact, both Cereza and Viola seem playable, but their mechanics are markedly different, despite the fact that in the last trailer we have not seen a few seconds of actual combat on the ground. Cereza in particular uses four guns very similar to Bayonetta 2's "Love is Blue", with virtually identical combos despite the difference in name and color; however, she is not yet crystal clear whether or not she can use multiple weapons as in the old games, because the differentiation of her style seems to be mainly linked to a new ability: a sort of Devil Trigger that allows her to temporarily activate a demonic form variable. Three choices confirmed at the moment, each apparently with specific movesets, for a mechanic with enormous potential when used in combination with various weapons. Of course, the operation does not seem very dissimilar from Bayonetta 2's Umbrian Climax, which allowed you to perform very powerful variants of the basic attacks once activated, only here these attacks change from demon to demon, for a really tasty variety (especially if it were possible also change shape during combinations).

Bayonetta 3: Viola doesn't seem to be able to transform, but she has some interesting tricks on her side. Viola seems to have a more "normal" functioning: she uses a long katana and very quick combos, and she seems to be able to evoke the his demonic cat as a kind of final blow during the combinations. Solid foundations, yet we are sure that both warriors have much more to reveal; in particular the use of fire in Viola's moves intrigues us and we would not be surprised by the presence of some in-depth technicality in her fighting style; in addition, during the video the girl demonstrates that she can use the slowdown of time linked to the Witch Time, and a grappling hook in the middle of the exploration of the levels. It is not even confirmed that Viola and "Bayonetta" are the only two protagonists. The original Bayonetta seems to have disappeared, but we believe that its eventual return is only a matter of time, and a game with three different selectable fighters could represent a titanic offering in terms of gameplay, especially when you consider who is behind it. br>
All this good fortune, however, comes with some big doubts, mainly linked to the excesses of showmanship for which the series is known. The second chapter in fact had practically only one marked defect compared to its predecessor: it exaggerated with the enormous bosses, against which the combat system was simplified due to a much more basic management of movement and complex maneuvers. The mechanical variety of the series is particularly well suited to battles against multiple humanoid enemies or single opponents with various offensive abilities, so now of the end this trend of spectacle at all costs was slightly ruining the experience for die-hard combat system fans. Bayonetta 2 still managed to remain a title of excellent quality despite such exaggerations, however this third chapter seems to focus a lot on guided scenes - you can see both a spectacular train battle and a platforming phase aboard the spider described above - and on the new ones " battles between kaiju ", which do not seem to be other than large interactive interlude scenes where huge versions of the demons evoked by the protagonist fill equally grown enemies with blows. Let's be clear, we have confidence in Platinum's pace management due to past experiences, but missteps due to hybris excesses are always possible and we would really hate to see all this potential thrown to the winds just to make it more cinematic.

Bayonetta 2: battles between huge monsters? Spectacular but potentially problematic for those who love finesse. The other doubt? The art direction. The characters in the game seem overdone as usual, but both the homunculus and the settings seemed dull compared to the previous chapter. Difficult to bandage your head even now, however, given that the issue of the multiverse offers a potentially infinite variety of settings in the game, and that in the trailer a very suspicious demon appears at one point, which could indicate the presence of alternatives to the new greenish opponents.

Even with these uncertainties to weigh, we are very confident. Unlike what happened with Babylon's Fall, which seemed to us an alien production to the team already from the trailers, here the madness and the spirit of PlatinumGames seem to be there, and who knows if their best action really comes from it. You just have to wait.

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