Everything we know about Bayonetta 3

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Bayonetta 3
Nintendo

Nintendo has a plethora of games in development for Switch, but none are as off-the-wall as Bayonetta 3. This upcoming action game stars the titular Bayonetta, a witch who battles angels and demons using an arsenal of weapons and magical powers. This stylish series has amassed a devoted fan base, and the upcoming entry is easily the most anticipated Bayonetta game to date. But when will it launch and which platforms will it come to? Here’s everything you need to know about Bayonetta 3.

What is the Bayonetta 3 release date?

Bayonetta 3 seems to involve time travel shenanigans, of some sort.

Nintendo

Nearly five years after its initial announcement, Bayonetta 3 will finally release on October 28, 2022, exclusively for Nintendo Switch. Pre-orders for the game are live on the Nintendo eShop, and the game will even have a special edition, known as the “Trinity Masquerade Edition”.

This pack will be available via select retailers and the My Nintendo Store, although a date on when it goes live hasn’t been announced yet. The Trinity Masquerade Edition includes a full-color 200-page art book, three reversible game cases, and the full game.

Is there a Bayonetta 3 trailer?

So far, Nintendo has released three different trailer for Bayonetta 3; a teaser trailer, a full reveal trailer, and the lengthy release date trailer. All three trailers are worth watching, but the most recent release date trailer gives the best look at the game, even revealing a brand new playable character named Viola. It also seems to suggest there’s going to be some time-travel shenanigans happening in Bayonetta 3.

Who is the Bayonetta 3 developer?

Bayonetta 3 is developed by PlatinumGames.

Nintendo

PlatinumGames is leading development on Bayonetta 3. This is the studio that worked on the previous two installments, and is also known for creating Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, The Wonderful 101, and Nier: Automata.

Nintendo will serve as publisher on the project after funding the second entry in 2014, which came to Wii U (and later Nintendo Switch).

What is the story of Bayonetta 3?

Bayonetta seems to be going the route of the multiverse.

Nintendo

Bayonetta 3’s release date trailer has a lot of time travel talk, and even has one character state “So you’re looking for a way to the Alphaverse?” It certainly seems like there’s some kind of multiverse situation going on, and the Nintendo eShop page suggests this even more by saying, “Fight your way through the streets of Tokyo, the mountains of China, and many other locales! Along the way you’ll meet a virtual coven of Bayonettas, each more fabulous than the last.”

This time around Bayonetta’s enemies are some kind of man-made homunculi, and the official description tells players to find out “if this arcane alliance can really save reality!” How the new character Viola ties into all of this remains to be seen, but the one key detail we know about her is that she’s a witch-in-training.

What will the Bayonetta 3 gameplay be like?

Fast-paced action combat is at the heart of Bayonetta.

Nintendo

Bayonetta 3 will be an action game, just like the first two entries. The upcoming game will include beloved mechanics from the last entry, including Witch Time, Wicked Weaves, and Torture Attacks. But the new game will also implement new features, such as Demon Masquerade, which allows Bayonetta to temporarily control massive creatures as shown in the gameplay trailer.

The Bayonetta games are all about fast-paced action, with the goal of keeping your combo and style going, just like Devil May Cry. In it, you’ll face off against wild enemies atop massive setpieces (the opening of Bayonetta 2 kicks off with a battle on top of a jet flying through the city).

The release date trailer also shows off a variety of new gameplay features, including a wild new feature called “Naive Angel Mode” that removes the game’s nudity, with a post from Platinum Games stating “By turning it on, you can play right in the living room without having to worry about what's on screen... we think.”

Some other interesting details include Bayonetta riding on a giant spider and using various Beast Within forms. Of course, the big news is the new katana-wielding character Viola. Her gameplay seems just as fast and frantic as Bayonetta’s, and she even has a tremendously weird giant cat that helps her during combat named Cheshire. Overall her combos and style look very similar to Vergil from the Devil May Cry franchise.

What are the Bayonetta 3 platforms?

Bayonetta 3 will be exclusive to Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo

Since Nintendo is publishing Bayonetta 3, it will be exclusive to Switch. This is similar to Bayonetta 2, which was released exclusively for Nintendo platforms. It’s possible Bayonetta 3 will come to whichever Nintendo platform launches after Switch, but don’t expect to play it on Xbox, PlayStation, or PC.

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