Bayonetta is an icon and seductress amongst both men and women gamers. A symbol that power can be beauty; a beauty that doesn’t need a male companion to lead the narrative. ‘Bayonetta 3,’ by PlatinumGames, is the third illustrious addition to the cult classic and muchly loved Bayonetta franchise. This action-adventure title, available on the Nintendo Switch, feels like a breath of fresh air has been blown into it as if Bayonetta, herself, is blowing the kiss of life back into the franchise.

Bayonetta is an Umbra Witch. A dominatrix Umbra Witch and controller of dark powers. This time around, Bayonetta is visited by a fallen witch in training, Viola. Viola, in all her punk-inspired beauty, is searching for someone to help her defeat the powerful force known as ‘Singularity’ and takes Bayonetta on adventures across the multiverse to seek assistance.

Meeting all the different Bayonettas across a number of universes is definitely a highlight in such a complicated series of events. Despite its complexities, (Bayonetta stories have notoriously interestingly convoluted lore), no prior knowledge is really needed to enjoy this incredibly addictive narrative.

Utilising a beat ’em up, magical hack-and-slash combat system, Bayonetta 3 spices up the tried and tested system of the previous games. The legendary combat, featuring guns and magical power moves used with ‘Witch Time’ that slows time down for impactful combos, now includes ‘Demon Slaves’, familiars in demonic form, that instead of acting as finishers, lock Bayonetta dancing in place and susceptible to damage, but delivering massive blows to enemies while it drains her magic.

It seems complicated, but it really is simple as they have a move set just like Bayonetta, can have their health depleted like Bayonetta, and have a cooldown if sent packing to the underworld to fight another day by a stronger foe.. just like Bayonetta. Using a more strategic approach you can even cue up moves with your Demonic Slave, to send yourself back into the fight rather than be a sitting duck.

Rodin returns with his ‘Gates of Hell’ bar to buy items for healing and vitality, charms, or even skins for Bayonetta, with two of the in-game currencies. Red orbs can also be acquired through gameplay and these are used in skill trees for not only our titular witch but also to upgrade each Demon you acquire along the way. In the menu, you can equip up to two weapons and three demons, allowing for strategic combinations to use with your attacks in the air and on the ground.

Bayonetta also sports her vast range of weapons and magical abilities which align with her roster of demons. The weapons in this title are definitely impressive. Ranging from a demonic club that modifies into a long barrel gun, to an axe that magically transforms into a chainsaw-ish mini locomotive. The weaponry will have you picking your jaw off the floor.

As well as Bayonetta, you will play as Viola and Jeanne. Viola has similar gameplay, however, utilises her trusty Katana and can not use ‘Witch Time’ unless she parries an enemy’s attack, contrary to Bayonetta’s dodge. Jeanne is mostly played through stealth, 2D side-scrolling missions that are a refreshing break from the core narrative. These have some funny little easter egg-like interactions, like shower scenes or poses, and require you to take out enemies secretly through a series of vents or by going in all guns blazing.

Controversy aside, the voice acting is brilliant. Jennifer Hale, the new iteration of Bayonetta, brings the perfect combination of sassy, seduction, and campiness we would expect from this series. Not only the lead, each character is oozing with a personality as large as the enchanting boots they are stepping into. It truly is top-tier cheese, and the fans and I love it.

For the Switch, the characters and cinematic cutscenes are visually stunning and have surprising quality for 30FPS. They were so beautifully characterised and styled; it was such a meal for the eyes to gaze upon. I found myself gagging to see what the next character was wearing. I played both docked on a TV and in handheld mode, and I, for this review, actually preferred it up on the big screen. For the 720p res though, more often than not the environments and scenery were muddy, murky, and downright ugly to look at. I’m not sure if this was a purposeful design choice to make the characters stand out more, but they are clearly the stars anyway, so the level designs were just questionable in contrast and emptiness.

The music too is magical and whimsical, full of jazz and horns, everything you would expect in a dream or straight out of Cowboy Bebop. Just as quickly on the flipside though, it would also be a manic episode as you dart around to a rising beat, full of tension, in boss encounters crescendoing back to something soft as Bayonetta taunts the screen with her cute victory poses.

A much more enjoyable experience on Switch, the intense, fast-paced combat, superb voice acting, character stylings, and wacky storytelling far out way any slight critiques. The scope of Bayonetta 3 has been vastly expanded on by PlatinumGames, and it is clear this pushed the Switch to its limits. Whether it can keep up, though, is debatable. I would love to see this series at its full potential on a next-gen console.

Written by: Stacey