The story trailer released by Nintendo a dozen days ago was an opportunity to learn more about the story of Bayonetta 3, even if PlatinumGames deliberately mixed things up so as not to reveal everything about the plot. Now that she has finally settled her accounts with the angels and the demons, the witch of the Umbra is confronted with the Homunculi, biological entities created by human beings. Led by a certain Singularity, they take malicious pleasure in destroying one universe after another, the Alphavers being obviously the only place where the order of dimensions can be restored. We'll stop there to leave you the pleasure of discovery, but like the first two episodes, Bayonetta 3 does not shine with the quality of its writing. Fortunately, the heroine's lines remain sensational, which contrasts with the banalities expressed by certain secondary characters, Enzo and Rodin in the lead. On the other hand, Jeanne runs the barracks, as does the new kid, Viola. An apprentice witch, her naivety does not leave Bayonetta indifferent, who hides behind her usual teasing to maintain a semblance of detachment. Sharing most of the missions, their relationship serves as a common thread until a final that we see coming from afar, but which, in our opinion, will do the job with the followers. And since we are talking about fan service, Bayonetta 3 goes further by intelligently integrating a few references to pop culture that we gladly accept.
If Bayonetta 2 gave the feeling of having been developed on acid, one wonders what fueled the PlatinumGames teams as the opportunities to catch one's breath are so rare. Even during the cut scenes Bayonetta 3 remains pissed off, as if the developers had set themselves the ultimate goal of ruining the heart rate monitor.
Unlike God of War, which has become a semi-open world since the reboot / sequel released in 2018, Bayonetta wants to stay true to its principles and therefore continues to run linear levels. To avoid losing the player in the monotony, challenges hidden here and there come to tickle our curiosity and encourage us to deviate from the main wheel. Despite everything, we feel that this is not an exercise in which PlatinuGames excels, especially since the platform phases are quite wobbly. The fault of a camera that is always difficult to position, and controls that are sorely lacking in precision, especially in small spaces. As a result, we end up focusing only on what built the legend of the studio of Hideki Kamiya and Atsushi Inaba: the unbridled action. If Bayonetta 2 gave the feeling of having been developed on acid, one wonders what fueled the PlatinumGames teams as the opportunities to catch one's breath are so rare. Even during the cut scenes Bayonetta 3 remains pissed off, as if the developers had set themselves the ultimate goal of ruining the heart rate monitor. We find ourselves caught in a vortex of crazy power, and if we forget everything around us, we can very well complete the game in a day. Purists will find themselves on familiar ground, the basic mechanics having been preserved. Using key combinations, therefore, we slam all kinds of combos, with of course the guns to lengthen them and try to get the best medal possible at the end of each verse.
THE WITCH OF RUE MOUFFETARD
The Witch Time (or Envoûtement) is also present. For the record, after a dodge executed in tempo, enemy movements are slowed, allowing Bayonetta to inflict maximum damage on them. Sadistic attacks are also back, along with Apotheosis and its infernal punishments. As expected, PlatinumGames has made some changes, starting with the fact that there is no longer a way to equip weapons to the feet or to the hands. Instead, the heroine can now count on the demonic masquerades – some aspects of which take up known ideas such as the Bestiality system, among others – symbolized by two slots each containing a different weapon. Beyond being able to switch from one to another at any time during the fight (L), what is particularly interesting is that they have their own characteristics and thus offer the possibility of choosing their style of play depending on the situation. Faced with opponents who tend to attack from the air, it will be preferable to opt for a weapon with a long reach. On the other hand, against land units, we can favor power without necessarily thinking about range. It's monstrous in depth, and even more if you add the submission dance, the other big new feature introduced in Bayonetta 3.
Specifically, by maintaining ZL, the protagonist can summon golgoths and control them directly so that they fight alongside her. It's remarkably fluid, since as soon as you release the key, the monster returns to its lair. When you master the trick after having worked on it in the training room, you can see real ballets that light up the screen, each demon displaying particularities that distinguish it from the others. It is obvious that PlatinumGames has studied the thing in order to offer a maximum of options, whether offensive or defensive. Be careful, however, because the dance of submission is framed by two constraints. The first is that it consumes magic energy whose bar gradually regenerates. The second – and probably the most important – concerns Bayonetta, since when she controls the creature, she exposes herself to enemy blows at the same time. To be honest, in normal difficulty, we never asked ourselves the question, intoxicated by this symbiosis between the witch of Umbra and her demonic companion. On the other hand, at a higher level, with enemies that hurt much more, it is better to take the time to think for two seconds before resorting to the submission dance. We could sum up Bayonetta 3 to a stupid superimposition of action scenes – the kind of pitfall against which many beat 'em ups have crashed – but this is obviously not the case. There is real expertise in epileptic combat behind it, coupled with a science of rhythm to be shown in all schools. And even when the delirium seems to calm down, we find ourselves facing a giant Homunculus. Simply crazy.
We could sum up Bayonetta 3 to a stupid superimposition of action scenes – the kind of pitfall against which many beat 'em ups have crashed – but this is obviously not the case. There is real expertise in epileptic combat behind it, coupled with a science of rhythm to be shown in all schools.
There is so much to say about the gameplay that we necessarily overlook certain elements that you will discover for yourself. Nevertheless, impossible not to linger a few moments on Viola who is clearly less experienced than Bayonetta. Moreover, we feel it in its handling since it can only invoke one demon (Chouchou) over which we have no control during the fights. The advantage is that while his feline friend is cleaning the area, we have the possibility of continuing to fight with our bare hands and thus avoid being taken as a traitor. The other point to make with Viola is that the Enchantment activates not by dodging attacks, but by countering them (R). An approach that not only calls into question years of practice, but above all impacts the flow and makes the girl a less graceful character than the witch. She is more direct, more brutal, more aggressive, and only relies on two weapons: her katana and her darts. Despite unlockable skills over the orbs collected, Viola displays a much less extensive command list – not to say more basic – than that of Bayonetta. It was probably the price to pay to stay consistent with his rookie status. Note that like her model, she is able to enter a state of rage and thus benefit from a surplus of power and speed which is very useful in hot moments. We also notice that the Witch Time is more tolerant with Viola, the execution window being wider than with Bayonetta. You can even spam R so as not to bother.
MIDNIGHT DEMONS
Jeanne is not left out since she is entitled to interludes (four in total) that look like a 2D platform game. In charge of infiltrating a research center, it evolves most of the time by hiding behind a door, a piece of furniture, or in an air duct. The advantage of acting in the shadows is twofold: not alerting all the cavalry, and eliminating the guards all at once. If an enemy passes near our hideout, we can neutralize it discreetly. Afterwards, we should not expect Metal Gear Solid either in the sense that the AI ​​is quite primary. Indeed, if a Homunculus spots us, it will simply attack us and will absolutely not try to pursue us through the level. It even gives rise to absurd situations, like disappearing into an air duct in front of his eyes, and removing him right behind from our hideout. In fact, it is especially the clock that you have to pay attention to, each mission must be completed within the allotted time. Of course, hourglasses are scattered everywhere in order to scrape off precious seconds, and you must also bear in mind that Jeanne has six hearts as a vital bar. Not as nervous as walks in the different universes, these interludes however offer their share of action, and some secondary weapons are accessible to play it more nag if it is the only solution. Last important detail: Jeanne's acolyte cannot at any time summon a demon from hell.
We may be captivated by the talent of PlatinumGames, but the fact remains that Bayonetta 3 remains perfectible, especially with regard to the readability of the clashes. It's as if the developers got carried away with their passion: even when trying to find the best possible angle, some fights are far too messy to know who is doing what. In these moments, we ensure by drawing attacks that sweep a good part of the screen. And then, Nintendo Switch requires, the developers had to take into account the technical limitations of the console so as not to betray the grandiloquence of the staging. It's true, there would be fault with the textures, the visual effects, the aliasing, the popping, the few insipid decorations or the visual quality in docked, but the main thing was to guarantee the sacrosanct 60fps. Mission accomplished ? In part. If it is remarkably stable during the fights, we still observe some framerate drops when events get carried away. The proof that PlatinumGames hasn't completely sat down on its artistic ambitions (some cutscenes are really mouth-watering, not to mention the boss fights that command respect) and that Bayonetta remains one of the rare beat'em ups to have this sense of the great show. Besides, we wouldn't have come out of the 14 chapters so enthusiastic without this soundtrack that accompanies us from start to finish with simply incredible accuracy. Hats off gentlemen.
