There isn’t much new added to Bayonetta 3 that would perplex players. Even though it has been almost a decade since the last game came out, which was in 2014 on the Wii U, the action acrobatics of this series should come back into the minds of players as if they were riding a bike.
The newest addition to Bayonetta 3’s combat is the titular witch's ability to control her demons almost like Summons in the Final Fantasy series. They are now more than finishers, unlike the previous two titles. Even though things should start to feel familiar quickly, a helpful hint or two should get players back up to speed.
1 Difficulties And Assists
As is the standard for most action games, there are several difficulties to choose from in Bayonetta 3. They can be changed at any time and there is even an assist-like feature for the easiest difficulty. This comes in the form of an accessory that will simplify combos and execute them automatically. This accessory can be taken off and on too and there is only a penalty for using it on the other two difficulties.
Finally, there is Naive Angel Mode which removes some graphic violence and scandalous scenes to make the game accessible to a wider audience. This might be a good thing to know for parents who may wish to tone the game down.
2 Practice Mode
One of the coolest features that have been with this series since the beginning was the loading screens. They allowed players to dance around and test out combos while things loaded. This was especially nice in the first Bayonetta game on PS3 which had some legendarily lengthy load times. The loads in Bayonetta 3 are thankfully quick for a 2022 Switch game and don’t leave much time for players to test things out.
Players will unlock a full practice mode after a couple of missions for their demoing needs which is something more action games like this need. However, before that players can also hit the plus button on the Switch to pause a load and get into the practice zone for seemingly an eternity. That’s a pro tip for those that may miss the button prompt initially.
3 The Gates Of Hell
The Gates of Hell is the familiar shop that has been with the series since the beginning. Players can stock up on usable health items, costume alterations for the playable characters, and accessories to equip. Players should always have a Red Hot Shot in their inventory which can revive players in death.
Healing items are always good to have in an action game, so a sucker or two is also a good idea although those can be uncovered easily while fighting enemies. Currency should instead be focused on buying items to increase health or magic. Also, once the game is finished players can challenge Rodin to a secret boss battle if they have 999999 of the game’s currency. The overall tip then is to save money for the good stuff in the end game. Costumes are fun, but they can only do so much.
4 There Are No Obvious Checkpoints
There is no way to manually save the game once a mission starts. There are checkpoints but there is no clear indication of where they begin. After a mission is completed players can go back to the map menu and start at any one of these checkpoints which are laid out. This is a great system that most action games don’t include even if they do have a mission selection option.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a great example to bring up since both games launched on the same day. So, before jumping into a mission, players should know that it should be completed to avoid losing any progress. Putting the Switch to sleep is also a good tip, but then players risk wasting battery life or the system crashing which can be just as nerve-wracking to think about.
5 Battle Tips
Defense is the best offense in Bayonetta 3. Dodging at the right moment will activate Witch Time which slows down time and allows players to counter. This series certainly wasn’t the first game to test out a Matrix-like bullet time effect, but it has carried on the tradition, unlike other franchises.
Speaking of bullets, guns are almost a waste in the game. They don’t do a lot of damage and instead waste a bit of time. Players should focus on dodging and attacking with melee weapons instead as well as summoning their demons to help. With this in mind, players should try not to spend skill points on any of the ranged slots.
6 Explore Thoroughly
This series has featured exploring in some sense in the past two games. However, Bayonetta 3 features more open environments with secrets aplenty from action challenges to hidden pieces of art. It’s a shame there is not a map for players to take note of. This makes finding things a bit of a chore at times, but players can make do. There's also a waypoint system that guides players in the right direction with a click of the left stick on the controller.
However, players shouldn't head toward this point right away. In fact, they should head away from it at first and instead go hunting for secrets. Alternatively, it’s not a bad idea to rush through a level on the first go and then come back after. Using headphones can also be a good tool for uncovering things as some creatures, like frogs that upgrade health, will give away their positions by croaking.
Bayonetta 3 was released on October 28, 2022, and is available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.