bayonet series she has a reputation for pushing players into ridiculous situations as the titular witch, such as fighting demons on top of a speeding plane. The next sequel Bayonetta 3 bumps the absurdity up to 11. Not only can players control massive demons as part of their journey, they can even use two large boats as water skis to traverse a river as some kind of gonzo kaiju sim. At PAX West 2022, Reverse it was practical with bayonet 3 to experience how this grand entry focuses on scale in a way that makes previous entries feel small by comparison. it was already sold bayonet 3but once I got into the clawed feet of a hideously large demon, it quickly became one of my most anticipated games of 2022.

A huge step forward

The short 15-minute demo begins with an encounter that feels familiar: you fight enemies inside a subway train as Bayonetta. It’s an accessible way for the player to reaccustom themselves to the controls, which feel as fluid and responsive as ever. Then things immediately open up into a larger outside area. Bayonetta had to fight against a set of gigantic enemies that were simply too big to defeat.

It was then that Bayonetta summoned her two trusted demons, gomorrah Y lady butterfly. Each feels equally menacing despite a few key differences. Gomorrah is a huge reptilian hellish demon with dinosaur and dragon vibes that is slower with more powerful attacks. Madama Butterfly, also known as the Mistress of Atrocity, is a hellish demon who appears as a beautiful female humanoid with butterfly wings. She feels light and fast and fluid in comparison.

These two creatures help Bayonetta take on some of her biggest enemies. From what we’ve seen so far, facing giants the size of buildings is quite common in bayonet 3. And you can switch between them on the fly, which only adds to the potential for chaotic fun.

Bayonetta also gains access to more demons later in the game, but only these two were present in the demo.

the best of nonsense

Midway through the demo, there’s a chase sequence where Gomorrah makes his way through the city of Tokyo, demolishing dozens of buildings in a way that feels deliberately Godzilla-esque. This is a segment on rails that is pure spectacle. After some light platforming, you eventually end up in a canal, which is where Bayonetta 3 leans into silliness by having Gomorroah land on two boats and use them as water skis.

It was truly one of the highlights of the experience, offering a bit of humor without sacrificing grittiness.

The next section launched me into a fight against multiple large demons, putting the skills I had learned thus far to the test. The player can approach the battles however they want, but it definitely helps to keep mixing things up to increase your combination and thus the score (which also serves as a currency to buy items in the shop).

I constantly had to switch between fighting smaller enemies and more gigantic enemies, switching between my own demons on the fly. This ebb and flow is engaging, to say the least, and offered plenty of incentive to lean into a state of flux and juggle well-timed attacks and dodges.

Bayonetta games steadily increase in intensity; That’s part of the enduring charm of him. But I wasn’t prepared for how far PlatinumGames would take things here. Fortunately, it seems that bayonet 3 will once again be a smash hit, due in part to the way it experiments with massive, bombastic battles that dramatically increase the scale without sacrificing any of the fast-paced demonic mayhem.

bayonet 3 launches exclusively for Nintendo Switch on October 28, 2022.