Bayonetta 3 has revealed that one of the new featured mechanics has players directly controlling summoned demons to engage in Kaiju styled battles. The full unveiling of Bayonetta 3 closed off the latest Nintendo Direct with gameplay that expands on the over the top angel hunting the series is known for.
It was a long road to be able to finally get a glimpse at what Bayonetta 3 is like. The game was first announced in late 2017 with a short teaser trailer, and after that nothing would be announced for nearly four long years. There have been constant comments from director Hideki Kamiya that development was still progressing well, but it was hard to know for sure what the state of Bayonetta 3 was like. Thankfully, the September Nintendo Direct finally gave fans the in-depth look at Bayonetta 3 that they have been waiting for.
In an interview with IGN, director Yusuke Miyata went into further detail on one of the mechanics shown in the latest trailer. As revealed in the gameplay reel, the Demon Slave mechanic allows players to take direct control of the demons summoned by Bayonetta to beat down enemies in Kaiju styled combat. Miyata elaborated that each demon has their own unique abilities and advantages depending on the situation.
“Each demon’s abilities vary and the kinds of abilities that are advantageous in a certain situation can change at any time. Just how many are there? What else can you do? Well, there’s a lot more I’d like to tell you, but I have to stop here for now. However, there’s a lot of info hidden in the trailer that I didn’t go into here, so please consider watching it again until the next announcement.”
The premise of Bayonetta 3’s story is still currently unknown. The enemies Bayonetta faces in the trailer are confirmed by the official Bayonetta 3 website to be neither angel or demon, and the initial teaser trailer showed Bayonetta falling before a mysterious figure. The end of the direct trailer also shows a character that some believe to resemble Vergil from Devil May Cry. While it’s possible that it could simply be a new original character, the idea of a Bayonetta and Devil May Cry crossover would be a surprising twist for the new game.
The addition of the Demon Slave helps expand on the game’s already over the top combat to make it even more of a flashy spectacle. Bayonetta has always been known for taking its combat to extreme lengths, with scenarios such as Bayonetta battling a giant dragon climbing up a skyscraper. But having the ability to directly control massive, towering beasts while doing combat with monsters of similar size will likely elevate PlatinumGames’ signature action gameplay to preposterous new heights, something long time fans of the series should appreciate quite a bit. Players will be able to live out their monster movie fantasies with the addition of the Demon Slave ability when Bayonetta 3 releases in 2022.
Bayonetta 3 is scheduled to release on the Nintendo Switch in 2022.
