Do I Understand What’s Going On in the ‘Bayonetta 3’ Trailer? No. Am I Excited About Its Release Date? Of Course, Darling

During a Nintendo Direct in September 2021, we got our first look at Bayonetta 3, a game that I assumed would never see the light of day. PlatinumGames (the game’s developer) clearly knew we weren’t expecting any Bayonetta news as the trailer showed no signs of it being the return of our hair-raising bad bitch (or rather, witch) until about a minute and a half into it. I’m not ashamed to admit that I cheered when I saw Bayonetta outside of Smash Bros. and in her own game again. I’d missed those gun-heeled boots, the time manipulation, the dance moves, and all that fabulous hair.

I assumed I’d have to wait longer for any sort of release date, but not only did this latest trailer give us a glimpse at the delightfully nonsensical plot, but the game’s coming out a lot sooner than I expected!

This trailer is so Bayonetta!

Do I know what’s going on in this new, glorious, age-restricted trailer? No. I can see that Bayonetta’s got some wicked new transformations, there’s a new character we get to play as named Viola, there’s multiple Bayonetta’s, a train, a tank, and just… I’m not meant to understand it, I’m just meant to enjoy it – and I always do when it comes to Bayonetta.

The Bayonetta games are about as over-the-top as you can get. She’s the kind of character that you enjoy playing with because she’s having a blast whipping her hair back and forth. It’s like watching a movie where you can tell that the person playing the protagonist is having a ton of fun in their role. The joy is infectious – except with Bayonetta it’s you in control of those stylish combos and battles so out of this world that you may very well have a fight during the end credits (that’s my way of telling you to not let go of your controller during the credits of Bayonetta games).

Fortunately for us, there’s a nifty press release that delves into the plot of Bayonetta 3 that sounds exactly how I’d expect a Bayonetta game to sound.

In this third installment of the Bayonetta series, the unstoppable Umbra Witch must join forces with some familiar faces, the mysterious Viola, and a multitude of other Bayonettas to stop human-made Homunculi from wreaking havoc.

In the game, you’ll make use of Bayonetta’s wicked weapons and powerful new Demon Masquerade ability to blast, stomp, and slam enemies with exciting over-the-top combos and demonic powers. Prove you’re the baddest witch around by battling an evil that’s bent on plunging humanity into the depths of chaos.

The new trailer for the game reveals additional details about Bayonetta’s latest bewitching adventure and some of the new characters she’ll meet:

A Bounty of Bayonettas: Meet a veritable coven of Bayonettas, each more fabulous than the last, while fighting through the streets of Tokyo, the mountains of China and beyond! Along the way, find out if this arcane alliance can really save humanity and what fate awaits this bunch of Bayonettas.

Rough Up Rivals as Viola: In addition to Bayonetta, players will also control the feisty witch-in-training Viola, who is ready to unleash hell on the Homunculi with her sword and her capricious companion, the feline demon Cheshire.

Fantastic, when do we start?

When’s the game coming out?

Bayonetta 3 will be released exclusively on the Nintendo Switch on October 28, 2022. Along with the standard edition, there’s a collector’s edition being released – the Trinity Masquerade Edition. “A Trinity Masquerade Edition will also be available via select retailers and the My Nintendo Store! Get up close and personal with the beauties and beasts of Bayonetta 3 with a full-color 200-page art book, and display the whole Bayonetta trilogy with three reversible game cases, one for each title, that combine to form stunning panoramic artwork.” While there’s no information on when preorders open for the collector’s edition (or how much it’ll be), you can preorder the standard edition right over here.

To celebrate the release of Bayonetta 3, the original game will be available as a standalone, physical edition on September 30, 2022. “A limited number of the Bayonetta physical version will be available to pre-order via select retailers and available at launch in the My Nintendo Store at a suggested retail price of $29.99.” Originally, the first game was bundled with Bayonetta 2 on the Wii U and then, later, on the Nintendo Switch.

(Featured image: Nintendo/PlatinumGames)

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