The development team behind gameplay forBayonetta 3has made some changes to how the game controls in order to open it up to a wider variety of players. But while the titular Umbra Witch is getting an overhaul in her arsenal of powers, difficulty levels, and method for pulling off combos, a new character is showing up on the scene to give players and entirely different way to approach combat.
Speaking Wednesday during the press-only Nintendo Virtual Holiday Tour event, designed to show off some of the company’s best titles ahead of the December holiday shopping season, aNintendorepresentative discussed the punky, blue-and-blonde-haired witch trainee, saying, “She has a completely different style of play from Bayonetta.” A blade specialist, Viola’s attacks certainly seemed more in-your-face than Bayonetta’s traditional fists, bullets, and magic combination, as a previously reveledtrailerfeatured in the event showed her slashing bullets in two, heaving a dart-like explosive device, and leaping to slash a massive beast with fangs larger than her entire body.
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As forBayonettaherself, the presentation showed off a bunch of her new skills — namely, Demon Masquerade and Demon Summoning. Putting a new spin on a series-staple concept, and helping to earn that M for Mature ESRB rating, Demon Masquerade will alter Bayonetta’s physical appearance and clothing as she strings together attacks. The new twist is that the forms and attacks she has accessible are dependent on the weapon she currently has equipped. For example, the presenter pointed out, when she is wielding the new Colour My World set of firearms, our hero will burst radiant, multicolored butterfly wings from her back, providing her access to some agile aerial maneuvers.
Demon Summoning, just as the name suggests, allows Bayonetta to summon forth a demon to fight in her stead, although the presentation confirmed doing so will consume her magic and can leave her vulnerable to attack. One such demon, a giant spider featured in the trailer, appears to offer its service as a mount.
Overall, the development team’s focus in gameplay was to make the entire experience more accessible to players of all skill levels, and that doesn’t just extend to adjustable difficulty settings. Bayonetta’s action has always been centered around stringing together brutally-powerful combos to dish out massive amounts of damage. But now, a new optional accessory, the Immortal Marionette, is being included to allow for much easier stringing together of Bayonetta’s most powerful moves. Unfortunately, the accessory will only be accessible in late game.
The third entry in the Bayonetta series, which will feature Bayonetta and Viola on a globe-trotting tour to stop army of man-made homunculi, is a Nintendo Switch exclusive. It is scheduled for release just in time for Halloween, on October 28.
