So I finished this game a couple weeks ago and was going to post about it but I forgot that I had put this thread on ignore a while back and couldn't find it haha. This was one of my most anticipated games for a very long time, and coming off another of my most anticipated games that unfortunately slightly disappointed me (God of War Ragnarok), I was hoping this game would blow me away and at least meet, if not exceed my expectations.
When this game is on, it's ON. Holy crap, there is absolutely nothing like Bayonetta. This game has some of the best pure action sequences i've ever played in a video game before. Her moveset is more varied than ever, and I absolutely had a blast trying out all the new weapons and demons. The summoning never got old, and I enjoyed just absolutely crushing my enemies with a combination of kicks, punches, weapons, and demon attacks. I challenged myself to utilize as many of the combo's and mechanics as I could, and the results were thrilling. Witch time feels as good as ever, even better I'd say as I would tear through the helpless enemies with giant demons.
I may be in the minority but I absolutely love the mini games (that happen when you are playing as Bayonetta). These were an absolute spectacle. They do take a bit to get the hang of, but once I did I felt absolutely unstoppable just tearing through everything. Most of them I wish went on for longer for that very reason... Just as I was starting to master them they ended. At least I'll be ready for my next playthrough.
I also love the different weapon/demon movement options. It was super cool to transform and run jump and glide all over the place. It made both combat and platforming even more varied and interesting.
Boss fights are also excellent, though I'm not sure I'd put them above B2. They all felt different and unique, and appropriately challenging. The Kaiju battles were a bit slow mechanically, but amusing to see play out. The final boss in particular was spectacular, maybe the best in the series.
Unfortunately though, there is a lot bogging this game down. Firstly, it's absolutely shocking to me that this game, which was in development for at least 5 years, can somehow look and run worse than it's predecessor, which was released 8 years ago on previous generation hardware. Obviously there is wayyy more going on here than the previous games, so it's understandable, but still disappointing. I know I certainly have been sick of hearing about the Switch being old and underpowered, but this was the first time that I really felt it (though I'll admit Astral Chain is pretty rough on this end too). Bayonetta 3 is just far too ambitious a game for what the Switch is capable of. I really, really hope we get a next gen port when the time comes, because there is a lot to love about this game, and it deserves to properly optimized.
Another thing that really didn't work at all for me unfortunately, is Bayonetta's voice. Obviously Helena Taylor is to blame here, and Jennifer did the best she could, but everything just falls flat here for me. It's just such a shame, as she was, along with Samus, my favorite female character in gaming.
I'm also not a fan of the structure of the game. It's quite obvious this game went through many iterations before they settled on how it would be designed. I also wonder if it wasn't essentially rebooted after Hashimoto left the company. But the larger, wider levels don't really work for me. There's just not really anything interesting to collect or explore. I do like the idea of platforming challenges, but they all just kind of suck here with the disappearing platforms and timed challenges. I do like the secret hidden verses that trigger normal fights, as I did in previous games, but there don't seem to be nearly as many as the secret challenge rooms, which don't really do it for me. I don't like being transported to the same drab room over and over, and the clear conditions for these were even more obnoxious than past games. I just wanted to be able to have more normal fights against enemies. There is way too much space in the levels between battles, and it made for some awkward pacing.
Jeanne and Viola levels were also a miss for me. Both just felt clunky compared to controlling Bayonetta, and not as interesting.
The ending I'm kind of whatever on. I definitely didn't love it, but it doesn't bother me that much. It is kinda dumb though, but I accept it for what it is. This is a great game with a lot of love and passion put into it with some unfortunate technical and design issues. I am definitely curious to see what they'll do with Bayonetta 4. For now, I'm VERY excited for Origins. Absolutely love the look and concept of it, and it may be as close as I ever get to an Okami like game from them. I'm just glad to see the series expanding, hopefully it has a bright future for years to come.