Nintendo UK has shared the official launch trailer for Bayonetta 3.
The trailer includes elements from previous teasers and trailers but now packages them together into a cohesive narrative. We will provide some smaller spoilers based on what the trailer reveals below. There is more information already out there on what’s going on here, but we will keep it to what’s in the trailer as much as possible.
On that end, if you don’t want to be spoiled, the NDAs are over so hours of footage of the game, including all the cutscenes and the ending, are already out there. You will want to avoid those videos, as well as the many social media posts that will be spoiling story elements too. People are already arguing about the plot points, so you may not even want to look at any Bayonetta tweets right now.
The trailer starts with the horrifying scene of Bayonetta beaten and incinerated, in front of Viola. It then cuts to Viola talking to Bayonetta, Jeanne, and Rodin, in Rodin’s bar, about the game’s new enemy, Singularity, and its minions, the insidious Homunculi.
Singularity has been going around destroying Bayonettas in different universes within the Bayonetta multiverse. They have already destroyed the Bayonetta, Jeanne, and Rodin in Viola’s universe.
Bayonetta is then shown in action, demonstrating the action gameplay that’s put her on the top echelons of the genre. We also see a small clip of Viola in action herself. Viola uses a samurai sword, but is also seen with her own summoning creature, a giant cat she calls Cheshire. Fittingly, this Cheshire wouldn’t look that out of place in Alice’s Wonderland.
As for Bayonetta’s creatures, we see the return of quite a few that you will probably recognize by face, if not by name. For example, Phantasmaraneae is the giant spider with scorpion claws, who can roll all around the screen. Madama Butterfly, on the other hand, is often confused to be a powered up version of Bayonetta. She is her own woman, the Infernal Demon whose arms and legs often appear on their own when Bayonetta does her Wicked Weaves. In this game, she appears full bodied and game to crush enemies, every bit the appearance of Devilman Lady, but given the copyright friendly PlatinumGames makeover.
We’re also given a brief look at Jeanne, making it clear that she will be part of the game. Her gameplay has been previewed in other trailers for Bayonetta 3, but perhaps for consistency, is not shown here.
Other creatures making an appearance in the game include Baal, the giant empress toad, and Gomorrah, the Tyrannosaurus Rex/Godzilla like demon, that just so happened to turn on Bayonetta in the events of Bayonetta 2. We still don’t know how Gomorrah goes back to Cereza’s side, but maybe multiverse shenanigans are afoot.
Lastly, we get a look at other Umbran Witches, one a black woman, and another a blonde with a sword. That’s all we’ll leak for now, but you can read some official teasers from the PlatinumGames blog here and here and watch the trailer below.
Bayonetta 3 is available today and exclusive to the Nintendo Switch.