Character action games have become a rare breed in recent generations, with the likes of Devil May Cry and Bayonetta still leading the charge within this genre. These hack and slash adventures are often bombastic and ridiculous in all the best possible ways, but they also recognize the need to keep players on their toes by adding new and unexpected gameplay elements throughout a campaign. An example of this is letting players take on the roles of different characters with entirely distinct movesets. Devil May Cry 5 recently let players do with three main characters, and the Bayonetta series from PlatinumGames has also experimented with this. Depending on the game mode in Bayonetta 2, players could take control of Bayonetta, Jeanne, Rosa, Balder, and Rodin. This might have fans of the series wondering about whether there are multiple playable characters in the upcoming Bayonetta 3.
Are there multiple playable characters in Bayonetta 3?
Nintendo and PlatinumGames have thus far released a few trailers for Bayonetta 3 that included looks at gameplay. Bayonetta herself is featured prominently as the main character, but the most recent trailer, which revealed the game’s release date, showed something else. It introduced new character Viola as a witch-in-training who is potentially being taught by Bayonetta. There was also some gameplay of Viola in action as she platforms and fights in a level that looks like it could be taking place in China.
In Bayonetta 3, players can also take control of Bayonetta’s own creatures using a mechanic called Demon Slave. Bayonetta will start to dance as she summons one of her Infernal Demons, which appeared in previous games when she dealt finishing blows and Wicked Weave attacks upon enemies. It seems like players will take direct control over the beasts when this Demon Slave is activated, and it should let fans take control of familiar faces like Gomorrah, Phantasmaraneae, and Malphas.
There is also the new Demon Masquerade mechanic. This will let Bayonetta fuse with her Infernal Demons for a limited time period and take on their appearance and powers. We’ve seen this in action with Bayonetta turning into her own version of Madama Butterfly.
These mechanics are not letting players take on the roles of entirely different characters, but they should still prove to be a fun way to change up the core gameplay experience. We do not yet know if characters like Jeanne or Rodin will be playable in Bayonetta 3, but since they were in the previous game, there is always a possibility that they could be in Bayonetta’s latest adventure too.
