Bayonetta 3

Bayonetta 3, like its predecessors, is an action hack and slash game in which players control the eponymous protagonist Bayonetta as she combats various enemies using a combination of melee attacks and gunplay. Dodging enemy attacks at the last second triggers a state known as "Witch Time", during which time and enemies slow down, allowing Bayonetta to continually attack them without interruption, or traverse in real-time to solve environmental puzzles. Unique to this game are the "Demon Slave" and "Demon Masquerade" mechanics, the former of which differs from the preceding Climax Summon and Umbran Climax features in the first two titles, and instead allows players to take direct control of one of Bayonetta's Infernal Demons to perform various attacks and special abilities, some of which are advantageous to particular scenarios depending on the demon being controlled. The latter meanwhile, allows Bayonetta to directly fuse with a summoned Infernal Demon, granting her access to magic-based abilities, including new attack and traversal options.

A new playable character, Viola, can only activate Witch Time through the use of a parry mechanic, and whose only Demon Slave Cheshire cannot be manually controlled. When Viola summons Cheshire, she switches from a sword-based fighting style to a fist-based fighting style.

Bayonetta 3 is set in a universe divided into three realms dubbed the Trinity of Realities; Paradiso, realm of the angels, Inferno, home of demons, and the human-populated World of Chaos that is split into a multiverse connected by a void dubbed the Ginnungagap. In the series' backstory, two ancient clans called the Lumen Sages and Umbra Witches−respectively aligned with Paradiso and Inferno−were driven to near-extinction in a war. In the present, a new faction of manmade bioweapons dubbed the Homunculi are destroying parallel universes. A central location in-game is Thule, a hidden island once inhabited by the Lumen and Umbra, hosting magical portals to other worlds.

The main protagonist is Bayonetta, whose real is "Cereza", one of the last Umbran Witches. The two other playable characters are Jeanne, another Umbra Witch and Bayonetta's rival-turned-friend; and Viola, a trainee witch from a parallel world who is partnered with the cat-like demon "Chashire". The supporting cast includes Rodin, a demon weapon merchant who is friendly with Bayonetta; Luka, an investigative journalist and Bayonetta's love interest; different versions of Sigurd, a human with multiverse knowledge; and multiple variants of Bayonetta and Jeanne from the multiverse. The main antagonist is Singularity, creator of the Homunculi.

Following the release of Bayonetta 2 (2014), series creator Hideki Kamiya voiced his wish to continue the series. Work on Bayonetta 3 began at developer PlatinumGames in early 2017 after the cancellation of Scalebound, with Kamiya bringing together staff and creating a design concept to pitch to series publisher Nintendo. The concept included the basic gameplay concepts, Viola, the multiverse aspect, and the demon summoning mechanics. Nintendo agreed to the sequel proposal, which Kamiya was grateful for.

The design goals for the sequel were both expand on the gameplay and world design, and to return to the outrageous style of the original after what Kamiya considered the more restrained approach to the character in Bayonetta 2. Kamiya acted as a supervising director, while Yusuke Miyata was brought on as director at Kamiya's suggestion. PlatinumGames's Yuji Nakao and Nintendo's Makoto Okazaki acted as co-producers. Other core staff included lead designer and series veteran Akiteru Naka, and lead programmer Daichi Amano who was a series newcomer.

Bayonetta 3 received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received "mighty" approval, being recommended by 85% of critics.

The combat received widespread praise from reviewers. Mitchell Saltzman, writing for IGN, described it as, "one of the best combat systems in gaming". GameSpot's Jessica Howard described the gameplay as being "lightning-fast and smooth yet accommodates for different playstyles and skill levels". Chris Carter of Destructoid added how "seamless" the combat was and highlighted the game's wealth of content. The game's levels were also noted by Nintendo Life as being larger than prior games in the series, and that the game had greater replayability through challenges, collectibles, and unlockable modes.