Generally speaking, hack-and-slash games don't tend to be very long, and the Bayonetta series is very much in keeping with this long-standing trend. The Umbra Witch's first outing can be completed in around 12 hours, with the second game being even shorter; its main story clocking in at just nine hours, give or take. As a result, few will have been expecting a main story playthrough of Bayonetta 3 to last too long.
With this in mind, series fans shouldn't be too disappointed by Bayonetta 3, as its completion time is fairly similar to those of its two predecessors. The game also boasts plenty of side content and more than a few reasons for players to dive back in after finishing the main story, so completionists can definitely expect to get their money's worth if they end up feeling shortchanged by the main story's relatively short length.
How Long Does it Take to Beat Bayonetta 3?
For most players, Bayonetta 3 will take between 12 and 15 hours to complete, with the difficulty level that they choose to tackle the game on accounting for this slight variance. Of course, more skilled players will no doubt be able to bring that time down even further, particularly if they're already familiar with the Bayonetta series and are not wasting time seeking out the game's many collectibles. Whether or not they skip cutscenes can also make a huge difference to a player's final overall time.
The good news is, there are plenty of reasons to replay Bayonetta 3. These include finding the aforementioned collectibles and unlocking every skill and bonus item that the game has to offer. When all's said and done, players can expect to spend over 40 hours fully completing Bayonetta 3, which, like the length of the main story, is very much in keeping with the first two Bayonetta games.
Thankfully, the game's Chapter Select screen makes replaying chapters and verses much easier, which is good news for those hoping to unlock all of the game's Bewitchments and to farm more Halos, Orbs, and Seeds. These are the game's three forms of currency, the latter of which can be used to buy a wide variety of things, including healing lollipops, stat-boosting accessories, and rare items. These can all be found via the shop menu, which can be accessed by pressing the - button from the Chapter Select screen from Chapter 2 onward or by interacting with one of Rodin's record players during a chapter.
Bayonetta 3 was released on October 28, 2022, and is available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.
