It has been a long wait for the next game in the Bayonetta series to come out. The last game was in 2014 for the Wii U. Bayonetta 3 was announced in 2017 at The Game Awards which was a great surprise for an already successful year for the Switch’s launch. Things went pretty dark after that though aside from PlatinumGames teasing things here and there.
Bayonetta 3 wouldn’t receive a huge gameplay blowout until the year of its release wherein the release date was also announced. So far, reviews have been singing this game’s praises. The wait must have been worth it then. However, there are some things that the developers could do to make this latest action title on Switch even better.
1 Add A Mini-Map
Each of the dozen-plus chapters in the game offers players a small open environment to explore. The trouble is there is no map system in the game at all, making it difficult for players to navigate at times and harder still to follow guides to find secrets and collectibles.
A patch could remedy this issue by adding a big map on the character screen along with a mini-map on the HUD. Many will perhaps feel that it's a little weird that an action game like Bayonetta 3 would launch without either option. Hopefully, it’s a mistake that can be remedied with the next patch to help avid explorers out.
2 Photo Mode Upgrades
Bayonetta 3 should be applauded for including a photo mode at launch but it’s not the best in the world. The various button combinations to view and change angles are more confusing than they need to be.
Perhaps the oddest part about the option is that taking a screenshot in photo mode oftentimes looks worse than taking one live. The resolution and ease of use should be tweaked in a patch. A shortcut should be added to get into photo mode easier on the controller too.
3 Add Checkpoint Markers
When it comes to action games, developers can’t seem to decide how to checkpoint things. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s campaign can be quit at any time and players will resume a mission at the last checkpoint which is marked out. Bayonetta 3 has checkpoints too but players can’t find out where they are until completing a level.
Once players go back to the mission select screen, they can hop into any checkpoint they want which is nice. What isn’t nice is not knowing the first time. Adding in a better, more obvious checkpoint system, like some sort of column to save at, would be appreciated.
4 Expand Weapon Slots
Players will unlock weapons until the literal end of the game. There’s a great variety from the long-ranged yo-yo to the shield-like gauntlets. The only pain with the weapon system is that only two can be equipped at a time. It’s easy enough to go into the menu and equip a new set of weapons like in an RPG but it’s not as simple.
A weapon wheel would be one way to mitigate this problem since the D-Pad on the controller is used for switching up demons. Another solution would have the developers add in one or two more weapon slots.
5 Subtitles Fixes
Players can go into the options and change whether they want subtitles or not as well as adjust the language between the English dub and Japanese audio. This is great except for the fact that players can’t do this in the middle of a cutscene.
The only time subtitles are ever truly necessary is when demons are talking. This issue can be fixed by removing the filters from the demon speech to make them more understandable. A way to toggle between subtitles and no subtitles would also work during cutscenes as a shortcut.
6 Add More Cutscenes To The Theater
Another problem with the cutscenes comes into play with this game’s extras. Once players finish Bayonetta 3 they will unlock a movie theater. This is a common feature in video games especially big RPGs like Kingdom Hearts which has almost always had a theater mode implemented.
The problem is that only three cutscenes can be watched in this extras feature. Every cutscene should be added to this theater mode and it should also allow players to tweak the costumes worn during them so that they can better customize the experience.
7 Add Amiibo Functionality
Nintendo helped produce two of the coolest-looking Amiibo for this series. The figures were released to commemorate Bayonetta's introduction to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with one Amiibo taking on the first game’s attire and the other being modeled after the second game.
Unfortunately, Bayonetta 3 does not support Amiibo of any kind even though there are two currently made for the series. This shouldn’t come as a huge shock as Amiibo production has slowed in the last couple of years. Still, it would be fun to give players an extra reward or two for scanning these two Amiibo in.
8 Add Co-Op
Action games would benefit more if they included co-op. It may not make sense for most missions regarding the story in this game but sometimes that shouldn’t matter. The first Halo allowed co-op but there wasn’t another Spartan to follow Master Chief. It created a plot hole but for the sake of fun, the developers ignored that issue some players may have had.
PlatinumGames should ignore any sort of backlash they get from the lore police if they were to add a co-op option into Bayonetta 3 too. How they do it is up to them but there are ways to take a single-player game into the multiplayer realm easily.
Bayonetta 3 was released on October 28, 2022, and is available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.