New Nintendo Switch exclusive game Bayonetta 3 is set to launch on Friday, October 28, but reviews are already out, making it one of the highest-rated game releases of the year so far. Bayonetta 3 was first announced all the way back at The Game Awards 2017, and five years later, it's finally set to launch as a Nintendo Switch exclusive.
The original Bayonetta game was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 by PlatinumGames and Sega. The game was not a huge financial success, and so it seemed Sega wasn't going to move forward with a sequel. However, Nintendo stepped up to the plate to help fund Bayonetta 2 and publish it for the Wii U. Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 both earned widespread acclaim from critics, even though neither game really set the world on fire in terms of sales. Subsequent Bayonetta Switch ports have helped boost the sales figures for both games, however.
Time will tell if Bayonetta 3 will reach heights that its predecessors failed to, so it will definitely be interesting to see how it fares come launch on Friday, October 28. But while fans don't know how Bayonetta 3 sales will be, they do know how the game is performing with critics. Bayonetta 3 reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, and it is now one of the highest-rated new game releases of 2022 as a result. At the time of this writing, Bayonetta 3's aggregate review score is an impressive 89 with 47 critic reviews, according to OpenCritic.
Bayonetta 3 Reviews
The reviews for Bayonetta 3 have praised the game's over-the-top action, with some going as far as to call it the best Bayonetta game to date. There are some who have published somewhat less enthusiastic reviews, however, with criticism aimed at the game's story and some repetitiveness. The positive reviews far outweigh the negative ones, though, so Bayonetta fans can count on the new game living up to their expectations.
One thing that doesn't seem to have had any significant impact on the Bayonetta 3 review scores is the ongoing voice actor controversy. For those unaware, Bayonetta 3 has recast the title character, with long-time video game voice actor Jennifer Hale taking on the role in the new entry. Former Bayonetta voice actor Hellena Taylor was not happy with the offer that was allegedly made to her by PlatinumGames to reprise her role in the game, and so the decision was made to not bring her back. Platinum has disputed Taylor's claims, but it remains to be seen if fans will heed her call to boycott Bayonetta 3 or not.
Bayonetta 3 launches Friday, October 28, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
