Bayonetta 3 new trailer breakdown – theories, Easter eggs, and more

Bayonetta 3 will arrive just in time for Halloween weekend, which means there’s still time for new information and speculation to trickle out. Thanks to a pair of new trailers from Nintendo, there are a lot of little morsels to sort through, and the Bayonetta fan base has a lot of thoughts. Let’s break it all down.

Related: A pair of new Bayonetta 3 trailers show off Bayonetta’s allies, new gameplay

Theories about Bayonetta

Let’s start with the titular character, who was of course one of the faces of the latest Nintendo Direct trailer (above). There are many theories that the Bayonetta we’ve been seeing in these trailers is totally different from the good witch of the first two games, and not just because she appears slightly younger. Nintendo actually teased two Bayonettas being in the game, leading to theories that our previous hero is now the villain. Additionally, the voice we’ve heard for Bayonetta doesn’t sound like the usual voice actor, Hellena Taylor.

While some fans are holding onto hope that she’s just been putting on a different voice in this new game, a different voice actor lends credence to the two Bayonettas theory. Some fans even think it’s possible that we’ve seen three different Bayonettas: a different one from each game.

Theories about Viola

Also featured in the Direct trailer is Viola, a new playable character. Given that she’s debuting in Bayonetta 3, anything is possible for her. Many theories hold that she’s related to the Homunculi threat in the game in some way. That’s more likely due to a poor translation from the original Japanese, but her official description does say she “suddenly fell from the sky,” so there’s certainly some mystery to her past.

Some fans think she’s a grown-up version of Cereza, the younger version of Bayonetta that was brought into the timeline of the second game. Considering we’ve seen her summon a cat named Cheshire in combat, there’s a strong possibility of that being the case. Others think she may be the daughter of the game’s main villain or of Bayonetta’s journalist pal Luka. One thing’s for sure: a lot will be revealed about Viola’s identity as Bayonetta 3 goes on.

Theories about a Bayonetta 4

Beyond the third game, some fans are already thinking about a potential fourth. One prediction says we’ll see Bayonetta tangling with the Nephilim, a mythological Biblical race of giant human-angel hybrids after this. Reddit user RedditIsTrashLma0 theorizes that because we’ve seen the realms of Paradiso and Inferno — Bayonetta 3 is set in a human world with its Homunculi — that leaves Purgatorio, the realm between heaven and earth, left to explore. Enemies that have a foot in both the angelic and human realms would be appropriate there.

Combat breakdown

After the Direct, Nintendo released a second video called Ways of the Witch, full of additional gameplay. From there, we can pick out more tidbits from the combat. Bayonetta’s demonic powers come in two flavors: she can summon Demon Slaves and embody their powers herself with Demon Masquerade. The Madam Butterfly summon is back, along with other options like Wink Slave and Assault Slave. Some have also noticed that the defense-boosting Bat Within ability is still in Bayonetta’s repertoire. Additionally, it appears like several of these techniques no longer require magic. That should do wonders for keeping combat flowing.

Along those same lines, there are a variety of new weapons at your disposal, as seen in the gameplay. Beyond her trademark pistols, Bayonetta can also wield a hefty speargun and a super-sized spiked yo-yo. You’ll be able to get your hands on all of those when Bayonetta 3 releases on Friday, October 28.