Sometimes it’s important for franchises to take a break, refresh and re-assess before returning to the spotlight. While last year’sBayonetta 3did receive positive reviews overall, with high praise for its sense of style and gameplay, some felt the storyline may have jumped the shark. TheBayonettafranchise as a whole has always had a tongue in cheek, goofy charm to it and never took itself too seriously, but the latest entry may have gone a bit too over the top.
With the inclusion of multiverse-level threats, dimension-spanning adventures, and even time travel shenanigans,Bayonettaas a whole might have begun biting off more than it can chew. This is especially clear when considering the way thatBayonetta 3wrapped everything up, as opportunities are slim for where Cereza’s story can go next. Thankfully, the final game in the trilogy did include some new characters and concepts that can be used as a springboard for future installments.
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Ending Cereza’s Story With Bayonetta 3
After three lengthy games packed to the brim with sensational battles and mind-bending plots, Cereza has finally found peace in the afterlife with Luka. It served as a genuinely sweet moment and a nice sendoff to the character. Of course, in fiction, few characters every truly stay dead, as some sort of fantastical reason can be written in by the creators as a means to bring her back. However, there is also the risk of cheapening the impact and value of Cereza’s ultimate sacrifice at theend ofBayonetta 3if she can just return again like nothing happened.
Sometimes It’s worthwhile to allow a character to rest after they have had their time in the spotlight and all narrative possibilities have been explored. This also creates an opening to launch into a new era for a franchise, staying within the same universe and conventions that fans have come to love but instead with a new protagonist that brings a fresh spin to the proceedings. Gamers need only look to other popular video game series that had similar scenarios such asUncharted 4: A Thief’s End. The climax of that game sawNathan Drake retire from his tomb raiding exploits, closing his chapter of the story. However, at the same time, it heavily implied that new adventures could star his daughter Cassie in the future.
Bayonetta 4 Should Have a New Main Character
Speaking of the introduction of daughters,Bayonetta 3actually pulled off the same narrative beat during the course of its story. As it turns out, the newly introduced punk rock protagonist Viola was actually Bayonetta and Luka’s daughter in her universe. She is just as capable of a combatant and boasts her own rockin' sense of style, akin to the same chilled out demeanor of Dante from theDevil May Cryseries(whichBayonettais ironically the spiritual successor to).
Many ofBayonetta 3’s most memorable momentsare when the player has direct control of Viola, taking full advantage of her hard hitting combo attacks and dazzling magical summons to dispatch foes. With players already accustomed to Viola’s personality and play style, she would be the perfect character to lead the franchise going forward, especially with the after credits tease inBayonetta 3seeming to hint at this anyway. The aforementionedDevil May Crydid something similar, with Nero being introduced in the fourth entry to later become the principal protagonist inDevil May Cry 5.
If Viola for whatever reason is not deemed fit to lead the franchise going forward, then futureBayonettagames can return to the concept of the multiverse introduced in the third game. In the finale, the Cerezas from bothBayonettaandBayonetta 2fight side by side with the current version in the third game in a bombasticSpider-Man: No Way Homestyle crossover event. Introducing this idea opens the door to the notion that there are near limitless versions ofBayonettaout there, all with their own personalities and character traits.
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