PlatinumGames has always been known for its action games, filled with intense moments that make you feel incredibly empowered. Bayonetta has always been the feather in their hat in that regard, the one series where they could freely go wild, and Bayonetta 3 feels like an homage to itself, going larger than ever before.
RELATED: Games That Make You Feel Powerful
Of course, no character-action game is complete without a healthy helping of enticing bosses, and Bayonetta 3 has no shortage of them. In fact, it has quite a few, and many of them even have unique mechanics. Some may appear as bosses only once before becoming a more standard entry, but even they leave such a strong first impression.
8 Castellanus
One of the selling points of Bayonetta 3 is the multiverse. It's a tired concept at this point, but the game has a fresh and self-indulgent view of it, bringing you across the multiverse worlds to see various renditions of Bayonetta. Egypt is one of the standout regions of the game for how different it feels.
In your very first escapade into Egypt with Bayonetta, you'll come across Castellanus. Unlike other enemies that you can attack head-on, Castellanus produces a shield you can't pass. Of course, this doesn't apply to the gargantuan Infernal Demons. Castellanus is stacked like a Jenga tower, with your demons slicing away layer after layer until its final form is revealed, and Bayonetta can dash in for the kill herself.
7 Kraken
One of the foundational enemies of the Bayonetta series are the Angels of Paradiso you fight, appearing from the very first game. Of course, Bayonetta is made up of a Trinity of Realities, so there are demons to match down in Inferno. They make a prominent appearance in Bayonetta 2, though they are more selective in the sequel.
RELATED: Scariest Games Set In Water
That doesn't stop a powerful Infernal Demon from ripping its way into the realm of Chaos at the very beginning of the game. Kraken is fought on the ruins of a collapsing ship, with Bayonetta and Jeanne together chasing after its tentacles and avoiding its ink. Even Viola gets a chance to go up against Kraken (and Dark Eve) at the end of the game, this time with new moves at its disposal.
6 Strider
A classic feature of games like Bayonetta is a rival you fight throughout the game. Vergil in Devil May Cry, your childhood friend in Pokemon, and Jeanne in the original Bayonetta. Each Bayonetta game has them, someone to test your skills as the game progresses and build a relationship through combat.
Keeping up the tradition, Bayonetta 3 has a rival of its own in Strider. Without revealing too much, you fight Strider many times in the game, maybe more than you'd expect. They're bestial in their moves, kicking and screaming like a wild animal, even able to drag you into a pocket realm to deal massive damage. Their first fight is their strongest, though, fighting on the side of a building amidst a blood moon.
5 Iridescent
The first time you step foot in Thule, you get a ticklish feeling and a little tingle of excitement of not knowing exactly where in the multiverse you're about to be brought to. In this case, it's Japan, and one of the first things you see is the giant Homunculi, Iridescent, soaring incorporeally through the environment.
RELATED: Gentle Giants In Games
To describe Iridescent as a single boss is a bit unfair. It's fought in multiple stages, first as a chase with Gomorrah. Then, you're dashing about a collapsing Tokyo as the Japanese Bayonetta, culminating in a fight with Iridescent's core. Finally, Bayonetta literally pulls out her heart to summon Sin Gomorrah (Shin Godzilla) and fight Arch-Iridescent on a kaiju scale. It's pretty cool.
4 Virga
The second multiverse you'll visit in Bayonetta 3 is that of China, or some alternate version of it, to be more precise. Described by Singularity when you first arrive, this world is in the same year as the original Bayonetta's world, though it took a markedly different approach. The Great Wall is a tad larger here, with a much more classical Chinese look about it and its warriors.
This multiverse also has some of the most indulgent Homunculi too. Virga is the first boss you'll encounter here, and even though they become mini-bosses later, they've still earned their keep on this list. Styled after a two-headed Chinese dragon, Virga marches about with reckless abandon, attacking independently with both its heads and climbing on any wall within reach.
3 Jeanne And Baal
The Egypt multiverse of Bayonetta 3 is a unique one. Where all other multiverses are somewhat narrow, like the Great Wall of China, or urban, like the streets of Tokyo, Egypt is much wider. Rivers of sand stretch out for miles, with gigantic structures and towering caves surrounding the area.
RELATED: Bayonetta 3: The Best Demons
Inside one such cave and temple of Egypt, you fight Jeanne and Baal. Or rather, some memory of them. The fight is unlike many others in the game, jumping right into it without much fanfare. Jeanne fights almost silently, just echoes of words she left to her princess playing over. Meanwhile, she can summon the angelic-voiced Baal to call down poison rain on a whim.
2 Rosa and The Umbran Clock Tower
The Bayonetta series has always been family games. No, not games you could play with the family. Don't do that. Instead, they focus on family. Bayonetta's parentage, her growing romanc-uh, relationship with Jeanne, and her connection with her younger self. Her mother plays a more prominent role in the sequel, and Bayonetta 3 takes note of that.
It's far from a fond reunion for Bayonetta when she meets the French counterpart of her mother, Rosa. Indeed, this version doesn't see this Bayonetta as her child, but worse is how she's been corrupted by Singularity. In the battle against her, she fights with Tartarus and jumps behind summoned doors to hide. Then, she summons Umbran Armour (a mech) that you must chase down arcade style, culminating in a rotating battle against the Umbran Clock Tower itself.
1 Cirrrostratus And Cirrocumulus, And Stratocumulus
Another iconic boss from Egypt, it's fought in multiple stages like Iridescent. First as two separate enemies and then as one combined form. First, you fight them alongside the Egyptian Jeanne on a set of scales. If one of you summons an Infernal Demon for too long, your scale will tip into the clouds of erasure, ending your existence. It's a...delicate balancing act.
Of course, that's not enough. Cirrostratus and Cirrocumulus combine into Stratocumulus, a massive Homunculi. The tables turn here, though, with Bayonetta summoning The Phantom to fight it on the ground and the Egyptian Bayonetta fighting them in the air with Malphas. Swapping between them feels so smooth, working in tandem to defeat this giant monstrosity, and all on a time limit before The Phantom overloads.
NEXT: Games To Play If You Like Bayonetta 3
