Bayonetta 3 is nearly here, and fans are very excited about it for multiple reasons–not the least of which is the return of their favorite Umbra Witch, albeit with a different voice actress this time. Those who have played the previous two titles in the franchise know more or less how everything works. The game is about using many weapons and abilities to wipe out enemies. Thanks to the combat system PlatinumGames perfected, there’s a lot of variety in the game. However, in the upcoming third title, there’s a twist in the gameplay through the newest character Viola.

Viola is a Witch-in-training, and as a result, she won’t play the same as Bayonetta. On the surface, that doesn’t sound odd because we’ve all played games with multiple characters to control, and they often feel different. However, Game Informer dropped a seven-minute gameplay feature on Viola that you can see below, showcasing how different she plays.

One of the first things the team notes is that because of her “in training” status, Viola is limited in what she can use weapon-wise. She has her katana that she loves to wield and throwing knives when she needs to sling projectiles. That automatically makes her different from Bayonetta because the experienced Umbra Witch prefers the pistols on her feet and other weapons she gets from another character. Again, there’s a lot of variety in the franchise.

Speaking of experience, Viola is still new to fighting, so she lacks the “finesse” that her experienced counterpart has and has a slight dip in speed/agility. The catch is that Viola makes up for it in raw power. The duo in the video note that she has a lot of untapped potential that you can witness as she fights. Plus, many of her attacks are overwhelming versus some of the more precise strikes that Bayonetta does with her guns.

Another critical difference is the demon she’s tied to. Bayonetta has Madame Butterfly, with whom she’ll have a more profound repertoire in Bayonetta 3. On the other hand, Viola has Cheshire, a very mischievous cat demon with multiple attacks that she can unleash. Including her cat letting loose a flamethrower! The catch with the cat is it doesn’t exactly listen to Viola. Once summoned, the cat does its own thing and attacks what it wants, how it wants. So you know, just like a regular cat.

As you can see, both Bayonetta and Viola will be very interesting to control in their game sections. Though, we don’t know how much time with Viola gamers will get.

It’ll be curious to see who players want to control more when the title reaches its Umbra Climax on October 28 on the Nintendo Switch.

Source: YouTube