Bayonetta 3 release date set for 2022 in first gameplay trailer

The Bayonetta 3 release date has been set for 2022 in the long-awaited sequel's first gameplay trailer.

Nintendo and Platinum Games dropped the Bayonetta 3 trailer during today's Nintendo Direct showcase. The third-person action combat that the series is known for turned up in brief snippets, complete with flashy gun attacks and a combo meter, but it took a backseat to over-the-top boss fights featuring Godzilla-sized behemoths. 

By summoning her own giant monsters, and in some cases riding them, Bayonetta can match these giants pound for pound, landing colossal blows and treating buildings like playthings. She conjures up dragon, spider, and bird summons in the trailer, and these seem to be tied to a new resource and interface found in the bottom-left of the screen. 

"It seems I'm unfashionably late, but I'm ready to give you everything you want," Bayonetta says in the trailer, apparently speaking directly to the Platinum Games fans who've been waiting almost five years for this trailer. Bayonetta 3 was first announced in 2017 with little more than a title drop, so today's eye-popping gameplay trailer couldn't come soon enough. It's also encouraging to have a release window, if not a final date, after so many vague but optimistic updates from Platinum's leadership. 

The final seconds of the trailer also tease an appearance from a light-haired, katana-wielding character who's got Bayonetta fans speculating. Is it Cereza? Jeanne? Is this some kind of prequel? Here's hoping follow-up trailers give us some clues in the leadup to Bayonetta 3's launch next year. 

The Bayonetta 3 release date was leaked alongside the now-confirmed Kirby and the Forgotten Land, which taps the pink hero for a Super Mario Odyssey-style adventure.