Bayonetta 3 launched on the Switch in 2022 and received high praise from critics, but it's fair to say that the reaction from long-time fans was decidedly more mixed. Criticism was raised against the title's more approachable gameplay, lacklustre stealth segments, disappointing visuals, and more, and it apparently had quite the effect on series creator Hideki Kamiya.

Speaking with VGC , Kamiya said that seeing how folks reacted to Bayonetta 3 was a "perplexing experience", noting how fans' ideas of what a Bayonetta sequel should look like didn't necessarily align with what developer PlatinumGames wanted to achieve.

"What I saw with those games was that, as each one was released, the fans’ idea of what Bayonetta is, and what a sequel should be, grew stronger.

"That created a gap betwe

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