Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon was just revealed last night at The Game Awards. The trailer showed us a game that’s very different from Bayonetta’s flashy action, having more of a storybook aesthetic with a fixed camera and bright, vibrant colors. The game will focus on Bayonetta as a child before she became an Umbra Witch and when she was known merely as Cereza. And if you played Bayonetta 3, you might have already guessed this game’s existence courtesy of a secret unlockable chapter.
Chad Concelmo, senior VP of creative planning at Nintendo of America, spilled the beans last night on Twitter shortly after Bayonetta Origins’ announcement. "There is a playable teaser for this IN BAYONETTA 3," wrote Concelmo. "If you collect certain items you can unlock it. It's a VERY cool Easter egg that I have never really seen done before. This game reveal was hidden all along for people to find!"
Concelmo was deliberately vague to avoid spoilers for those still playing through Bayonetta 3. If you’d like to remain unspoiled, then don’t click this guide to unlocking the secret mission. You can also skip the next few paragraphs too, although we’re only going to cover this in the most general terms, and you should definitely look at the guide for more details.
Unlocking the secret mission involves first obtaining the Old Book from Rodin’s Shop. After that, you need to find three keys hidden in Ginnungagap in Chapter 1, Chapter 4, and Chapter 13. The keys only appear after the book has been purchased, so if you’ve already done those chapters, you’ll have to go back. After you’ve collected all the keys, the book will open, and you can enter the secret chapter.
The secret chapter is very similar to what fans witnessed last night in the Bayonetta Origins trailer. There’s a brief rhythm game sequence, then an abrupt end just before a fight scene with the message "to be continued?" There’s also a secret costume unlockable here, too.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon arrives on March 17, 2023 for the Nintendo Switch.