Bayonetta is a legendary character. She's a fashion icon, she has an incredible class about her, and she punishes angels and demons in equal measure in incredible style. Each Bayonetta game is a true joy to play through over and over again, but Bayonetta is a character that has surpassed her games so much, becoming something of a cultural cornerstone in her own right.
But have you ever wanted to see Bayonetta outside of her own franchise, and her iconic genre of character action games? The closest we have so far is Smash Bros, but the Umbra Witch deserves so much more. Platinum itself may make almost exclusively action games, but it has plenty more inspirations underneath it all. So why shouldn't Bayonetta stretch out to broader horizons?
8 Fighting - Bayonetta Versus
Playing through any character action game, it becomes obvious how fighting games form the foundations of them. From the personality expressed in combat to the intricacy of combos, they share plenty of similarities. So then it only makes sense that Bayonetta should get a proper fighting game of her own, not just a guest appearance in Smash!
Bayonetta has a plethora of incredible characters to pull from. There's the Umbra Witch Herself, the imposing Barman Rodin, the inquisitive Luka and so many more. Characters like Bayonetta and Jeanne could summon there demons for special attacks, or characters like Rodin could summon their own demon and angel powers. Tricky combos could let you pull out extended range Wicked Weaves. There's so many possibilities to make each character unique!
7 Arcade Shooter - Angel Attack
A perhaps less-than-hidden fact about Hideki Kamiya, creator of Bayonetta, is his fondness for classic arcade games. It's sprinkled throughout plenty of his games, and even culminated in Platinum's Sol Cresta, but Bayonetta makes no attempt at hiding its retro roots, embracing them in the moments like Angel Attack or flying a rocket towards an island. Why not make Angel Attack into a full game though?
The name and basis already exists. It could be expanded into an on-rails shooter, bringing you around the world, across various realms and times fighting angels and demons with Bayonetta's iconic handguns. There could even be opt-in co-op for another player to pick up Jeanne. Bosses could even culminate in summoning your umbral demons as you swerve around them. It would maintain the hectic nature of Bayonetta in a whole new perspective.
6 Rhythm - To Dance With A Witch
Bayonetta is a striking character with so many aspects, but when it comes to the games, music is her trademark. It wouldn't be a Bayonetta game without classic music turned into an upbeat jazzy track and other blood-pumping beats to commit blasphemy to. It's such an important part of Bayonetta, in fact, that it could justify a game in its own right!
This is an easy one to envision, especially since every Bayonetta game actually ends with her doing a funky dance that feels like a fan-made YouTube MV, which honestly makes them better. You get all the tracks from Bayonetta to dance to, but could even match with fight scenes since so much of her movement in combat is so dancer-like. PLus, who wouldn't want to see Rodin dancing a duet with Balder?
5 Monster Taming - Deal With The Devil
Central to Bayonetta are her demons, tied to her by Umbran contract. They allow her to perform her Wicked Weaves, and are summoned for her big boss finishers, being even more prominent in Bayonetta 3. Seeing her big beasties is always a treat – getting to spend times with them is great, and having to fight them in Bayonetta 2 is terrifying.
Wouldn't it be a great experience to see how Bayonetta encountered them though? Think of it almost like a Pokemon game, with Bayonetta traveling around the world, proving her worth to various entities to tame their legendary demons, and even fighting other Umbra Witches and Lumen Sages to train her demons. Many of them could even have unique world interactions like in Monster Hunter Stories. Obviously, Bayonetta could ride them around the world too.
4 Metroidvania - Bayonetta: Rondo Of Blasphemy
In Bayonetta, and character action games as a whole, the moves and skills available to you are essential to pulling of stylish combos. There's also the learning curve to take into account, so it's important to balance out new abilities with the base system. So even though it might be incredibly difficult to pull off, a Bayonetta metroidvania could be a real treat.
Pulling from the side-scrolling, gothic style of Castlevania, combat would be its defining feature. Not just techniques and tools, but the ability to play around with enemies. New moves could be bought rather than earned through gameplay. Instead, new weapons and demons could be unlocked through exploration. They would expand Bayonetta's arsenal and give her new ways to explore. Malphas letting you fly over obstacles, weapons like Takemizuchi letting you break down tough walls, and all of them playing into the combat.
3 Racing - Bayonetta Kart
Everyone loves a good racing game. There's a great variety of them out there. The purist style of Gran Turismo, the open world romps of Forza Horizon, and the more party style of Mario Kart. Though the Bayonetta games have no explicit races, they also have noc shortage of vehicles and mounts to dash about on. Feels like a solid foundation for Bayonetta Kart.
There's the obvious motorcycle that Bayonetta and Jeanne love so much, but there's also Enzo's beloved car. Bayonetta has plenty of demons tha would have no issue keeping up with other vehicles. Characters could perform Wicked Weaves to try to swipe an opponent off the track, summons angels to block your path, or do a timely dodge to slow down an opponent for everyone. It would be chaos, with just a little bit of risk-reward gameplay.
2 Dating Sim - Umbran Desire
Bayonetta is stylish, powerful, and cheeky, but she's hardly the type to ever give you a chance. Ah, but what if she did? Who wouldn't buy a game that lets Bayonetta step on you? She wouldn't be the only choice though.
There's Jeanne, who you would have to wow in combat. Enzo, who needs to you to be a real parent to his kids. Rodin would test your taste in music before ever showing you some skin. Think Tokimeki Memorial, having to carefully balance your interests and time to romance your beloved character.
1 Musou - Bayonetta: Umbran Warriors
Musou games have been thriving lately. Before, they were relegated almost exclusively to Dynasty Warriors. Now they've had hit after hit with Persona, Zelda and Fire Emblem. Even if Koei's president would like a Mario musou, Bayonetta might be a bit more fitting.
Bayonetta already spends her spare time punishing angels and keeping demons in hell, why not let her do her job on a much larger scale? Musou games are incredibly gratifying things, watching hundreds of enemies at a time being thrown across the map with intricate combos. It would fit Bayonetta perfectly, and with such a wide variety of characters to choose from, the funs would never have to end.