Bayonetta 3
Image: Nintendo

Pinch yourselves – yes, we really did get treated to the first ever look at Bayonetta 3 yesterday. It's real. It has actual gameplay. And relax...

It's no secret that Bayonetta 3's grand reveal has been a long time coming – the fact that the game was first announced almost four years ago was even apologetically addressed during yesterday's Nintendo Direct – so finally seeing it in action was very welcome indeed.

The game's debut trailer showed off huge battles between skyscraper-sized demons, as well as some fast-paced combos from the ground, and in a new message shared to fans, the game's Executive Director Hideki Kamiya explains that the team can "can finally breathe a sigh of relief" knowing that fans have finally seen their first glimpse of gameplay.

He also promises to "deliver an experience that exceeds all [player expectations]", which is quite the statement. Here's Kamiya's message in full:

"Sorry to have kept you all waiting. It’s been about four years since the announcement back in 2017… We really, really kept you waiting.

In those four years, I’m sure people had a lot of concerns like “What’s happening with Bayonetta 3?” and “Are they really still working on it?” and “When are we going to get some new news?” But just as much as everyone wants to see Bayonetta 3 as soon as possible, all of us working on it have been burning to show it off just as badly, and without being able to hear any cheers from fans, we’ve buckled down and kept working for four years.

Now we’ve finally been able to show the fruits of our labors and the team can finally breathe a sigh of relief, and we’ll be able to concentrate even harder on our work. It’s been a long four years for us too.

The impressions of everyone who saw the announcement will definitely energize us. There are still a lot of secrets about Bayonetta 3, but for now we’d like everyone to let your imaginations run wild from this trailer and get excited.

With Bayonetta 3, I’m still overseeing the world and story, but in order to breathe some new life into the game I’ve chosen Yusuke Miyata, a longtime and trusted co-worker (although he can be a bit of a goofball), as the director.

We’ve also the talents of directors Yuji Shimomura and Masaki Suzumura helping us bring unprecedented amounts of smiles, years, drama, humor, and sexiness to the movie scenes.

And of course, Bayonetta’s look has been handled by someone you might call her personal designer, Mari Shimazaki. This time Bayonetta dances into the fray looking more fashionable and elegant than ever.

So everyone, there’s no need to worry, Bayonetta 3 is real, and the day when you’ll be able to hold it in your hands and play is definitely coming! Rest easy and look forward to more info to come, because no matter how great your expectations may be, I promise we’ll deliver an experience that exceeds all of them."

[source platinumgames.com]