The latest Bayonetta 3 patch has just arrived, offering a number of solid gameplay improvements that should make the journey of the playable characters more enjoyable.
Patch 1.2.0 released for Bayonetta 3 with detailed patch notes showing the latest round of improvements made by PlatinumGames to the latest Umbra Witch adventure on Nintendo Switch. The full notes can be read further Nintendo Support Site (opens in a new tab).
The patch improvements for Bayonetta 3 are largely gameplay-related, focusing mainly on tweaks to Viola’s secondary character’s moveset. For example, Platinum has now relaxed the conditions that allow her to activate Witch Time, a slow-time ability that makes it easier to trigger combos on enemies. Previously, Viola’s Witch Time activation was frustratingly inconsistent and felt a little unnatural, so it’s nice to see the developers addressing this shortcoming relatively quickly.
Changes have also been made to some of the more frustrating Niflheim bonus challenges. These small missions challenge players to meet certain criteria, such as defeating a certain number of enemies within a certain amount of time or taking as few hits as possible. Several particularly annoying challenges in Niflheim have now been toned down.
Unfortunately, that’s not all good news. The patch notes make no mention of Bayonetta 3’s shaky performance. This means that the game’s busier combat sequences and bombastic set pieces can still show rocky frame rates. Many of these drop Bayonetta 3’s frame rate down to a choppy 30fps, taking away much of the combat satisfaction that 60fps would have eliminated.
The shadow remains cast
I’ve previously claimed that Bayonetta 3 is being held back by the Nintendo Switch. The console’s aging custom Tegra X1 mobile layout isn’t conducive to the game’s high-octane action. Of course, PlatinumGames isn’t entirely to blame for this, but it does mean Bayonetta 3’s more ambitious moments aren’t as memorable as they could be.
Bayonetta 3’s performance is an unfortunate antics in the company’s resume. Her games typically run very stable frame rate targets. Astral Chain, for example, maintains a locked 30fps for most of the runtime, making combat even more satisfying because of it. Similarly, the Nintendo Switch ports of Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 are able to maintain the target 60fps under high pressure.
I’m not expecting miracles here. Platinum is unlikely to alleviate Bayonetta 3’s performance issues in one failing patch. But I’d love to see the developer take small steps to improve performance over the course of a year. Smaller tweaks here and there can add up to a more stable whole.
Of course, more powerful hardware like the Nintendo Switch Pro model could significantly improve the performance of the best Nintendo Switch games around the world, but whether that will materialize in the mid- or next-gen remains to be seen.