Bayonetta 3 drops amiibo support despite being a Nintendo exclusive

Bayonetta 3 is out now and is generally getting some pretty solid reviews. People seem to be enjoying it. Meanwhile…there’s me.

I think the game is okay, but I’ll save that for the review. But there was a massive problem I hate really early that needs to be addressed.

In Bayonetta 2, which came out around the same time as the excellent Smash Bros. Bayonetta amiibo (of which she was one of the only characters to receive two different forms of), they introduced some of the best amiibo support I had ever seen.

Some games will throw some simple cosmetics at you or things of that sort, but Bayonetta 2’s amiibo support was an absolute love letter to Nintendo — unlocking costumes with special effects and a weapon that is quite easily the greatest weapon in Bayonetta history.

Using a Peach or Daisy amiibo gave you an outfit that made it look like Bayonetta was wearing a cheap costume of the princess of your choice. Not only did it change up her look but halos (the game’s primary currency) were replaced with Mario coins and instead of massive demon hands and feet punching and stomping from portals, they were replaced with massive Bowser hands and feet doing the same complete with his trademark roar.

Using one of the many amiibo of Link netted you Link’s trademark costume, changed the halos to rupees, and also unlocked a new weapon. If you couldn’t guess, you’d get the Master Sword and the Hyrulian Shield. While surprisingly not very powerful it was still fun to use and required a different strategy as you were now blocking more than dodging.

Scanning one of Samus’s various amiibo got you a Samus costume. And despite the thirsty-as-hell developers of the game knowing there was a Zero Suit, they instead took the much better high ground and gave Bayonetta the full Samus Armor which was so cool.

Not only did it give you the hand cannon to use complete with rockets which are slightly more efficient than the handguns, but it also gave you a really interesting new animation. Normally, in Bayonetta 2, when you broke into a full sprint you’d change into a panther form. But in the Samus outfit, you’d actually roll up into a ball where you could then drop little bombs by hitting the same button that attacks with your guns. The bombs were fairly useless but it was a neat touch.

My favorite costume, however, came when you’d scan a Starfox-related amiibo. You’d unlock this absolute gem of a costume.

Not only did the costume look cool but it replaced her four guns with four arwings, each with a charm of one of the different Starfox pilots dangling from it. Her bullets were replaced with laser blasts that made the appropriate pew-pew noise from the Starfox game, and when you held down the button to shoot, you’d charge up and fire a Nova Bomb instead of maintaining a rapid-fire. It was awesome.

The best thing though was if you had any amiibo of Bowser or his clan (Bowser, Bowser Jr, Boo, Goomba, Koopa Trooper) you’d unlock the best weapon ever. The Chain Chomp. Just…man…just watch it.

With it connected to your ankle like a murderous Skip-It, you’d swing it at enemies or even kick it into an enemy like a soccer ball. You could even end combos in certain ways in which the chain would break, it would clamp onto the enemy with its giant teeth, and it would explode causing a new one to generate at your side again.

Every unlockable item was amazing and fun and caused me to want to play the game over and over again just to see things like Bayonetta delivering a heartfelt monologue dressed like someone going as Princess Daisy to a dive bar Halloween party. If I wasn’t already amiibo obsessed this would have inspired me.

Bayonetta 3 does still have alternate costumes but absolutely none of them are fun or change anything in the game. In fact, they all look like someone hit random while making a character in SoulCalibur because the design team at Bayonetta understands fashion like a child sneaking into their older sisters’ stuff and playing dress up.

It’s very disappointing, especially as Bayonetta 3 is a Nintendo exclusive. Here’s hoping for future amiibo DLC.