Bayonetta 3 will feature ‘Naive Angel Mode’ which covers up a few more inches of flesh

Bayonetta 3 is coming out October 28 – it’s also coming with a new mode to reduce nudity.

Legendary game series Bayonetta is returning to gaming systems this year with Bayonetta 3 on the Nintendo Switch, newly-announced to be released on October 28. That’s not all developers Platinum Games had to reveal.

In a tweet, they explained their new “Naive Angel Mode” which increases the number of clothes worn by female characters at all time – be they the woman herself or various types of giant insect that seem to hang around.

Relax, the witch is back and sexier than ever🌙

We've added the revolutionary "Naive Angel Mode" to Bayonetta 3 so more people can fully enjoy it👍

By turning it on, you can play right in the living room without having to worry about what's on screen... we think😅#Bayonetta3pic.twitter.com/SEs3vqrdYc

— PlatinumGames Inc. (@platinumgames) July 13, 2022

While much was shown off in the new trailer for the game, this wasn’t in there, and seems to be the only thing Platinum felt the need to clarify. Rather than, for example, difficulty modes, new characters, plot details, and so on.

Why is anyone’s guess. The trailer isn’t recorded in the new mode, so nobody was (yet) questioning about ‘censorship’ or any such thing, and the series has existed for plenty of time without drawing the ire of Puritans. Bayonetta 2 was already a Nintendo exclusive, although on the much less popular Wii U versus Switch’s massive userbase the world over.

Likely it’s just an attempt from Platinum – and the oft family-friendly Nintendo – to appeal to a wider range of people, particularly those who maybe played Bayonetta 1 & 2 as younger men or women, but now have families they don’t want to expose to… digitised naked flesh. It really would have to censor a lot more than just a few relatively low-poly models before it was what I’d call kid-friendly (voice acting, animations, story – well just about everything really, it’s a sexually charged game), but I’m sure a few people appreciate it.

It’s not the first time Nintendo have done something similar. Super Smash Bros. features edited versions of characters, most notably Pyra and Mythra from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 as well as Bayonetta herself, with a little less skin on show. That is very much a game with a young audience, of course.

The Japanese announcement of the mode was a touch more risqué, using several peach emojis and opening with “don’t worry, it’s coming off.”

More options, more better. On or off, it’s entirely your choice.

Written by GLHF.