Bayonetta 3 adds family-friendly mode with less nudity

As fans (me, I mean me) are dancing in their living rooms to “Fly Me to the Moon (Climax)” while strapping cardboard guns to their ankles in preparation for their Bayonetta cosplay, PlatinumGames had one more announcement to make regarding the release of Bayonetta 3. For the first time ever, Bayonetta can keep her clothes on.

PlatinumGames is introducing a new setting to Bayonetta 3 called Naive Angel Mode that, when activated, will put a shirt on our favorite heavenly hussy. For those of you who don’t know, Bayonetta is, at all times, covered in her own hair. It’s the source of her powers. And whenever there’s a big monster ready to be punished for their wrongdoings, Bayonetta will sprout gigantic creatures from her own scalp. But because even witches are still beholden to the laws of conservation, that hair has to come from somewhere, leaving Bayonetta tastefully censored but still nude. That’s great for whenever you’re alone or with a coven of your witchy friends but not so great when there’s children or praying grandmothers about.

Naive Angel Mode eliminates the nudity such that one can still enjoy the game without worry of scandalizing your godly auntie. And while I know there will be snark akin to “why would anyone want to turn off the boobs?” it’s actually pretty cool. Bayonetta is a great series; more people (read: everyone) should play it, and if the ability to turn off the gratuitous nudity will be the push to get someone new to play the game, then I’m all for it.

But, if PlatinumGames wants Bayonetta 3 to be truly family-friendly, then Naive Angel Mode will have to do more than cover up a bit of excess skin. It’ll also have to sanitize Bayonetta’s punish and torture attacks which feature stuff like… spanking and other suggestive activities:

A litany of medieval torture devices used in interesting ways:

And… this:

Bayonetta 3 launches on the Switch on October 28th.