Bayonetta 3 VS God of War Ragnorok (No Spoilers)

We are putting Nintendo’s big action game up against Sony’s big action game today we look at Bayonetta 3 vs God of War Ragnarök! Before we get into the nitty-gritty, we have to say that both of these games are incredible. They both had a lot of hype behind them and to be honest, they both completely delivered. So while we are going to pick a winner today, neither one of these games is a loser!

Round 1: Story

These are two very story driven games and both of them feature great stories and compelling characters, but which one did we like the best?

Bayonetta 3: It feels like it was forever ago since Bayonetta and Jeanne finished things in Bayonetta 2! Bayonetta 3 brings back the likes of Luka and Rodin, but the big twist here is the other dimensions. That is right, our Bayonetta is not the only one! Look, the plot of Bayonetta has always been nuts and you just go with the flow and have a great time. However, while we feel that Bayonetta 3 has a great and fun story, the ending… kind of spoils things a tad if we are being honest!

God of War: Ragnarök: The God of War story from start to the last release is one of the most epic stories in all of gaming and Kratos is one of the best written characters of all time. Could Sony top what they did with the last game? Well yes, they could! Set after what went down at the end of God of War, Kratos and Atreus are now going to be able to go to all nine realms. Ultimately, it is the story of a father and son and it is incredibly powerful stuff.  The story and characters here are so good that you will not want to stop playing once you start.

Winner: God of War: Ragnarök

Both games tell interesting stories and are faithful to what came before them, but God of War: Ragnarök is one of the greatest stories ever told in a video game.

Round 2: Gameplay

Both of these games are fun to play and they do have a similar “hack and slash” kind of combat to them.

Bayonetta 3: Not a great deal has changed from Bayonetta 2 if we are being honest, but that is a good thing! This is such a fun game to actually play, Bayonetta feels great to control and now she can actually summon in her demon slaves at will which is a lot of fun. Also, the levels are much larger and now encourage exploration.

God of War: Ragnarök: Offering exciting action, tricky puzzles, and a fair bit of exploration, this game takes what they did with the last God of War and expands on it. It has a fun upgrade system and the combat here feels so satisfying, you actually feel like a powerful warrior as you lay a beating on your enemies. It just feels great from start to end and is one of the most exciting games to be released in 2022.

Winner: God of War: Ragnarök

This was probably the round that was hardest to call as both of these are fantastic to play. However, we feel that God of War: Ragnarök has a bit more substance to it. Plus, Bayonetta 3 does have a few framerate issues here and there.

Round 3: The Soundtrack

The soundtracks in these games could not be any more different, but they are both incredible!

Bayonetta 3: I love the whole style that Bayonetta 3 has going on. It has a funky and very fitting soundtrack that could not be any more perfect for the game. It especially pumps you up and makes combat even more fun. Much has been said about the controversy of the new lead voice actor, but she is great, actually, you can tell that the whole voice cast is having a great deal of fun with this one!

God of War: Ragnarök: We need to start by talking about the voice acting which is arguably the best voice acting of any game in 2022. The actors nail this and get you even more invested in the story. As far as the music goes, it is perfectly fitting to the story, it feels very movie like, epic when it needs to be and somber when it is called for.

Winner: God of War: Ragnarök

This was such a hard one to call as the both are pretty much perfect; it basically comes down to a personal preference and we just felt that the epic score of God of War appealed to us a bit more.

Round 4: Boss Fights

Both these games feature some epic boss fights so this is another hard round to call!

Bayonetta 3: A huge part of the fun of the previous two Bayonetta games was the boss fights and that trend continues here with Bayonetta 3. The fights are completely over the top with giant creatures that you have to fight! While being able to summon demon slaves at any time lessens their impact in boss battles, boss battles are still a major highlight of this game.

God of War: Ragnarök: Due to the epic story when you do face a boss like Thor, it feels like it has so much more meaning to it. The boss fights in God of War Ragnarök are very cinematic and feel like the stakes are massive. They are fun and tend to have a reliance on dodging, but as much fun as they are they are still mostly done in the same combat style as the rest of the game.

Winner: Bayonetta 3

Both games offer fun and intense boss fights, but we feel that Bayonetta 3 was more creative with its boss encounters.

Round 5: Longevity

With these games being so much fun, you will probably want to play through them both more than once!

Bayonetta 3: The levels are much larger in Bayonetta 3 which encourages multiple playthroughs to find all the secrets! Plus, the scoring system at the end of each part of the game makes you want to jump back in and try to get a higher ranking. Also, the core gameplay is so addictive that this is the kind of game where you will want to play through it more than once!

God of War: Ragnarök: The story is such a highlight of God of War: Ragnarök that you may feel like a second playthrough does not hold the same weight, but that is not the case. Granted they could have put a new game plus mode in here like they did the last game. However, the allure of finding new gear and also fully exploring this large world is more than enough to make people want to go back. Plus, the combat in the game feels amazing so you will certainly want to keep smashing enemies’ heads in long after the credits have rolled.

Winner: God of War: Ragnarök

While Bayonetta 3 certainly gives you a lot of reasons to jump back in, God of War: Ragnarök is a much larger and ultimately deeper kind of experience and that is not even counting if you were to decide you wanted to play through it again.

Final Verdict

Look, we know this sounds like a cop-out, but both of these games are incredible and if you are someone that has a Switch and a PS4/PS5, you need to eventually play through both of these games. Seriously, these are two of the best games that 2022 has to offer! However, we are picking God of War: Ragnarök as our winner today. It has a truly epic story, tight gameplay and they somehow managed to make it even better than the masterpiece that came before it!

Winner:

God of War: Ragnarök