Note: This article includes spoilers.

Hi there! Curie Baek here. I worked on Bayonetta 3 as a VFX artist. Following up on the previous blog posts for VFX, I would like to talk more about the VFX concept and some techniques we utilized in the production of the end credits dance scene in Bayonetta 3.

Visual Concept

In Bayonetta 3, players will come across a different version of Bayonetta in every world they visit in the game’s multiverse. We created the visual effects in the end credits dance scene to express the vastness of this unique game world and represent the image of the “universe”.

VFX Off

VFX On

Originally, we had no visual effects in the end credits dance scene. Bayonetta was dancing in a pitch-dark space. This felt a little too empty to us. For that reason, we went ahead and used about 90 textures to express the depth of the universe. I remember that we ended up layering so many textures that we couldn’t save and process them all, so we had to go back and make quite a few adjustments afterwards.

In addition to the concept of the universe, there is another point that we kept in mind for VFX production.

I once heard someone say that “Bayonetta’s VFX is like perfume,” which inspired us to conceptualize the image of a faint floral fragrance that one might smell just by looking at it. In order to express this fragrance in VFX, we referenced commercials for perfumes and several different treatment products. The sparkling particles, the mist in the air, and the aurora-like effects were all perfect for expressing Bayonetta’s glamorous and sexy side.

Bayonetta Transformation Scene

There is a special scene in the end credits dance where Bayonetta changes from her spirit form to her physical form.

If we had simply faded out the spirit form model by reducing the alpha (transparency), the dithering “grains” would have stood out way too much, and we would have had to resort to other VFX techniques to express this effect. This is why we used the “clip box” function where we were able to display only a portion of the physical form model that is contained within a specified box-shaped area.

Note: We overlaid aurora shell polygons on the surface for a more natural appearance when the form changes.

I hope this entry provided you some interesting insight into VFX that went into production of this special ending scene.

Thanks for stopping by!

Curie Baek Joined PlatinumGames in 2021 and worked on Bayonetta 3 as a VFX artist, mainly responsible for backgrounds, objects, and also the VFX in the end credits dance scene.