Bayonetta 3: The Devil May Cry Reference Only Hardcore Fans Noticed

After a long hiatus, the "Bayonetta" series is back with "Bayonetta 3," and despite the controversy surrounding the replacement of the titular character's voice actor, critics and gamers are loving it. On top of providing the fast-paced combo-based combat fans know and love, "Bayonetta 3" also features a ton of fun easter eggs for players to discover.

Longtime "Bayonetta" fans will know that the series hasn't shied away from implementing Easter eggs that reference other media in the past. Not only has the "Bayonetta" series referenced TV shows and movies such as "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" and "Apocalypse Now," but it has also referenced other game series. For example, "Bayonetta" contains references to games such as "Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance" and "Jet Set Radio."

Although some of these Easter eggs are easy to spot, like the "Star Fox 64" Easter egg, others are only obvious to hardcore fans of a particular series. Recently, gamers discovered one of these subtle "Bayonetta 3" secrets that only hardcore "Devil May Cry" fans will catch.

As gamers hacked and slashed their way through the somewhat short "Bayonetta 3" campaign, some spotted a reference to "Devil May Cry" that is not-so-subtle to longtime fans of the demon-slaying hack-and-slash series. Played side by side, as showcased by Adorable Laurie on Twitter, the intro cutscene for the Phantom spider boss in "Devil May Cry" is strikingly similar to the spider boss intro in "Bayonetta 3." Not only do the cutscenes share similar shots, but some of the dialogue is also nearly identical, such as the boss referencing how small the character is compared to the ginormous spider. And anyone that knows the origins of the "Bayonetta" series won't be shocked by this reference to "Devil May Cry."

Both Capcom's "Devil May Cry" series and PlatinumGames' "Bayonetta" were created by game developer Hideki Kamiya. Famously, after developing classic cult series such as "Devil May Cry" and "Viewtiful Joe" for Capcom, Hideki Kamiya left the company to form PlatinumGames in 2006. And it's easy to see how Kamiya's time developing "Devil May Cry" impacted his vision for "Bayonetta" as the games feature many of the same mechanics. Kamiya even said in an interview with Gamespot that Bayonetta is the evolution of "Devil May Cry." So, it's easy to see why Kamiya snuck in this fun reference to his previous work.