Bayonetta 3 (NS)

Bayonetta 3 is a bizarre action game with some of the most addictive, dynamic, and flashy combat I’ve ever experienced. Despite struggling to understand its borderline incoherent narrative, I found a lot to enjoy in the over-the-top battles of this wild ride. Bayonetta 3’s weird narrative is filled with surprises. Although I struggled to navigate the game’s storyline early on, it wasn’t due to lack of prior knowledge from the series; this entry doesn’t really require having played the previous two games, and the majority of the plot threads it deals with are entirely new. That means even dedicated Bayonetta fans should be ready to have their heads spin. As soon as I loaded the game, I was immediately dropped into its narrative, and my rollercoaster of an adventure started.

BOOM! Nothing gets the blood pumping quite like the shot of adrenaline that only a great video game can deliver. Action games may have an awesome story or superb multiplayer, but whatever the case, you know there will be intense combat and memorable set pieces. Note that we’re not including any shooters—they’re action games too, but we’ll have a separate category for them! Here are our five favorite action games of 2022.