Bayonetta 3 has a new but familiar voice actress for its protagonist

It’s not long at all now until Bayonetta 3 releases, bringing with it plenty of the high-octane fighting and sassy characters that fans have come to love. There are several changes being made compared to previous games, with the introduction of several new characters alongside a new major threat known as the Homunculi. But one change fans probably didn’t see coming is a more intrinsic one — namely, Bayonetta’s own voice.

Bayo 3 director Yusuke Miyata revealed in an interview with Game Informer that series stalwart Hellena Taylor, who has voiced the Umbra Witch in the previous games, would not be returning for Bayonetta 3. Stepping in to take her place in the recording booth is voice acting veteran Jennifer Hale, who fans will recognize from such varied roles as Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect series, Rivet from Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Rosalind Lutece from Bioshock Infinite.

Hale’s voice acting pedigree ensures that the character is in a safe pair of hands for Bayonetta 3, but Miyata was also quick to assure fans that Taylor’s departure was simply down to “various overlapping circumstances” that made it difficult for her to return for the role. That could mean that other projects that took up too much time rather than anything more dramatic, but Hale’s performance was hailed as “beyond what we could have imagined” by the director, suggesting that fans needn’t worry about the transition. Of course, this change only applies to the English voiceover in the game — Atsuko Tanaka is confirmed to be returning for the role in the Japanese dub.

Bayonetta 3 is due to release just in time for Halloween, and fans are already picking apart the available trailers for secrets and Easter eggs. Featuring a new playable character named Viola, Bayonetta 3 will see the titular witch joining forces with a coven of others to face off against a new threat.