Mysterious Destiny, the primary battle theme of the first game, is by far one of Bayonetta's most iconic musical leitmotifs with its distinctive melody and vocals. Its return in Bayonetta 3 during the final battle with Singularity is nothing short of pure awesomeness.
Themes for Jeanne fights:
Battle for the Umbran Throne starts almost as a church music (as appropriate for the "hallowed arena" where Bayonetta and Jeanne's first fight), but quickly turns into a jazzy piano and double bass affair.
Red and Black, playing during 2nd Jeanne's fight, is an awesome, fast song with some killer piano and a cooing breathy girls' chorus in the background.
Blood and Darkness during the final battle with Jeanne is a Dark Reprise of "Red and Black", complete with heavier orchestra and Ominous Latin Chanting to emphasize that this is the ultimate fight against Jeanne.
"Fly Me To The Moon", originally sung by Frank Sinatra. Whoever came up with the idea of melding swing and techno with a sensual female vocal deserves an award or two.
Let's Dance, Boys! plays during the credits. That sax line just. Won't. Quit.
"Vigrid Town Areas" is a beautiful combination of jazz with haunting Ominous Latin Chanting. It says a lot about a soundtrack when even the ambient music has so much put into it.
The track that plays in the first sections of the Epilogue chapter, Friendship, is nothing less than pure awesome, as it plays as Jeanne, having been released from Balder's mind control, pulls the greatest Big Damn Heroes rescue of the entire game, hitching a ride on a motorcycle onto a rocket heading to space to save Bayonetta.
Climatic Battle plays right as you're about to literally take apocalyptic horrors calling themselves angels apart in the most gruesome-cum-awesome method physically possible.
The themes of the six most powerful angelic bosses are united in terms of instrumentation and overall atmosphere - all of them feature grandiose orchestral performances paired with powerful choirs.note It has been widely speculated, but not confirmed, that the choirs are singing liturgical lyrics in the Enochian language.
"The Greatest Jubilee" is truly one of the best final boss themes ever created. Sounding like a sacred cantata Bach would have only dreamed to compose (for its sheer complexity and staggering power), this piece is pure euphoria - which is appropriate, given it's the theme for Jubileus, who is God in female form.
You May Call Me Father is a great orchestral score, which matches the character of Father Balder very well - divinely powered, yet darkly natured. It reappears in Bayonetta 2 with nearly the opposite context – instead of being locked in combat with the Card-Carrying Villain Father Balder, you're fighting the unambiguously heroic Balder, whose motivation and valor might even make you feel like the villain for thwarting his quest. And even though the song itself isn't changed at all on the soundtrack, the new context repurposes "You May Call Me Father" into the theme of a noble agent of the light whose desperate quest to avenge his love is tragically misguided.
The tracks for the Cardinal Virtues may not have the general awesomeness of some of the other tracks that makes them as enjoyable played separately, but while fighting the bosses in question, you'd be hard-pressed to imagine a more appropriate track.
Fortitudo - In Labors And Dangers provides some wonderfully awesome chanting that lets you know that these bosses are something else.
One Of A Kind. Hearing the slow Ominous Latin Chanting, followed by the violin riff while the camera zooms away from Bayonetta and Jeanne, all while they are falling off an absurdly high cliff and hordes of Angels come flying towards you, really sets the tone for the rest of the game.
Iustitia Enters B and C, primal, drum-heavy, tense pieces to accompany the most abominable Cardinal Virtue.
Save Cereza!, a fast, frantic piece that impeccably fits Bayonetta's desperate search for her little one.
This piece plays after Balder throws Luka to his apparent death.
Luka Enters, to go with the game's plucky comic relief. Hello, Cheshire!
Magnificent Seven (Climax Mix) is a remix of the Boss theme from Fantasy Zone that plays at the end of Chapter VIII as you battle three Braves, and it is AWESOME.
Giant Military Transport Valkyrie. A shame it plays only on the first third of the airship stage, because it is just... awesome. The piano on the second half of the loop is just mesmerizing.
Talking with Balder C plays during Balder's speech at the beginning of the chapter he appears in. It fantastically captures the feel of the two most powerful humans in the Bayonetta universe squaring off like wolves about to maul.
The theme song "Something Missing" by Michi, as used in the commercials for the game, is an upbeat and hopeful, yet almost soothing song that explains Bayonetta's motivations very clearly. It also serves as a nice contrast to all of the non-stop action that the game has to offer.
The primary battle theme, Tomorrow is Mine, is particularly catchy.
The snippet for the Lock-and-Load Montage, "Trying on Love is Blue", is a remix of "Scarborough Fair equipped" from 1, replacing the somewhat harsh drums with full-on piano.
"Gomorrah, Devourer of the Divine" was used in the game's soundtrack trailer to show off the new score, and demonstrates the soundtrack's theme of sequential music extremely well, containing four different looping points depending on what stage of the fight the player's in – not to mention being surprisingly epic for a boss you fight in the prologue.
"Glamor: In Charm and Allure" from the "Gates of Paradise" chapter combines the soundtrack's theme of multi-stage tracks with Uncommon Time, since beating the hell out of an ice dragon is no fun unless you're doing it to a song in 7/4 time.
"The Lumen Sage and Temperantia", this game's equivalent of "Temperantia - In Foregoing Pleasures", plays during the second half of the first two duels with the Masked Lumen, while one of your Infernal Demons fights with one of the Auditio in the background. Appropriately enough, it also mixes in elements of "You May Call Me Father", foreshadowing who the Masked Lumen really is.
"Insidious: Consumer of All" has a menacing chorus that makes a great backbeat to fighting a giant underwater monster with a giant skull in its design. And then the song kicks into high gear halfway into the fight with a jump in tempo to let you know that this boss isn't messing around anymore.
"Loki's Crisis" plays while you are rushing to defend Loki from the Masked Lumen in Chapter 4, and it's enough to give even the most detached player a sense of desperation and urgency.
"Alraune: Whisperer of Dementia" is a playful synth and piano piece that sounds like something Bayonetta herself might use as a theme, but it matches the rose-themed demoness perfectly.
"Alraune: Whisperer of Insanity" is a powerful Dark Reprise of "Alraune: Whisperer of Dementia", showing that the rose demon is no longer playing around and means business. The song reaches an intense climax when Alraune has that last sliver of health and the Ominous Latin Chanting goes into overdrive!
"Raid!" plays when you fight the Superboss Rodin the Infinite One, showing that you are absolutely screwed as you are fighting against the most powerful demon of all time, making you feel absolutely hopeless.
"The Beginning of the End" plays during the opening narration and battle, setting the tone for a fight that's far beyond anything Cereza, or hell, the story thus far, has seen up to this point, the intense and dramatic orchestra and choir only further accommodating for the desperate fight that kicks off 3's story.
"Requiem", a haunting, somber orchestral tune that plays during the Hopeless Boss Fight segment of the fight with Singularity in both the opening and Final Battle, perfectly setting the hopeless, tragic tone that Bayonetta cannot win against this foe.
The main theme, "Al Fine (Whispers of Destiny)", is an incredibly beautiful, passionate and energetic theme backed by amazing violin and accordion sections, with incredibly heartfelt lyrics that effectively describe how this story is The Last Dance for the Bayonetta we've known for awhile, yet she shows no fear as long as her love is burning hot. Special mention goes to the song being played once again in the final phase of the final boss to truly set the tone of the story's climax.
"The Ancient Technique - Demon Slave" plays when Bayonetta first unviels the Demon Slave, and it beautifully portrays how this is an eleventh hour skill, one that barely saved Bayonetta from being slaughtered by Gomorrah in his rage.
Viola's battle song, "Gh()st", is a fast-paced rock-type song that matches her attitude. Listening to the lyrics, it also hints at who she really is and her background.
"The Demon Rider" is another fun and whimsical track that plays as Bayonetta hops a ride atop Phantasmaraneae while escaping the destruction of Tokyo, and later while gunning Wartrain Gouon's cannons while battling Pyrocumulus.
Bayonetta β1's theme "Try to stop me!", fast electronic piece, gives the first alternate Bayonetta we meet her own signature style.
For Cheshire's sequence in the desert, we get a wistful Western-inspired track, "Cheshire The Wanderer".
"The Hunters and the Hunted" is an equally fun, equally badass, jaunty and very French track plays during the big rail-shooter sequence while chasing Alternate Rosa throughout Paris.
"Witch Dance Battle", which plays during Phantom Thief Bayonetta and Prime Bayonetta's dance-off, is incredibly catchy and fun, giving the impression Phantom Thief Bayonetta is just simply entertaining Prime Bayonetta, before switching to them fighting, while still dancing.
"Night Shadows Dancing" is a theme for French Bayonetta β4, The Phantom Thief, playful piano melody backed by vocal choir turns lyrical halfway to reflect her story.
"Fertile Rondo" is sung by Baal Zebul as part of a boss fight in the Paris chapter. It's basically an epic Symphonic Metal piece with Baal Zebul's soprano voice serving as its centerpiece.
Which jazz standard serves as a battle theme this time around? Why "Moonlight Serenade" of course. And during the second set of credits after Viola's battle with Dark Eve and the Kraken, Frank Sinatra's version is played.
The appearances of Bayonetta 1 and 2 are accompanied by Phenomenal Uncertainty, a fusion of "Mysterious Destiny" and "Tomorrow Is Mine" that blends the instrumentals of both songs together seamlessly to accompany the appearances of the previous game's heroines at the final battle.
The ending song, "We Are As One", that plays over the initial staff roll is befitting of a bittersweet send-off.
The theme for Dark Eve, a beautiful cacophony of violins and pianos, which really give weight to the fact that Viola, having just lost her mother and father once again, now has to fight the resentment and negative emotions of all the Bayonettas destroyed by Singularity. You can very much feel the emotional weight of the fight during the bridge, where the sound of a choir and a melody are heard.
"Let's Dance Boys!" is back for its third climax, and it's jazzier than ever.
, the primary battle theme of the first game, is by far one of Bayonetta's most iconic musical leitmotifs with its distinctive melody and vocals. Its return in Bayonetta 3 during the final battle with Singularity is nothing short of pure awesomeness.