The main character in Bayonetta 3 is portrayed by a fresh yet well-known voice actor

The release of Bayonetta 3 is getting closer and closer, and it will bring with it a tonne of the high-octane action and sassy characters that fans have come to adore over the course of the series. When compared to the previous games, this one features a number of new characters and a new primary foe, who is referred to as the Homunculi. In addition, there are various adjustments have been made to the gameplay. But there is one modification that fans certainly didn’t see coming, and that is a change that is more fundamental: Bayonetta now has her own voice.

In an interview with Game Informer, Bayonetta 3 director Yusuke Miyata confirmed that series regular Hellena Taylor, who has provided the voice of the Umbra Witch in the previous games, will not be returning for the upcoming installment in the Bayonetta series.

Jennifer Hale, a veteran of voice acting, will be stepping in to take her place in the recording booth. Fans will recognize Hale from a variety of roles, including Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect series, Rivet from Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Rosalind Lutece from Bioshock Infinite. Hale has worked in the voice acting industry for a number of years.

Miyata was quick to reassure fans that Taylor’s departure was simply due to “various overlapping circumstances” that made it difficult for her to return for the role of Bayonetta. 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 might indicate that other projects that took up too much time rather than anything more dramatic, but the director praised Hale’s performance as being “above anything we could have anticipated,” indicating that viewers don’t need to worry about the shift at all.

Atsuko Tanaka is expected to reprise her role as the voice of the character in the Japanese localization of the game, despite the fact that this modification would only affect the game’s English voiceover.

Fans are already dissecting the existing Bayonetta 3 trailers in search of hidden meanings and Easter eggs ahead of the game’s release, which is scheduled for shortly before Halloween. Bayonetta 3, which will feature a new playable character named Viola, will see the protagonist, a witch named Bayonetta, join forces with a coven of other witches in order to combat a new enemy.