Who are the Homunculi in Bayonetta 3?

Bayonetta has battled angels and demons over the course of two action-packed games, and Bayonetta 3 is introducing a new enemy force: the Homunculi. Pulsing with artificial blue-green blood, these strange creatures are very different from the threats the Umbra Witches have previously faced. Here’s what we know about them.

Related: New Bayonetta 3 trailer confirms October release date and a whole coven of Bayonettas

Bayonetta 3 Homunculi, explained

If you watch the Bayonetta 3 release date trailer, you’ll hear the characters talking about the Homunculi with apprehension. These are the new enemies in the game, but they don’t hail from heaven, hell, or even purgatory. As new character Viola says plainly: “They’re Homunculi. Man-made bio-weapons.” But what exactly does that mean for the story?

Historically, a homunculus (the singular form) comes from a quack science myth, in which alchemists create a small, artificial human. Going from that standpoint, it’s easy to imagine the creatures in Bayonetta 3 having a similar origin: some alchemical mastermind has created them for the purpose of destroying the world. The question, of course, is who would do such a thing?

While we’ll have until the game releases to get all the answers, we at least know the path we’ll be treading to find them. In the trailer, Viola says that the Umbra Witches need to find a scientist named Sigurd, as he’ll be able to help deal with the homunculus threat. Bayonetta’s best friend Jeanne is seen talking to an individual in a liquid-filled tank (pictured above). This is likely Sigurd, who bears an odd resemblance to Tilda Swinton in Marvel’s Doctor Strange.

Bayonetta 3 has a release date of Friday, October 28, so we can start getting the complete answers then. Pre-orders are open now, and there’s a special Trinity Masquerade Edition available in addition to the standard version of the Nintendo Switch exclusive.