How to unlock Bayonetta 3's secret chapter with the Old Picture Book

Bayonetta 3 is a contender for action game of the year but also has quite some lore that fans are attached to. This sequel starring the Umbra Witch isn’t much longer than its predecessors with 14 chapters and 4 side chapters, which take about 15 hours to complete on average. However, it actually has another “secret chapter” that can only be unlocked with an old picture book. The Old Picture Book supposedly hides juicy lore inside an unassuming item that needs three keys to unlock. Here’s where to find that picture book and the keys to unlock the secret chapter.

Where to find the old picture book

The Old Picture Book is a purchasable item from Rodin’s shop, The Gates of Hell. It should be under the Rodin’s Treasures section.

After you buy it, you’ll be able to look at it in the lower left-hand corner of the dartboard Chapter Select map. However, it won’t open until all the keys have been found. The three keys can only be found in the different chapters where Bayonetta enters Ginnungagap, the Chaotic Rift, after finishing the game for the first time.

Chapter 1 Verse 4 - Blue key

Chapter 1 Verse 4 is the first time Bayonetta experiences Ginnungagap. Viola brings her to Thule, where the rift can be found, after asking for her help to find the Chaos Gears.

Start from Chapter 1 - Ginnungagap, the chapter’s second checkpoint, slightly before Verse 4. A small horde of enemies should emerge after entering the first wide, open space in the rift. Beat them up and look toward the remaining platforms in the rift. One of them should be next to two glowing purple stalagmites, as seen in our photo above. Just behind them should be a floating blue key.

Chapter 4 Verse 1 - Green key

Chapter 4 Verse 1 might be the hardest section to find a key. Start straight from Chapter 4 - Chapter 4 Start to head straight into Verse 1.

If you already know where the “Lotus Rift” is, then go there. If not, then follow the next few steps. The Lotus Rift is the name of a lotus flower-filled platform, which takes some scaling to get to because it’s all the way at the top of the platform. It also happens to have the green key.

Cruise through Chapter 4 as normal until just before the glowing purple platform. Do not go near the platform! That will take you to the next section of the chapter and out of the rift. Instead, turn around to see a giant stalagmite that you can use to propel yourself toward the Lotus Rift.

You should see a large landform with jagged edges and a flat top next to the stalagmite. I equipped the Ignis Aranae Yo-Yo so that I could swing toward the wall and crawl up the side of it after I double-jumped off the stalagmite. Note that some of the walls have an irregular texture, which could make crawling up it impossible in some sections. Just keep trying.

Chapter 13 Verse 1 - Red key

Last but not least: Chapter 13 Verse 1. Start from Chapter 13 - Ginnungagap, the second checkpoint of the chapter.

Don’t worry about the collapsing platforms — just cruise through the level until you reach a non-collapsible area with bubble-blowing jellyfish. Stop once you’ve reached this danger zone and turn around to see the above image — a landscape full of glowing red stalagmites. Look closely and you’ll find that one is actually the red key, right below one of the platforms.

There’s more than one Infernal Demon weapon that can propel you forward enough to reach the key. I used the Ignis Aranae Yo-Yo, double jumping forward and then swinging as far as I could toward the key’s general area. Don’t even worry about sticking a landing after grabbing the key. After you grab it, it will still appear if you exit into the Chapter Select map.

Revisit the Chapter Select map after nabbing the last key to automatically open the Old Picture Book. You can also choose to visit it again at a later time. To open it again, all you need to do is throw a dart at it in the lower left section of the map.

Bayonetta 3 is available for Nintendo Switch.