Paradiso

Paradiso is the ' Dimension of the Angels' , existing in opposition to Inferno, the realm of the Infernal Demons. One of the three aspects of the Trinity of Realities created by the destruction and imprisonment of Jubileus, The Creator at the beginning of time. The Lumen Sages have a strong connection to this dimension and oversee it using the Right Eye of the Eyes of the World.

Terrain
Paradiso is an ethereal beautiful place, suffused in a heavenly golden glow, the air filled with glimmers of light and the feathers of Angels. As it is another aspect of reality, it bears a strong similarity to ordinary locations of Purgatorio, such as Vigrid. It would appear, in fact, that Paradiso overlays reality quite closely, as Bayonetta can travel some distance in Paradiso and then leave it to find herself in a different, presumably analogous part of Purgatorio.

Paradiso is certainly much larger than is shown in the game, but several varied areas of it are shown and adventured through. The underground catacombs of Vigrid are, in Paradiso, a shallow, crystalline lake cradling several floating islands and lovely fountains. The area of Crescent Valley and Sunrise Valley is analogous to what appears to be a ruined temple or shrine (perhaps built for or by the Lumen Sages, as it is in the same area as their home Sunrise Valley). The area surrounding Prominence Bridge equates to a sprawling city built in a style suspiciously similar to Vigrid; from there one can reach the Sea of Stars, which corresponds itself to the forests surrounding Vigrid in which Bayonetta fights Iustitia.

It is important to note that the Alfheims are all part of Paradiso as well.

Architecture
Although Paradiso is a dimension separate from Purgatorio, there are strong similarities between the two, primarily in terms of architecture. Regardless of the varied locations in Paradiso that Bayonetta visits, she often finds that it looks nigh-on identical to areas in the city of Vigrid that she visits at the beginning of the game. As it is remarked that Vigrid is startlingly close to Paradiso despite the dimensional wall between them, it can be assumed that the people of Vigrid styled their city after Paradiso's architecture and that Purgatorio resembles Paradiso, not the other way around. Whether this is due to influence from Paradiso or instructions from Father Balder, who owns Vigrid in all but paperwork, is never made clear.

In addition to its lovely Mediterranean-inspiring architecture, Paradiso is home to many other odd features, such as golden statues of women (perhaps saints or the wives of Lumen Sages) sitting on globes with keyholes and holding vases. The statues offer transportation to other areas of Paradiso; when activated, a river of golden light flows out of the statue's vase, becoming a pathway of light to a new area. Similar formations of light provide stepping stones between areas, although there is no statue visible to produce them. When Bayonetta invades Paradiso, the angels in the area remove the keys from the statues and do their best to keep them from her in order to protect the rest of Paradiso, although all are ultimately unsuccessful.

Paradiso also possesses several portals leading into Purgatorio, known as Porta del Paradiso. This differentiates it from Inferno, as Inferno does not seem to have contact with Purgatorio at all unless summoned by Bayonetta (unless you count The Gates of Hell. These are portals that lead directly to Rodin's bar and seeing as Rodin needs to use a second portal in order to find and defeat an Infernal Demon to make Bayonetta new weapons, it would seem that this place is not exactly Inferno proper). When Bayonetta leaves one of these portals, they are usually sealed behind her; whether this is because the portals are one-use, specifically keyed to lock out Umbra Witches, or closed up by angels after she uses them is unknown.

Guardians
Paradiso is the homeland of Angels, so it is only natural that Bayonetta would encounter the greatest breadth and variety of foes within it. Paradiso even contains some Angels that never appear in the rest of the game and some that are clearly more powerful than their Purgatorio counterparts, for example: a massive Beloved that falls in love with Cereza; a Joy that manages to identically copy Bayonetta's shape (although it couldn't copy her dancing); Braves and Inspired made out of golden water rather than corporeal flesh; and Kinships, possibly one of the most dangerous enemies in the game, which are never seen outside of Paradiso.

Furthermore, two out of the three Golems fought in the game are fought in Paradiso: one in Paradiso proper, in Chapter 9, and one in the Chapter 12 Alfheim. As Golems are constructs made by cooperation between Lumen Sages and Umbra Witches, it can be assumed that the Lumen Sages brought the Golems to Paradiso before their near-extinction in the Clan Wars, although it does seem odd that beings partially made from dark magic would be used as heavenly guardians.

Obviously it is also a large part of the Four Cardinal Virtues' duties to protect Paradiso. When Bayonetta ventures into the Sea of Stars, she is attacked by copies of Fortitudo and Temperantia (called Fortitude and Temperance respectively) and the real Iustitia, who attempts to crush her several times with his tentacles before confronting her in the forests of Purgatorio.

Paradis