[Introduction]
For the Character Action or 'Spectacle Fighter' (As coined by Yahtzee of The Escapist) genre there are few games that really define the category as a whole like Capcom's Devil May Cry does; a franchise in which might be considered the father of the genre (With Bayonetta being the step-mother). From its humble Resident Evil inspired origins to its latest and long awaited addition to the series the games have left a permanent mark on the industry and sets the baseline for what a stylish character fighting game should look and behave like.
Today we'll be taking a look at the fifth and most current entry to the demon hack and slash. Though fifth is debatable with the existence of the off-shot DmC: Devil May Cry which would make it the sixth, but then also the main audience's desire to rightfully forget 2 ever happened which would make it the fifth again... Despite that we'll be looking at the PC version of the game which sadly does not include the Special Edition which is exclusive to Xbox Series X and the PS5. The Special Edition includes two modes, Turbo and Legendary Dark Knight (LDK) mode, as well as the playable antagonist Vergil from the two previous games. The PC version gets Vergil, but not Turbo or LDK mode.
[First Impressions]
As you might imagine for a game with arguably one of the most in-depth and complex combo systems in any character action, the first impression can be daunting to a newly introduced to the series player. The beginning of the game doesn't help to inspire confidence either, as you'll start as Nero, the blade and revolver wielding cocky youth that was introduced (to mixed reception) in the fourth installment of the series. The reason your confidence is going to take a hit however is that your moveset is as limited as it will ever be during this intro. Nero only has one arm so he loses his Buster moves from the previous game, and you won't yet have access to his full moveset.
The first few enemies you face are weak and easily dispatched (providing you're playing on Demon Hunter mode) and then you'll come face to face immediately with the boss of the game, Urizen, who from upon high his throne will quite efficiently wipe the floor with you. He's not impossible to beat during this intro (and if you do you'll immediately get an ending) but it's very assured that you'll die here, and that's meant to happen. The game here shows you just how inexperienced you are, and how much you've got to learn.
If you've played other entries in the series you'll realize right off the bat that this is a much more serious opening than the last two games. Stakes are dire, Nero is missing an arm and defeated by Urizen, and even the Legendary Demon Hunter Dante seems to be struggling.
The amount of combat you get to do at the start isn't enough to really give you a taste of what the game has to offer either, but we'll certainly get into that much later during the mechanics segment. For now we'll continue on to the development of the game itself.
[Development]
Directed by long-time director of the series Hideaki Itsuno and developed and published in-house by Capcom; for the longest time people assumed that Devil May Cry 5 was never going to happen as there was a long silence after 4 but some time later we finally had an announcement, but it wasn't what anyone was expecting. Indeed it was the controversial DmC: Devil May Cry developed by Ninja Theory. Ninja Theory were given the licence to make a Devil May Cry game and the trailer they showed painted a very concerning picture for long-time fans, completely going against the grain of Devil May Cry's theme of over-the-top whacky action and cheesy dialogue in favor of something more grounded, gritty, dark and mature. Indeed the new Dante couldn't be anymore different from the beloved demon slayer of the series.
As far as most were concerned Devil May Cry was finished.
But then beloved voice actor and motion capture of Vergil, Dan Southworth, let something leak. During a reunion panel at Rangerstop in 2015 alongside Reuben Langdon (Dante) and Johnny Yong Bosch (Nero), Dan quoted the following "You know I think it's great how it happened, because now they're gonna bring us back. We can say that right?" to which Reuben responded simply with "No". This of course sent the resident audience into an uproar. For as he is want to do, Dan had blessed the community with information he probably shouldn't have. Reuben later went on to try and cover for the slip by saying he had spoken to Dan about rumors within Capcom that there could be a Devil May Cry 5, but couldn't stress how much of an unconfirmed rumor that information is.
It wouldn't be until after a long silence that at E3 2018 a reveal trailer was dropped and shocked the entire audience (multiple times), which I'll bring up as to why again later.
The actual development of the game doesn't have a great deal to talk about in regards to hiccups, if they were there, they were kept away from the eyes of the internet. Perhaps the most controversial thing we have is that Johnny Yong Bosch had to undergo several auditions to reprise his role as Nero, allegedly because it had been so long since Devil May Cry 4 but perhaps also because of the mixed reception on the character Nero himself. Regardless, Johnny was able to take up the mantle of Nero once more and couldn't have done a better job.
The game had developers from Itsuno's team which had worked on the previous Devil May Cry games along with action RPG Dragon's Dogma (Of which Itsuno had the choice of making the second game of instead of DMC5) and also Resident Evil 7, the engine of which the game used. Itsuno himself also worked on the widely acclaimed and popular Monster Hunter World.
Devil May Cry 5 would be aimed to appease to a wider audience than its otherwise rather niche crowd of combo-monkeys and fans of all things cheesy and 'cuhrayzee', and so even mechanics and features from the controversial DmC: Devil May Cry were included in the game such as an auto mode for easier combos and the announcer for the style rankings being voiced.
For development Devil May Cry 5 might've had an unsure and slow start, but seemed to have been a smooth ride.
[Game Mechanics]
Where to even begin?
Devil May Cry, being a character action game, is incredibly deep with its combat system which we'll first talk about as it is up front and center for being why people enjoy the series so much.
The game revolves around three characters with wildly different movesets. Nero could be considered at first glance to have the most simple moveset. He brings with him from the fourth game his two iconic weapons, the large single-edged revving blade Red Queen, and the double-barreled silver revolver Blue Rose. Red Queen's moveset is simple and clean, coming with up to four standing combos, three gapclosers, a launcher, two air combos and a back and forth ground input. Red Queen is perhaps the most fleshed out singular weapon in the game, especially when considering that all the attacks can be enhanced and sometimes even changed because of the Exceed system. The Exceed system is a timed-ability with your attacks. When used correctly during a swing you can build a charge of Exceed on Red Queen, up to three. Each charge makes the next attack more powerful, or in regards to moves like Streak or Shuffle, changes them. The timing on Exceed is near frame-perfect if you want to build all three charges in a single strike, and so Nero is easy to learn but difficult to master. He gets another frame-timed ability later on.
His revolver Blue Rose is mainly used to either juggle enemies are launch them into the air with the charged version, but Nero also gets a third mechanic in the form of Devil Breakers that replace his arm from the previous game. The Devil Breakers are consumables that each of their own unique gimmick. Overture for example can be used to release an electrical attack that knocks enemies back and will even stagger a charging boss like Goliath, but the charged version of Overture can be used to set a timed bomb on enemies that explodes later, launching them. There are several Devil Breakers in the game, and they're all unique.
The enigmatic V is the newcomer to the series and with him he brings an entirely new style of gameplay. V doesn't fight directly but instead uses demons to fight for him. On the battlefield you can control up to three separate demons at the same time while moving V around and dodging and taunting. Griffin is an aerial demon that acts like a gun and has wide area attacks, he also assists in your evasive maneuvers. Shadow is a melee demon that hits fast and hard, and then Nightmare is your 'Devil Trigger' equivalent, summoning a huge destructive demon that'll make short work of your enemies until your meter runs out.
While V's gameplay at first is confusing, even for long-term fans of the series, he quickly becomes rather simple and easy to use, and might even be considered the easiest of all the characters to really get good at. The skill ceiling for V isn't that high, and so you'll quickly rack up style meter and chew through content. This does however lead to him being the most shallow of the three playable characters with having the least moves and depth, and sometimes it's easy to just lose track of where your demons are or what they're doing and directional inputs become strange to use when in relation to your own position and that of your demons.
And then we have the guy who started it all, Dante. As in the previous two games Dante's style switching mechanic returns. He gets Trickster, an evasive and mobile style used for avoiding attacks and quickly closing in. Swordmaster, which grants you access to several new moves with all his melee weapons. Gunslinger which works in the same way as Swordmaster but for ranged weapons. And finally Royal Guard, which is a defensive style used to block incoming attacks with good timing, and then build up a meter, and then deliver a huge payload of damage in a singular devastating counter attack.
All of these styles can be switched between freely, constantly changing up the moveset Dante has at his disposal and you're encouraged to make the most of all of them. But it gets even more complex. Dante has several weapons and ranged weapons available to him that each do different things depending on if Swordmaster or Gunslinger is in play, and even without them. They are all wildly different from one another and you start the game off with three; his usual Rebellion, a basic sword, Ebony and Ivory, his iconic guns, and Balrog which gives Dante a brawler type of style. He gets more weapons and guns as the game goes on and so Dante's complexity in how he plays only gets... Well, more complex.
And that's not even the end of it. Without including spoilers Dante gains access to yet another layer of complexity after he has his full moveset already available to him. As of this game Dante is the most complete and in-depth he has ever been, and frankly, it's daunting. Even when playing him myself I struggle to keep up active weapon switching, though I feel my style switching is above average. I can chain some pretty great combos together but there is still so much more I could learn and improve upon.
There is one other character not mentioned here though, and that'd be Vergil. As is tradition he's included with the Special Edition of the game regardless of his place in the story, wherever he's active (DMC3) or completely absent (DMC4). Vergil brings his three standard weapons. His signature katana Yamato has much of its DMC4 moveset included, with a few small additions in the form of a helm-splitter type move and a wide slash that slows enemies down. Yamato is precise and powerful, and you always feel like a badass using it. Vergil also keeps Beowulf, his gauntlet and boot weapon from the previous two games. With Beowulf Vergil can perform fast sweeping kicks and flowing strikes, Lunar Phase is never not satisfying to use. The third weapon available to Vergil his Yamato and Mirage Edge (Formerly Force Edge). With this dual-wielding style you'll get the most rapid strikes available to the character. The individual hits don't deal much damage but they're so fast that they quickly catch up to Yamato and Beowulf in that regard.
Vergil keeps his 'trick' moveset which is much like Dante's Trickster style, and he also gets a ranged weapon in the form of his usual Summoned Swords, though they've been renamed now. Vergil keeps his 'concentration' gauge, otherwise dubbed as the 'motivation' gauge by fans. This system makes it so that you're rewarded for behaving like Vergil, and punished for playing him more like his brother Dante. This meaning that you need to be calm, collected, and precise. Whiffed strikes will lower the meter, as will jumping and running around like a fool. As Vergil you need to ensure every slash hits, every evasion is swift and at the last possible moment, and you need to dispatch your enemies efficiently and even let him finish animations like sheathing Yamato. In addition Vergil gets some new powerful 'finisher' type moves that require his concentration gauge to use. He's as complete as he's ever been, but still nowhere on the level of Dante.
Now that the characters are out of the way, I'll quickly go over other mechanics. The game is structured into missions that let you used predetermined characters. First few missions will have you play as Nero, until later you'll get V, and finally Dante. Some missions will have two characters available to pick from and during these you'll become aware of the 'cameo' system. The cameo system is where for example; you'd pick Nero for a mission where you could have picked V. When playing this you'll get a slightly different route to follow, but as you do so you'll see a replay of whoever chose to play V, and as you progress through your side you'll see them on theirs, killing demons and racking up a style meter too. One mission in particular has active online play, where you'll actually be able to co-op alongside random strangers playing as the other two characters you didn't pick.
The game is also focused around a style meter. Killing your enemies as fast as you can with optimal damage isn't the way to go in DMC unless you're aiming for a speedrun. You'll get a much more favorable end-result after the mission for taking down your enemies in creative and beautiful combos, which racks up the style meter from D - Dismal, all the way to SSS - Smokin' Sexy Style. As a bonus the higher you take that style meter up the more upbeat and loud the music will get. Each music track in the game is dynamic, and so you'll get a slow instrumental from lower styles and full blown choruses and vocals from the highest ones, giving you an audible notification for when you're kicking ass, and it feels great.
Progressing through the game you'll earn Red Orbs (Otherwise known as Rorbs by fans). These orbs serve as your main currency for acquiring upgrades to both your moveset and your health/DT (Devil Trigger) meter. Nero also uses Orbs to purchase more Devil Breakers. This is an essential part of the game as purchasing new moves for each character will allow you to perform more fluidly and stylishly in combat, giving you easier access to that coveted SSS rank.
Level-design is pretty straightforward with each mission being a linear route to the end where you'll face off with a boss. Along this route there are secrets to be found in the form of Blue and Purple orbs (Blorbs and Porbs) that will upgrade health and DT gauge respectively. There are also secret missions that can be accessed that have very specific conditions for completing, and when done will reward you with more of these orbs.
In addition to this there are several modes, including different difficulties ranging from Human (Easy) to Son of Sparda (Hard) and then further. Modes like Dante Must Die, which is extremely difficult, Heaven or Hell where everyone including you dies in one hit, Hell or Hell where only you die in one hit, and Legendary Dark Knight mode available only to Special Edition players which causes a LOT more enemies to spawn during encounters.
An entirely separate mode is available in the form of the Bloody Palace; a type of gauntlet to truly test your skill. Each floor from 1 to 101 is filled with enemies and bosses. Your objective? Fight your way through all of them with limited healing in the form of green orbs (Can you guess? It's Grorbs. (Gorbs is taken by Gold Orbs)). Completing Bloody Palace grants you huge bragging rights, an achievement, and a unique taunt for the character you finished it on.
All of that being said, make no mistake. Devil May Cry 5 is a difficult game if you're even at Normal, never mind the later difficulties. It's difficult in the way that a lot of older games are. It's a linear stage sure, and with a tough boss at the end. But the enemies? They're no face-roll for the uninitiated, and sometimes certain enemies and combo of enemies can give difficulty to even more veteran players. And none of that is without taking into account the difficulty of learning the characters themselves if you want to pull things off stylishly.
If you've been pining for a difficulty like the games of eld we knew and loved, this one might just scratch that itch. Finished it on Demon Hunter? Move to Son of Sparda mode and fight your way through it, and then onto the next difficulty, and then Bloody Palace. It'll keep you busy and challenged for some time. For less competitively inclined players Human mode is about as easy as it'll get, and you'll have a decent chance of breezing through the game. With any luck you'll be inspired to learn your favorite character more and then venture into the harder difficulties.
[Graphics]
As expected it's about as visually stunning as Devil May Cry has ever been. A decent palette of differing environments at the start what with the city streets, neon lights, and crumbling buildings. Later you'll move into some old crypts or ruins, and several times you'll visit the Qliphoth tree, which is the game's weakest environment. It's one of my few gripes with the game, in that the Qliphoth gets used so often as a stage and it has little variation when you're in there. It leads to a lot of the later levels blurring together in my opinion, and they're only broken up by the bosses that you face at the end. The beginning of the game by far has the most visually pleasing areas.
The visual representation of enemies is distinct and easily identifiable amidst a group of foes, letting you know quite instantly which ones are the larger threat and need to be taken out first. With that in mind combat is very easily understandable thanks to the flashy moves and distinct animations that accompany them. You'll never confuse one move for another.
When off-screen enemies will refuse to attack, so there'll be no getting hit from something you had no chance to see coming, but that can also be abused.
In regards to playing Vergil especially, the man has a habit for most of his attacks putting the camera between you and the enemy, hiding him from view. This can get in the way and be bothersome, and often time requires you to readjust Vergil to somewhere more visible.
The Special Edition include ray-tracing which works wonders on the reflection of puddles of water on the ground as well as the glass in the city streets. All in all it's a pretty game that holds up to the current year, and likely will further down the line.
[Story]
The stories in the Devil May Cry games have never been ones to write home about, and more serve as simple guides to allow cool scenes to take place. Taking the story seriously for a DMC game isn't something that should be done, and if you're going in expecting to get engrossed in it then you're going to be disappointed.
The story centers mainly around Nero, the primary protagonist from the fourth installment. Nero has a new haircut now, which certainly gave people a shock during the reveal trailer for people believed it was the DmC: Devil May Cry protagonist. But Nero is extremely unique, and as soon as people saw him rev his sword Red Queen they realized who it was, and the cheering resumed.
Nero mainly rolls around in a mobile version of Dante's demon slaying company Devil May Cry, bringing the demon slaying straight to the client. He's accompanied by Nico Goldstein, daughter of one particularly mad scientist from the previous game and grandaughter of the legendary gunsmith virtuoso, Nell Goldstein, who created Ebony and Ivory for Dante.
Some time has passed since the fourth game and it shows on Nero who is no longer the angsty hot-headed teen he used to be. He's more mature now, takes things less seriously, and might even be reminiscent of a young Dante with a heart of gold (The boy runs an orphanage and feeds homeless people, he also hates smoking).
The story kicks off with Nero having lost his arm to a mysterious cloaked figure before a large demonic tree known as the Qliphoth appears from beneath the city of Redgrave. Demons begin to attack and Nero rolls out with Nico to stop it. The intro will throw you into the Qliphoth for your first mission where you confront Urizen, a mysterious big bad demon, and then promptly get your ass beat.
As far as intros go this is pretty much it. Your objective is to stop Urizen and the Qliphoth, on all three characters. I'll speak about my thoughts on the story as a whole below.
[SPOILERS]
It's DMC. It's what I expected. Big bad guy summons a big structure and you have to stop both him and it. Very reminiscent of DMC3 isn't it? In fact, it couldn't be more so. Vergil (Urizen) raises the Temi-Ni-Gru (Qliphoth) to obtain power. There's your premise.
It does get a little deeper, what with V being the human half of Vergil and Urizen the demon half. As much was hinted very early on, and especially in the scene where V offers the mission to Dante, stating that the demon is 'your reason' (Literally Urizen) for fighting. That reason being Vergil.
The story progress up to the point where Dante defeats Urizen at the bottom of the Qliphoth tree and V fuses with him to re-introduce Vergil to the series. Vergil then goes to the top of the tree, takes part in a fight with Dante and then Nero (Who finally unlocks his Devil Trigger) and then the two fly away to take out the roots of the tree in hell, leaving Nero on the surface.
This was very much a 'passing of the torch' story between Dante and Nero. The old legendary demon hunter making room for the new younger one. I can't write home about the story, it's not the best, it's just what it is. Though I do appreciate Vergil being back, the circumstances for such happening were strange at best, but the end result is a good one at least.
As for the next game, if there is one, it'll be difficult to understand what will happen. I find it hard to believe they wouldn't put Dante back into the game, since he's been the face since the first one. That and they can't quite simply remove his entire completed and in-depth moveset from the game, it just wouldn't be the same.
Can't call it a good story, but I can call it a DMC story. Make of that what you will.
[Pros]
- Among the most in-depth combat you'll ever take part in.
- Varying characters for varying gameplay styles.
- Replayability in difficulties that change enemy spawns and fun unique modes.
- Challenging for those that really want something to sink time into.
- Visually impressive combat.
- Some really fantastic dynamic soundtracks.
[Cons]
- V is a weak character in terms of variety.
- Samey level-design in later stages.
- You fight the same boss Urizen on about four different occasions and he's one of my least favorite bosses.
- Complexity of a character like Dante is extremely daunting.
- Some enemies like Fury is frustrating to deal with and breaks the flow of combat.
- V's first boss enemy is extremely poorly designed when it comes to fighting him as Vergil.
- The story is subpar.
[Conclusion]
DMC is a series close to my heart. I adore the characters and the setting, as bad as the stories are. I play them for the cheese, the silly and zany aspects. The wacky woohoo pizza man Dante himself and his shenanigans.
That being said I've always felt there was more room to personally improve whenever it came to combat, making the replayability viable just to learn to get better at playing a particular character.
I think the industry still has a place for linear action games like Devil May Cry and I only wish the genre had more to offer than it currently does. The only companies really trying to make anything for it are Capcom and Platinum Games, and the latter has been radio silent on Bayonetta 3 for almost four years.
The scene isn't looking good for Character Action games and that's a sad reality, but at least with gems like DMC there'll always be hope that another will be around the corner, despite it's shortcomings as a story-driven game and some strange choices in innovation like V as a character. But hey. At least they're trying to innovate right?
[Score]
8/10
/DEAD
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