By Dan D.
11 long years and an entertaining but flawed reboot attempt later, and Devil May Cry is back, this time with a direct sequel to 2008’s Devil May Cry 4. The real question is; is this the title Devil May Cry fans have been clamoring for? The short answer is – yes!
Gameplay
Devil May Cry 5 follows on from the story of its predecessors by focusing on series veterans Dante and Nero as well as mysterious newcomer V and their struggle to defeat the Devil King Urizen. The game’s story takes place over a couple of months and bounces back and forth across this time-span which, in terms of pacing, can be quite jarring but, overall it is still pretty easy to follow if you’re paying attention. There is also an introductory story video available in the main menu for newcomers or players who may have forgotten aspects of the story and wish to refresh their memories of the events of past games.
There are plenty of other familiar faces that make comebacks, Lady and Trish among them. The pair’s role in the game is relatively minor compared to the main trio but as a fan of the original games it is nice to see them return. The dialogue in true Devil May Cry fashion is mostly banter and one-liners with most of the game’s exposition coming from V but these interactions are nothing if not entertaining.
Players who have played previous entries in the series will already be familiar with the game’s combat as the available combos and weapons have largely remained the same as they were in DMC 4. The combat is as fluid and satisfying as it has ever been with a wide variety of combos and weapons to use to dispatch enemies with. Combat and levels overall are still graded depending on time taken and style points obtained through mixing combos and avoiding damage. Like previous entries in the series the game is full of difficult fights and epic boss encounters.
The Devil Breaker is the first main change that has been made to combat in the game. Nero, having lost his Demon arm, has it replaced with a mechanised arm that can be customised with different attachments that serve various purposes both in combat and outside of combat. The Arm regardless of attachment can be used as a grapple for traversal or to pull small enemies towards Nero or pull Nero towards larger enemies. The Devil Breaker attachments can be switched whenever but switching has a cost, the breaker being used during a switch must be broken to access the new attachment; this adds a layer of strategy and preparation to combat that wasn’t there in previous titles.
V, the new character is another addition worth mentioning as his combat style is unlike anything seen in previous entries, instead of fighting enemies directly V uses a trio of demonic familiars to do the fighting for him. Each of the familiars has a specific role in combat, one acts as a ranged attack, one acts as melee and one acts only upon activating V’s Devil Trigger. V’s combat style is an interesting twist, but I cannot deny that I found some of the satisfaction that usually came from the game’s combat was lost due to how disconnected from the action I felt while playing as V. V’s familiars also lack the precision and responsiveness of the other, more direct combatants, Dante and Nero.
The various collectibles from previous entries once again return with red orbs being the main currency with which to purchase skills and Devil Breaker arms for Nero. Blue orbs and purple orbs also make a return and can be collected to boost player health bars and Devil Trigger gauges respectively. Gold orbs which can be used to resurrect upon death are also available to be purchased or found hidden in levels, but additional gold orbs are award4ed daily as a log in bonus upon starting the game.
It is worth mentioning that the game has a microtransaction store where players can purchase red orbs to be used when obtaining new skills and items. Statements were made by the development team about how those options are available for those who wished to save time or skip the grind to collect red orbs, but I found that most of the abilities were reasonably priced and red orbs were pretty plentiful so long as the player is completing levels at least at a B grade so I have not seen any need to purchase red orbs.
Graphics
Devil May Cry 5 is a gorgeous game, everything from the intricately detailed environments to the particle effects is just a treat to look at. The character models are super detailed, and the animations are fluid, even the disgusting, insectoid demons are impressive to look at. The cutscenes in this game are beyond entertaining if you enjoy the cheesy Devil May Cry style humour and over the top action sequences that are staples of the series.
I played through the game a couple of times before writing this review and other than a couple of minor day one issues that have seemingly been resolved I haven’t encountered any major bugs worth mentioning. Surprisingly for a game as pretty as this I noticed little to no frame drops on ps4 pro which is a blessing for this type of game.
Audio
The first thing worth mentioning when discussing the games audio is the soundtrack, which is amazing, easily being one of the best soundtracks in the series for its battle music alone. It has a healthy mix of fast and heavy tracks to accompany so the of the games battles as well some more sombre tracks for the game’s quieter or more important narrative moments. The voice acting is also pretty good too, even V’s breathless monotone suits the character.
Replay Value
Devil May Cry has always been a linear experience, so the majority of players may play it once and consider it done but for those who wish to challenge themselves, DMC 5, like previous entries offers a plethora of difficulty options, each offering new challenges to those brave enough to try them. There are secret missions hidden throughout the story also that can be completed to earn permanent boosts to health or the Devil Trigger gauge.
Also, Bloody Palace mode will be arriving at the start of April for those who wish to test their mettle in a wave-based survival mode as enemies become progressively harder.
Conclusion
Overall despite a story with some strange pacing and V’s combat style feeling as though it is at odds with the rest of the game Devil May cry 5 was incredibly fun to play. It is gorgeous, has a great soundtrack and some very fun boss encounters. I my opinion this is easily the best entry in the series and one of my favourite games in the genre.
Score
92/100
+ Solid, satisfying combat
+ Great soundtrack
+ Gorgeous cut-scenes and fluid animations
-Strange, erratic narrative pacing
-Combat using V feels disconnected and boring
The Gaming TechLits 