This devil won’t make you cry.
Everyone’s favorite demon hunter has had a long journey. The Devil May Cry series has come a long way from originally being a Resident Evil game turned action title. It had a reboot that was incredibly built by Ninja Theory, but panned by hardcore fans of the series, but now Capcom is returning to the original white-haired Dante and continuing the story from the last numbered release. Devil May Cry 5 continues the trend of Capcom simply killing it in 2019. The latest chapter in the series returns to its roots and delivers yet another contender for best game of the year.
Devil May Cry 5 picks up where the last one left off. Not the Ninja Theory spin-off, but the actual numbered sequel. Dante and Nero are back with newcomer V who is shrouded in mystery from the beginning. The game takes place over a series of chapters that span back and forth in time. It is impossible to talk about it without spoiling, but what I did love is that newcomers or those that need refreshed on the lore are in for a treat. There is a quick movie that explains the entire series up to date before diving in. The actual story in DMC5 is the best to date. The cut scenes and characters are fun and interesting all the way up to the end. There is even one cut scene that I have watched a dozen times over, it was just that great.
MSRP: $59.99
Platforms: XB1 (reviewed), PS4, PC
Price I’d Pay: $59.99
Nero and Dante are much like I remembered them to be. Dante is still the arrogant demon hunter and his voice actor is outstanding. Newcomers Nico and V are also stand out. Nico is absolutely fantastic. I love her lines and ridiculous driving. The combination is that over-the-top action style that DMC has always excelled at.
Moving through the game players switch between each of the three core protagonists and each one plays entirely different. Nero has the Devil Breaker mechanic which allows him to attach various arms with unique abilities. There is also a risk/reward system where I could overload the arm for an intensely powerful attack. The Devil Breakers are limited so breaking them meant losing a stock, but sometimes it was worth it. Dante plays like I remember. Focusing on sword play with the four unique stances and of course his trademark guns. The new weapons he gets are absolutely amazing, also employing a risk/reward system later in the game with a ranged weapon that can be used to harvest red orbs.
V is the most unique as he doesn’t spend as much time fighting in close. Instead he summons creatures to do his fighting for him. Each one is unique in that they focus on ranged or close attacks, as well as a behemoth named Nightmare that serves as his devil trigger move. The upgrade system returns with red orbs serving as currency. Each character has their own trees and moves to increase. They all share gold orbs and health bars, but I do wish the immensely expensive “Get more orbs” power was universal, it is not. So I worked on upgrading that for all three characters first. Each weapon also has its own set of upgrades and the new moves gained are worth investing in.
As far as how the game plays, this is DMC first and foremost. It is weird going back to a game with a manual lock on mechanic and a more involved dodge and parry mechanic, but once I got it down I was having a blast. I love games with accessibility, being someone who doesn’t have as much time and patience as I once did. DMC 5 continues that with an easier mode for those that find these games overly difficult. There is also an auto mechanic that lets players mash buttons to perform combos. It can be turned on and off at will by holding down the right stick. I love that.
Finishing the game also unlocks the harder Son of Sparda difficulty, which is built for the hardcore players. This also opens up the ability to go back and play previous levels, watch cut scenes, and more. There is a lot packed in; with Bloody Palace coming as a free update in April there is plenty of Dante and company to enjoy here.
It is also not a review of a Capcom game in 2019 without talking about how ridiculously gorgeous this game is. The new RE Engine is absolutely stunning. The cut scenes in this game are beautiful and the levels are outstanding. My only complaint is that the later levels focus more on the inside, gross slimy areas, but outside and city areas are incredible. The massive bosses are fantastic, and the callbacks to the old games made me smile more than once. This game knows what it is and it aims to please those DMC fans that have been clamoring for a new entry since the series had that weird period of trying to reboot itself.
Devil May Cry 5 is a return to the series in its truest form. Capcom has been a massive hot streak lately and I cannot wait to see what they do next. I loved DmC and thought it was a solid reboot, but I feel like continuing the original series was the right move. The combat feels great, the game looks oustanding, and the nostalgia is strong with this one. Capcom already has two game of the year contenders on its hands, and it is only March.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
