The 3 Musketeers Of Devil Hunting

Devil May Cry 5.

Portrait of Tammy Strobel

Devil May Cry has been one of Capcom’s most acclaimed franchises since the first game released in 2001, and it doesn’t look like this train is stopping anytime soon.

But, before we jump into the action, it’s good to have an idea of who you’ll be playing. Devil May Cry 5 has three Devil Hunters, each with different fighting styles.

V, is your typical “broody and mysterious” kind of guy. Nero is the first Devil Hunter you meet and the main protagonist of DMC5, and then there’s Dante. Need I say more? He’s the OG Devil Hunter and all-around stylish badass.

In typical DMC-style, the world is already on the brink of destruction when you boot up the game. Demonic forces have launched a massive assault on Red Grave City. You’re put in Nero’s shoes, making your way up a demonic tree called the Qliphoth to join Dante in his fight against the invading demon king, Urizen. Unfortunately, all Nero finds when he gets there are his allies utterly decimated.

Fast forward a month later, the Qliphoth has thoroughly infested Red Grave, turning all the civilians into lifeless black husks. Acting on V’s instructions, the Devil May Cry agency takes on the task of dealing with the overgrown demonic houseplant and thwarting the mastermind behind it.

Well, that’s the basic premise of the game. Now, let’s move on to the real star of the show, and the franchise’s style-centric roots: combat. It shouldn’t come as a surprise but fights in Devil May Cry 5 are nothing short of excellent, and one of the main contributors to that is actually the game’s audio design.

There’s nothing more fitting for a hot-blooded, demon-killing rampage than heavy rock music blaring in the background. Don’t ask me how, but the soundtrack just makes the crunch of a large sword against demon hide that much more satisfying.

Furthermore, the weapons themselves are part of that formula too. The sound of Nero’s Blue Rose revolver is one of the most satisfying to ever grace my ears; I could literally feel the “oomph” in the bullets, and that’s just one part of Nero’s kit! As far as I’m concerned, the audio in Devil May Cry 5 definitely gets a good grade.

If there’s one thing that the Devil May Cry series has been good at, it’s implementing variety. Playing the game doesn’t feel as linear as some might perceive it to be. Between the three playable Devil Hunters, it’s actually very dynamic and refreshing as each has different challenges in terms of playstyle and approach. You can’t charge as easily into a throng of beefy demons with V as you might with Dante or Nero; you’d just be asking to get pulverized. However, I find the idea of “buying” new techniques a hassle, since the game gets a teensy bit grindy when you’re farming for the more expensive ones.

There’s also the Void and Bloody Palace modes to take into account, which lets you hone your skills in a special training area or in floors after floors of enemy wave combat.

There’s no co-op though, but there’s a new Cameo feature. As long as you have an Internet connection, you can observe fellow Devil Hunters fighting in the distance while playing through your campaign. Occasionally, these pieces of ghost data will team up with you to clear a certain area. You can even endorse their collaborators with a “Stylish” rating, giving them a free Gold Orb.

Although an interesting concept, I found it rather underutilized. I’d like to do more than just watch pre-recorded cloud data. It feels like a huge missed opportunity for Capcom. I understand director Hideaki Itsuno wanted this to be a primarily single-player experience, but a friendinvite function, even if was just for the Bloody Palace, would have made the game infinitely better.

There’s one more area where I felt they could have done more, and that’s replayability. While all three Devil Hunters are interesting and do get decent amounts of screen time, the game loses plenty of replay value by not letting us try completed levels with other characters. There are plenty of gamers who’d try to get perfect scores on every level with every character.

Even so, these gripes are largely inconsequential once I got the combos rolling. Devil May Cry 5 is immensely enjoyable and a must-have for any fan.

With all that nailed down, Devil May Cry 5 has fulfilled its obligations as a successor, and it has done an exemplary job at it too. Capcom has not only retained the series’ style-centric approach but also infused it with modern touches to keep it dynamic. My few gripes did bother me, especially the character selection, and now that Capcom has officially wrapped up development it means we aren’t getting any new playable characters or DLC. That’s probably the biggest bummer of all — I was hoping to try Lady or Trish, but that’s just the way the cookie crumbles.

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CONCLUSION
Devil May Cry 5 does an exemplary job as a worthy successor to the DMC franchise.
 
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By Kenneth Ang (GameAxis)

PICTURES CAPCOM