Devil May Cry 5 Review- A Devilishly Fun Sequel

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

Release date: March 8, 2019

Available on: PC, PS4 (reviewed), Xbox One

The Devil May Cry series began back on the PS2 in 2001, jumped to the PS3 with a fourth title in 2005 (which was later remastered and repackaged in a special edition for the PS4 and Xbox One in 2015), had a solo reboot try in 2013, and now, fourteen years later, it gets a proper sequel on current gen consoles with Devil May Cry 5. So, was it worth the wait to revisit Dante and company?

In a word, yes. A resounding yes.

The game picks up story wise after the events of the fourth game (the anime series is referenced slightly, but you don’t need to have watched it to follow along here). If this is your first foray into Devil May Cry, there is a nice little video that explains the basics to bring you up to speed. The game takes place over the course of one day in the town of Red Grave, where the Qliphoth tree has taken root guided by a demon named Urizen.

Over the course of 20 missions and 10-15 hours of gameplay (depending on your skill level) you’ll divide your time fairly equally between the three main characters: Dante, the demon hunter Nero, and the mysterious V. All three have different play-styles when it comes to demon slaying, and thankfully all are fun to play. There is also some light platforming (not as much as in past games) and a little puzzle solving. But combat is this game’s highlight, and that’s where you’ll spend a lot of your time.

Those familiar with the series will be right at home playing as Dante. He starts out with his sword Rebellion and his twin pistols, Ebony and Ivory. By the game’s end you’ll pick up some extra weapons to use, usually by beating certain boss fights. You’ll also be able to unlock Dante’s Devil Trigger, which can unleash powerful attacks against an enemy.

Nero plays similarly to Dante, in that he uses his sword Red Queen and his pistol Blue Rose. Nero gets some additions with his Devil Breakers, made by his armorer/driver Nico, which can give him different abilities. One Devil Breaker uses a lightning based attack, another can deliver punches and be rode as a rocket sled, and another can slow time. You start off being able to equip up to four of the Devil Breakers, with the ability to equip up to six as you upgrade.

V is the most different, as he doesn’t fight much himself, outside of finishing enemies off with his cane. Instead, you’ll control his familiars: an eagle named Griffon, a panther named Shadow, and Nightmare. Nightmare is incredibly powerful but acts of his own accord, while you can direct both Griffon’s and Shadow’s attacks. V just needs to stay close so his familiars can heal.

All three can have their weapons and abilities upgraded by spending orbs found in the levels and gained from killing enemies. Of course, you do have the option of spending real money for orbs and items, but it’s really not necessary. Gold orbs, which revive you should you fail in combat, are easy enough to find, plus you get one each day when you log into the game. I had plenty by game’s end, so I never had to worry about being short. Only items and orbs transfer between characters- you’ll need to individually buff up their weapons or increase their abilities.

There are times when you’ll have your choice who to play as. In these instances, other players’ names come up as in control of the other character. You can rate their performance, either as stylish or no rating at all. I didn’t notice much in the way of bonuses by rating players, but there was no reason not to give the stylish rating, so I opted for being nice.

The game does have a photo mode, which while lacking all of the bells and whistles of that found in Marvel’s Spider-Man or Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, does a fine job at capturing those action shots. Following your first playthrough, you’ll unlock the Son of Sparda mode, which basically serves as New Game +. Here Nico will also take pics as you kill foes (viewable in Nico’s Reports, accessed through the Main Menu). all of your weapons and abilities carry over to this mode, so it’s easy to jump right in.

The game’s voice acting is top notch, even extending to side characters like Nico, Morrison, Lady, and Trish. The music makes for a good backdrop to the demon killing, and the controls are about the best they’ve been for the series. The camera can give you an occasional bad angle, and there are a couple of mildly frustrating platforming segments, but overall the game is a blast to play, and is the best title in the franchise to date. And as a way to extend gameplay, there are secret missions to be found (which can be replayed as often as you wish) and the free Bloody Palace DLC coming in the future.

In all, Devil May Cry 5 proves to have been worth the wait, delivering a devilishly fun sequel that makes for the best title in the franchise. The story is well done, with nicely placed reveals, and having three characters to play as keeps things from getting too repetitive. The three different styles keep combat fresh and fun to play, with only some minor platforming frustrations to hold it back from perfection. If you enjoy hack and slash games, this is a must buy. Hopefully we don’t have to wait another fourteen years for the next installment.

Pros

• Three great characters
• Fun and varied combat
• Well written story
• Great enemy design
• Fun to play

Cons

• Some mildly frustrating platforming

9.5/10 stars