In “Devil May Cry 5,” Dante has a dodge command linked to one of his fighting styles, while V and Nero can only dodge when you lock the camera on a specific enemy. Most notably, it seems sinful in a post “Dark Souls” world to make a precision action game without a dedicated dodge button. If fighting is going to be the entire focus of the “Devil May Cry 5” experience, at least there are a few decidedly different ways to fight, and they’re all enjoyable in their own way.ĭespite the much-appreciated variety, there are aspects of the combat and controls that feel long in the tooth. Thanks to a clunky camera, some of the trickier jumps feel like more trouble than they’re worth, so you may find yourself breezing through to the next throwdown.
Most of its levels feature boil down to a series of winding corridors connecting large arenas, broken up with occasional platforming challenge or optional puzzle. Like past Devils May Cry, “Devil May Cry 5” focuses intensely on combat and, thus, trends towards monotony. While switching off can get in the way off really getting to know each style in a single playthrough, the variation does more good than harm. You rarely choose what character to control, so completing the game, however you choose to define that, means getting used to all three fighters’ and their moves. Lastly, the mysterious “V” uses magic familiars, such as a lightning-bolt-shooting raven and a shape-shifting panther, to fight for him, forcing you to focus on managing and controlling fights to keep yourself safe. Nero, now a one-armed swordsman, equips disposable robot arms with different attacks for a rotating array of skills to complement his less complex swordplay. “Devil May Cry 4” hero Nero is back as well. Devil Hunter Dante returns, with four combat styles you switch to and from on the fly. It’s a vivid hybrid of anime tropes and b-movie bravado, which is perfect for a game whose story and gameplay both have decidedly simple goals - to pit you against wave after wave cannon fodder on which to practice your best fighting moves.Ĭase in point, “Devil May Cry 5” revolves around three characters, instead of one, giving you three times as many skills to learn. Two of the three protagonists carry pistols and large gigantic swords. The art, all vaguely European ruins with a decidedly Gothic bent. Finishing the game can be challenging, but dominating every level with an “SSS” ranking will require patience and practice.Įverything outside of that - the story, the art - is just window dressing to give the experience a specific ambiance. In general, “ Devil May Cry 5” hews closely to tradition: It has the rare and unenviable task of having to advance a franchise while also undoing a reboot, so it shouldn’t surprise you to hear that “Devil May Cry 5” looks and feels very similar to the original series.įor the most part, that tradition returns in fine form: “Devil May Cry 5” once again revolves around combat and the “style” rating system, where you earn a score and letter grade based on the efficiency and variety with which you take out each set of opponents. In all four entries - even the 2013 reboot “DmC: Devil May Cry” - have been combat-heavy romps with an eye towards technical combat that not only encourages achievement, but mastery. “Stylish” fighting has always been at the very heart of the Devil May Cry franchise. One wrong move and he’ll be dead, but he’s cool: For the moment, he’s in control. He’s clearly having fun, which seems odd, since he was just flung out of a moving car. Guitars from the game’s 80-metal theme song wail as he flies through the air, bouncing off cars to shoot bug after bug in their bulbous brains. And speaking of that face, silicone will be used to replicate realistic skin.In the title sequence of “ Devil May Cry 5,” robot-armed demon slayer Nero flies out the window of a large, airborne van to meet and cut down a small swarm of insectoid demons mid-barrel-roll. This rendering of Dante, dubbed the "Black Label" version, will actually offer a swappable second head with "synthetic hair" - even for the scruff on his face. The pre-orders page describes the statue's build as having "unheard-of levels of realism," which might be the most accurate way of putting it. According to the tweet (English translation via Google Translate), the product is being launched as a way of commemorating the franchise's 20th anniversary. Recently on Twitter, Prime 1 Studio tweeted images of a "1/2 Scale DMC5 Dante" statue, along with a link for pre-orders.
But luckily for fans, there is a collectible item in the works that could hold you over - and discourage buyers from making other big purchases - for quite a while. No, the next "Devil May Cry" game is not going to cost that much, nor is it coming out anytime soon.