Devil May Cry 5 (2019)

The 5th Devil May Cry entry is a stylish return to form for the series, delivering some of the most satisfying Hack'N Slash combat in the genre. The three playable characters, Nero, Dante, and the newcomer "V". Each bring unique mechanics that keep gameplay fresh, with Nero’s Devil Breakers adding variety, Dante’s deep style system offering unmatched versatility, and V’s pet-based combat introducing a slower but tactical option. Particularly I was not a fan of V, but once you get the hang of him you fall in love with his playstyle, Capcom really is amazingly creative when creating unique characters such as those.

Visually, the game shines thanks to Capcom’s RE Engine, boasting detailed character models, flashy effects, and smooth performance on PC. This shows how amazing and flexible the engine can be, creating gruesome survival horror titles such as the RE Remakes (and also the first-person ones) and also intense action games such as DMC. Boss fights are a highlight, combining cinematic spectacle with challenging mechanics, while the soundtrack complements the action with energetic flair, so no big news here, this is still "Devil May Cry"-level of quality.

On the downside, the level design is often repetitive, with corridors and arenas that feel less inspired compared to the combat itself, though particularly I was never a big an of the exploration on this franchise anyway, so not a big deal for me. The story, though serviceable and filled with fan-pleasing moments, leans heavily into cheesy dialogue and can feel thin for newcomers. Some gameplay quirks, like limited camera control and the restrictive Devil Breaker system, also drew criticism. Overall, Devil May Cry 5 is a thrilling, polished, and over-the-top action game. Its stylish combat and replayability far outweigh its flaws, making it a must-play for fans of fast-paced action and anyone seeking a modern Hack'N Slash experience.

Being a big fan of the series I had hoped that at this point it would have evolved into something more interesting. It is just the same old thing with improved graphics. The tone was also all over the place from absurd comedy to melodramatic, there is a sweet spot where this could work but I felt like the game never found it. A game that does it in my opinion way better is Bayonetta which fully commits to its craziness. The level design was also so dull and by the numbers. I did love the new character V and continued to like Nero, in my opinion, these characters overshadow Dante in his own game. In general, I think the series and its characters are so cool, I really wish something more interesting was done with it and its story, hopes are low for future installments.

So I couldn't remember much from the previous DMC games. Thankfully there's a handy recap video included and.... that only served to make me wonder if I dreamed playing the other games because I didn't recall the vast majority of them!

Anyway, no biggy. You don't need to know what happened previously. The plot is pretty simple.

Gameplay is hack and slash and designed to be as over-the-top as possible. The soundtrack is banging, the characters are a little cliché but written to be as cool as possible, the environments and world are very well crafted. I can only imagine what it looks like on PS5.

It's the kind of good, dumb fun you sometimes need for an hour to unwind. Something that looks and plays great and doesn't need too much thinking.

Devil May Cry 5 is currently being hailed as one of the finest action games of its kind and one of the best games of 2019. While that's not quite the case, there's plenty of deep and occasionally breathtaking combat to be had across three different characters that'll ensure at least a fun playthrough or two.

As Nero hunts down a demon who took his arm, he comes across an evil demon tree called Qliphoth that empowers said demon. Coming back with a set of mechanical arms, a gunsmith sidekick, and teaming up with Dante and a mysterious warlock named V fight through the Qliphoth. It's not the most engaging story and pulls between melodrama and silliness that's a little more annoying than it is funny, but packs a decent twist or two up its sleeve and sets up a handful of cool boss fights and throwbacks.

The real meat of the game is the combat. For anyone who's unfamiliar with Devil May Cry, the game has a slew of various combos that uses both melee and long-distance guns to pull off a style meter that rewards variety. This encourages creativity for gameplay which sounds fantastic, but the game puts a little more emphasis on dancing one's combos around instead of really keeping track of where enemies are and how to avoid them. There's also a lot of focus on gaining Red Orbs as resources for learning new skills/attacks, which sound interesting on paper but as the game is truly difficult even with a full moveset, the player will either have to bite frustrating battle after frustrating battle or grind out the goodies.

For Nero, he starts out with a straightforward chargeable sword and gun, focusing on airborne combos with a few mechanical arms called "Devil Breakers" to keep things spicy. While the arms have various cool effects (surfing, shocks, time manipulation, etc) they are highly breakable and operate in a queue that is quite cumbersome to use. Focusing on ridiculously tight timing and moves that don't unlock until the end of the game, I found Nero to be the most frustrating and limiting to use. A lot of the game's moves also rely on camera orientation, which the lock-on system makes a bit unwieldy as you'll be locked onto an enemy. Unless you're directly facing them, pulling off some very important moves will result in some frustrating fumbles. Evasion is very important to avoid attacks but it's difficult to get proper mobility out of combos and the player will have to either rely on split second jumps, awkward dodge movements, or a specific Devil Breaker gimmick that gets in the way of using others.

Now as for V, that's where the game truly started to shine with some creativity and quality design. V operates from a distance and can focus on dodging while his familiars act as melee and long distance. This results in a variety of extra creative attacks that can be done from a distance and can control the field much more smoothly. Once an enemy is damaged enough V has to pull in a finisher, resembling the far more entertaining finishers in other action games. Along with these, V can also summon a large creature for a limited time to really blast the field about, creating an awesome spectacle and enjoyable combat that Nero's gameplay very much lacks.

Dante's about halfway between the two. Focusing on a sheer variety of fun weapons and mixing between them, Dante is similar to Nero in close combat but allows more flexibility in guns (revolvers, shotguns, double rocket launchers, a magic hat) and swords (a traditional sword, a punch/kick combo weapon with two modes, a heavy set of blades that form a motorcycle that rely on enemy contact, and a chargeable nunchaku with various modes). There are also four styles that favor ridiculously timed guards, extra dodging, and additional attacks for either guns or swords. The dodging has a lot more potential than Nero but can demand awkward shifting in styles (or none at all and just sticking with traditional dodging, which has low mobility) since keeping up one's Style meter with more attacks is at odds with avoiding enemies. The camera issues also plague some of Dante's attacks (switching between hands and feet for Balrog, for example) but there's enough fun variety that Dante's just more fun overall. He also has a powered Devil Trigger mode (two, actually) that allow superpowered attacks that are good for pushing through enemy attacks and increasing more Style.

Enemies are alright, featuring an array of ground fighters, fliers with projectiles, and enemies that block, forcing timed parries or busting through blocks to get to the goods. The player's focus on pulling stylish combos makes each enemy fairly same-y to fight - dance around, avoid if ya can, then keep dancing. The bosses are a little more interesting, with fights ranging to frustrating due to a lack of mobility to engaging and entertaining to battle. For every Artemis keep-away fight there's an in-your-face Goliath. The spectacle of each fight varies as V's finishers shine over other gameplay modes, but Nero's post-game grabs can result in some fun slams.

As for environments, Devil May Cry 5 is a mixed bag. Anywhere where the demon tree roots dwell creates disgusting and fleshy environments amidst gorgeous colors, but the player will be mostly sticking to drab (well rendered! But drab) cityscapes until the roots start pulling them in. The theme "Devil Trigger" is on display for Nero's theme, rewarding stylish gameplay as it gets more exciting and bombastic. V's theme is moody and edgy but has fun vocals and Dante's is largely forgettable.

Devil May Cry 5 is exactly what certain fans are looking for. Deep and creative combat, flashy moves, and tongue firmly in cheek. While that doesn't make up for some mobility and camera issues, there's a lot to enjoy in this solid title.

This game would probably be better if you only played as Dante.

Nero's fine. I think there's enough depth there to carry a decent action game, and he's a little more fun less self-serious this in this compared to Devil May Cry 4. They expanded on his demon arm attacks from Devil May Cry 4 by giving him different types of arms for different types of attacks. My only issue with this set up is that the game doesn't let me freely switch between the arms. I have to destroy the arm I'm using first before using a different one.

V never clicked for me. I just found him frustrating to use. It's pretty telling how his Devil Trigger moves are all about automating your attacks because trying to manually attack enemies is pretty sloppy and inconsistent. I kept having issues with controlling where my minions were going to be. They would keep teleporting back to me or they would strike at an enemy I'm aiming for but be too far away to land a hit.

Now Dante, he has so much going on with him when I first got to play as him that it was overwhelming. He has two weapons, two guns, four stances, and one of his weapons has two forms. Then his arsenal keeps growing after that the deeper you get into the game. Once I started getting a handle on it, I realized his combat is so much deeper, varied, and more fun to engage with. I wish I was given the whole game to master his style of combat. He's also way more fun in cut scenes compared to the other two.

Trish and Lady don't get to fight which is pretty lame. Devil May Cry 4's re-release has them as playable characters. In this game, they stay back in the van. Which doesn't make sense given the stakes of the story. I would think they would have all hands on deck for this one. Along with not being playable characters, the games has moments where they appear nude for fan service. It's annoying how they are wasted in this game.

My favorite character of this game is Nico. She is really funny, and I have no idea what kind of accent she's supposed to have. Just give me a game of Dante and Nico. That would be amazing.