OVERVIEW

• Rating: 6/10
• Hours played: 10
• Pros: level design and combat
• Cons: weak characters and plot development

I completed the game once on Nephilim mode.

GAMEPLAY

DmC: Devil May Cry is the infamous reboot to one of the most beloved action series in history. The game was released among extreme controversy, leaving a very bad impression on fans of the original series. After playing Devil May Cry 5 a few months back, which became one of my favourite games of all time, I thought it would be an interesting experience to see if the failed attempt to reboot the series was that problematic.

Devil May Cry games are usually built with a strong gameplay loop of combat, platforming, exploration and puzzle solving, with the story being presented primarily through cut-scenes. DmC mostly ditched puzzles in favour of focusing on combat and platforming. The level design is creative, adding a good variety of levels with distinct themes alongside the best implementation of platforming in the series. Lack of rewarding exploration is a shame, but having the platforming compensated for the lack of puzzles, different to DMC5, which only worked through its unrivaled combat.

Combat is, of course, the most important gameplay element in the series. In the reboot, it was enjoyable, presenting a good variety of enemies, a decently-sized arsenal and good implementation of the basic mechanics, which created a nice flow to fighting mobs.

However, DmC suffers when compared to the best of the classic in this series, even if we ignore DMC5, which was released 6 years after it. The main issues I had were the terrible implementation of Devil Trigger and Style Meter, the lack of depth (only when compared to DMC 3, 4 or 5), and, this is very subjective, but the feel of it. I say this because playing DmC made me feel closer to the more generic members of the genre, mostly inspired by Devil May Cry and the old God of Wars, like Darksiders or Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, even though the reboot actually had more depth in its combat than all of those games. It just felt unoriginal, while the main franchise has always pushed the genre forward – hell, I think any game of this style would have a hard time competing with DMC3 or DMC5 at the time of their release. Apparently some of my issues were tweaked for the Special Edition of this game, which I don’t have access to, but it’s good to know nonetheless.

STORY

So, the gameplay had its issues, but the game was still ok overall. That means the bulk of the hate probably came from other problems, and I believe many of them are related to the story.

DmC’s story had a nice premise, which worked well as an alternative take on the lore of the franchise. Dante and Vergil being Nephilins makes sense and adds to their role in the setting, and the demon’s influence over the world and the limbo itself are very cool ideas. The execution of those story elements during the plot, however, was quite awful.

First of all, the game is plagued by bad characterization. The main heroes are no likable enough, while the villains were mostly lame, leading me to disconnect with the story, despite the interesting first impression. Dante and Vergil are especially problematic when compared with their old selfs, as I don’t really see why they were even named like the original characters – they’re completely different, and I’m not talking about their looks! Everything is ultimately aggravated by the terribly written dialog, resulting in a frustrating story that never achieved what its cool ideas deserved.

WORTH THE HATE?

Overall, it feels like it would’ve been better if it didn’t carry the Devil May Cry brand. It’s a fine game that doesn’t do justice do the series it’s trying to reboot. It didn’t deserve all the hate it got, but it was still a mistake. It’s important to say that it was Capcom’s idea to appeal to western audiences, which led to Ninja Theory creating a product that doesn’t click with old fans, stupid fanboys or not. I don’t endorse the winy, entitled aggressiveness that developers have to deal with when it comes to any game, this one included, but the disappointment associated with DmC is perfectly understandable.

I’m glad the franchise was able to return in the end; hopefully there’s more to come!

This DMC entry is a reboot of the classic action series, this time, developed by Ninja Theory, so not Capcom. It reimagines Dante as a younger, edgier antihero in a modern, dystopian setting. The combat is fast, fluid, and stylish, with a blend of angelic and demonic weapons that allow for flashy combos and smooth transitions. This game heavily focuses on "weapon-switching" combos compared to the previous entries, which you couldn't switch weapons on-the-fly. Visually, the game stands out with its surreal, shifting environments and slick presentation, trying to show how the world has badly turned out using a modern urban setting.

While the tone and character redesigns divided longtime fans, the game itself offers a solid action experience with satisfying mechanics and strong level design. I admit that I was not at all bothered by the change, I quite enjoyed this on and I highly recommend to any Hack'N Slash fan, it is one of the best games I've played of this genre. This is a bold, stylish reboot with tight gameplay, though not without controversy among series purists, and it leaves you with an amazing cliff-hanger at the end which, unfortunately, didn't moved forward since the next entry went back to the traditional "mainline" Dante story again.

The OST deserves its own spotlight, with a heavy, industrial vibe that perfectly matches the game’s aggressive energy. This is not even something I really need to mention since literally all DMC titles have amazing OSTs. Every fight feels amplified by the pounding beats, pushing you to stay on the offensive and keep combos flowing. Boss battles in particular benefit from this, blending music, visuals, and mechanics into memorable set pieces that feel intense and theatrical without overstaying their welcome.

That said, the game isn’t flawless, some platforming sections can feel a bit finicky, and the level of linearity may disappoint players who prefer more exploration. Enemy design occasionally leans too hard on color-coded mechanics that restrict weapon choice, which can clash with the otherwise freeform nature of combat. Even so, these issues rarely overshadow the overall experience. This title remains a confident, stylish take on the franchise that stands strong on its own merits, especially for players willing to judge it as a reinterpretation rather than a replacement.

This game is basically Fine. As most series fans will tell you, it resembles classic Devil May Cry games in some shallow ways, but deep down it's a pretty different game. It's a perfectly serviceable 3D beat-em-up with some fairly complex combo mechanics, although it really doesn't push you to master them. The hardest difficulty available on a new file is still easier than standard difficulty in classic DMC, so you can pretty safely button-mash your way through the game. The only hitch comes in having to paint by numbers here and there--you have to hit red enemies with red weapons and blue enemies with blue weapons, and a couple of special moves serve as canned hard counters to certain enemies.

It's also much more cinematic than classic DMC, weaving in a lot of cool action cutscenes between combat encounters. It's definitely campy, I think Ninja Theory got that much right, but not in the same way as classic DMC. I don't hate the new cast as much as many did, at least at launch. I like old Dante and company more, but these may as well be a totally new ensemble, so there's no point in comparing them.

Also, it's short. It's a fun ride through some very visually impressive locales. Recommended to anyone who wants a breezy action game, but if you're looking for proper DMC challenge, adjust your expectations or keep looking.

First things first. I've never played a DMC game aside from an hour or so on a PS2 demo disc back in the day. I have no knowledge of or reverence for this series.

Having said that, I actually really enjoyed this game. The story seemed to be intentionally edgy & stupid, and I respect that. Also, the voice acting was actually, truly quite good and fitting for the material. Yes, they drop a lot of F-bombs, but I'm not looking for Citizen Kane here; I just want to slice up some demons. Graphics and facial animation were pretty decent for a PS3-era game.

The gameplay had its ups and downs. The basic combat was fairly similar to God of War 2018 -- fairly relaxed to start, then eventually juggling more moves than I could digest by the end of the game. There are a buttload of upgrades, and I feel like I'd need to do another playthrough to finish unlocking them all (but who's got time for that?). My 41-year-old brain sometimes broke when swapping between the left-trigger and right-trigger movesets for the platforming sections.

For whatever reason, after I finished the game, I couldn't figure out how to find my way into the Virgil's Downfall DLC. It was a choice every time I continued the game during my initial playthrough, but then it just seemed to disappear once I beat the game. Oh well.