evil May Cry 5 is a game I've been waiting for what feels like an eternity in hell. One of my favourite game series of all time. I absolutely loved the original and DMC3 to death. DMC4 was the first game I bought on PS3. And the others? Well lets not talk about those... First off the bat, what a return to form. The intro prologue is enjoyable foreshadowing. But that first cutscene with Nero in the van, cutting through demons amongst the opening credits, that's the DMC I love. And straight away, my main gripe with DMC4 is instantly addressed. Nero in DMC4 felt like a $2 Dante wannabe. And the fact that he took up two thirds of the game when I just wanted more Dante, made it all the more worse. Nero is far more fleshed out and a complete redesign makes him feel like his own character in DMC4. I have monumental appreciation for how they've overhauled the character. Not only did they fix OG Nero, they included a lot of punk aspects of the cock-ne-y Britesh Dude from "DMC DMC", fixing that character (dare I call him by his ingame name). For the few non-fans who liked the game in all seriousness, I played the demo and the gameplay was quite good, but that wasn't Dante and thus by extension, not DMC. Doubling down on gameplay and game title doesn't make it a good DMC game. I'm sorry to say, it was just a fun inspired hack and slash. A nice little side-romp or vacation. An appetizer to the main course that has now arrived.
DMC5 has the same split storyline and missions as DMC4, except now for a fair few of them you're able to choose which you prefer. Dante, Nero or the new character Virg.... uhmm I mean the mysterious V. The game opens with Nero losing his devil arm Yamato to Vir... I mean a enigmatic cloaked powerful figure. As you can tell, the story isn't exactly nuanced. But anyone who plays Devil May Cry for unpredictable twists and turns isn't a true fan and misunderstands what the game is about. What we really come for is campy bombastic cutscenes that get us jacked up for stylish super slashing good fun demon hacking filthy gameplay, all the while rocking to a badass fucking soundtrack.
Speaking of, the soundtrack is a standout, each character has their own 'themetrack' with standouts as Devil Trigger for Nero, highlighting the characters absolute badassery in this sequel. While it doesn't quite reach the awesomeness that is Devils NEVER Cry from the ending of DMC3, the OST certainly comes close which I would place second in the series.
The gameplay is an absolute return to form, even more so than DMC4. I don't remember the last time my fingers and thumbs got combo cramp (honestly, it was probably DMC3). I've always loved this innovative formula dubbed stylish hack and slash. Just pure energy that felt like a mashup of Tony Hawks Pro Skater trick shots and beat-em ups. They should have called the genre Stylish Super Slashers though. Dante has his signature styles Trickster, Swordmaster, Gunslinger and Royalguard. While it's one less than DMC5 and 2 less than DMC3, it still feels no less intense here. Each style has a litany of abilities, each requiring practice and mastery and can be upgraded into something stronger and even harder to pull off. By the end of the game (which I was playing on the hardest difficulty available from the start) I only felt like I was close to mastering Swordmaster and Gunslinger, followed somewhat by Trickster and then Royalguard nigh untouched. Oh and that's not even factoring in that you can swap between eight weapons, each changing the appropriate style.... fuck me. I could dedicate an entire paragraph just to how awesome each move set is. But favourites had to be the demon motorbike that turned into chainsaws. A risk reward cowboy hat that shoots blood orbs for increased style and higher orb return if you maintain your style. And of course the classics. Rebellion, Ebony and Ivory. My babies. There was a nice moment too where Dante completes his father's footsteps and through Rebellion impaling Dante's heart, his father Sparda's will is made manifest into a new blade. The sword is like a combination of Rebellion, Yamato and Sparda. Don't ask.
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| Devil Trigger has always been slick. A demon trench coat? Ugh help. |
This game is the highest on my list of games to return to, simply because I want to master Dante in the classic Bloody Palace arena. V is the most fascinating and newest, fitting of his character. V fights from afar, using his conjurations to fight fore him. The wise cracking, swooping and lightning firing Griffon. The in your face, spike summoning, blade spinning black panther Shadow. And finally the meteor shattering Nightmare the demolishes enemies. Staying out the action and using V only to finish enemies makes him the safest and easiest to maintain style. I did find his character fascinating as the poetic and pretentious Edgar Allen Poe reading enigma. And how he incants from his tome to increase his devil trigger, is a fun twist overall fitting of the DMC stylish campiness. Nero while not as fun as Dante still holds up in his own right. I loved playing him in DMC5. The challenge of his motorized blade Red Queen. Ramping up the blade in between swings or timing a rev perfectly with a hit for an instant boost is just... so satisfying. Adding to this is his robotic replacement for the stolen devil arm called Devil Bringer. The main function is, surprise surprise, to grapple enemies towards you but the arm is so much more then that. Essentially it acts as arcadey style platform for powerups that you pickup throughout the level or buy with red orbs, and equip from Nico's van. Nico is an interesting side character as Nero's gunsmith and sidekick. But the character can be a little annoying and miss the mark with her outlandish personality. At the same time her character does have it's charm, she's just along for the ride and her demon shaming quips are sometimes fun. Her grandmother made Ebony and Ivory for Dante, and Nico is a stan of the half-man half-devil. Charming.
As you can probably tell I like DMC3. A lot. All you need to do is watch this scene to see that this game has the youngest, fittest, peak Dante. It still sends shivers down my spine. I'll always believe Dante is Devil May Cry, I just love the character too much. So that makes it the apex DMC game. It sets the standards by which all Devil May Cry games are measured. The stylish slashing. The symphony of the damned. The stylish cutscenes and characters. All criteria by which DMC are set are at there best in this game.
As for the story... well what can I say, it's just pure fan service. As it should be. Favourites return. Lady. Trish. Etc. But really it's Vergil who makes the game. After splitting himself with Yamato to prevent some demonic influence and corruption from his time trapped and fighting in hell post DMC3, he turns into V (his human half) and Urizen (demon half). Urizen begins to corrupt the town of Redgrave, home to Dante and Vergil. Redgrave is an awesome setting, it comes full circle and reconnects the brothers in their hometown. We're treated to seeing their mother for the first time when they're attacked by demons, and how the brothers are separated as younglings. It was an absolute joy. I really hope they find Sparda.
Returning to the brotherly rivalry is where the game excels in its fanservice. Starting in DMC1 with the Nelo Angelo fight, and truly explored with Vergil in DMC3; Dante's arc has come to an end with closure in all plots. It returns to where it start in his home country town, quarrels settled with Vergil, family avenged, Sparda legacy fulfilled, etc etc. The final fight, more important than any story, between the two brothers is so epic, both in and out of scene. Certain moves of Vergil if you don't telegraph will instant KO you from full health. Insane. Intense. In love... Of course the fight is brought to a grinding halt by Vergil's son, Nero. Now with his very own Devil Trigger. Ah... they grow up so fast. He beats his father down (because this of course is truly Nero's story). The game ends in the best possible way it can. The two brothers seal themselves in the demon world, as Vergil and their father had done before them. Sealing the gate borne of the hell root 'Qliphoth' behind them they queue credit scene fighting back to back demons across the hellscape. PLEASE MAKE THIS DEVIL MAY CRY 6 I WANT TO DESTORY HELL AS SPARDA'S TWIN LEGACY. And of course, Nero and Nico take up the Devil May Cry legacy in the mortal realm. I really do hope we play across hell as the two brothers in 6; perhaps setting up the villain as one or both, corrupted from spending too much time there or finding a new threat or pehaps some kind of twist to sympathise with innocent inhabitants of hell, go nuts! Can't wait!
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