“Devil May Cry 5” Is The Perfect Sequel

By Connor Danz, Creative Editor

“Devil May Cry 5” is the latest game in the critically acclaimed “Devil May Cry” series created and published by Capcom. Directed by Hideaki Itsuno and released on March 8, 2019, DMC5 marks a return to the original story of the series after an 11-year hiatus from 2008’s “Devil May Cry 4”. The game also comes off the heels of the well-made but disappointing “DMC: Devil May Cry” which rebooted the series with a clean slate. This review turned out to be timely as the game is getting a deluxe rerelease with the 9th console generation this month! 

The story of DMC5 is perfect for what it is trying to be, a continuation of the story found in the previous DMC games. The game opens with a cut scene of former DMC4 protagonist, Nero, losing his arm to a mysterious figure in a cloak. After getting the devil breaker replacement arm, he, and returning DMC protagonist and legendary devil hunter Dante are given a job by the mysterious V to bring him to defeat the Demon King, Urizen, the demon half of Dante’s brother Virgil and destroy his demon tree called Qliphoth. The story is very well-paced, skipping back and forth between the main three characters and different times to make the events more dramatic. The story deals with the core theme of the “Devil May Cry” series. 

In DMC5, the gameplay is broken down between 3 main different playstyles, one for each of its main characters. Nero, much like how he was in DMC4, is geared mainly for the new players, but still has the gameplay depth for DMC veteran players. 

This time around, Nero’s main gameplay gimmick is his robot arm known as the “Devil Breakers”. They are a series of extra right arms that have different abilities such as a rocket punch, time stop, electric shot, and many different kinds of arms. You can use those to help you string combos along with the help of your gun, sword, and eventually, devil trigger. 

By contrast, Dante carries over all of his mechanics from the previous four DMC games, making him the favorite of long time players. His combat style is incredibly in-depth, retaining all four of his previous fighting styles of Swordmaster, Gunslinger, Royal guard, and Trickster, which are able to switch between with the dpad. 

          With each style, you’re able to enhance your combo ability with the weapons, Dante’s classic sword, the Rebellion, and his two guns, Ebony and Ivory. Along with those, throughout the game, you get a series of new weapons such as Balrog and Beowulf, gloves and boots for melee combat, the shotgun, Dr. Faust, the cowboy hat that allows you to shoot red orbs, the currency of the game, and Dante’s sword, an upgraded sword that allows Dante to turn himself into his Sin Devil Trigger form. 

             All weapons can be put on a rolling wheel controlled by the shoulder buttons, allowing for incredible gameplay depth and a nearly limitless skill ceiling. 

The third playstyle goes to the newcomer to the series, V and his playstyle is drastically different from Dante and Nero. Where Dante and Nero are both upfront fighters in the story and gameplay, V is much more defensive and doesn’t directly engage in combat, instead, he uses his three demons to help him in battle. 

          Griffon, the smart-talking bird demon who focuses on aerial attacks, Shadow, the demon panther who focuses on ground level melee, and Nightmare, the massive column that is used as a super attack. When they bring the enemies’ health low enough, V can use his cane to deliver the final blow in charging the meter to activate Nightmare.

The game also contains a simply incredible soundtrack to accompany its already amazing presentation. Each character is given their own theme that you hear in combat, with each capturing the heart of the respective character. Dante’s theme “Subhuman” is about his half-demon abilities and his power, V’s theme “Crimson Cloud” alludes the listener to his true nature, and Nero’s theme “Devil Trigger” an epic rock ballad of Nero’s inner struggles with his rage and heritage. 

Special praise also needs to go to the final battle theme “Silver Bullet” which starts off with a slow-paced violin until it immediately shifts into a fast-paced techno track with elements borrowed from Nero’s theme, “Devil Trigger”. It really gets the player in the zone to try to beat the final boss.

With the re-release of  “Devil May Cry 5” on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox series x, Capcom added a new playable character for all versions of the game. Vergil, brother, and rival of Dante make his DMC return as a playable character in the new release of the game with his own unique play style. 

           Despite being similar to Dante in play style, Vergil has no firearms, instead relying on his sword, the Yamato, and its short-ranged teleportation ability to string combos together. When getting him, you are able to replay every level with him, which you are unable to do for other characters. 

“Devil May Cry 5” is truly one of the best video games I’ve played in years and a highlight of the 8th console generation. The game has incredibly rich and memorable characters, a deep and engrossing story, and the best gameplay the series has ever seen. This game is perfect for both old and new fans of Devil May Cry, you are doing an absolute disservice by noting playing this for yourself. In the words of Dante, “Jackpot!”