When DmC was first announced, the first thing that came to mind was: What the hell have they done to Dante? What happened to the bad-ass character we’ve come to love? Why replace him with a teenage punk?
Well, first we need to realize that this game is set in a parallel universe, and the story does not pick up from where the previous games left it. Think of the previous Devil May Cry games as Sam Raimi’s Spider-man movies, with the new DmC being the ‘Amazing Spiderman. Bad example, I know, but that’s how it is. It is like an unwritten rule these days that when a franchise undergoes a reboot, a new character is needed. That’s how it is with DmC.
So the question is, does the new Dante suffice? I personally believe he does. He’s obviously not as bad-ass as his predecessor, but he manages to do the job, and that’s good enough. He’s a punk, and behaves like all punks do, trying to be all cool and stylish. The previous Dante did not have to try though.
As I stated before, this game is a reboot, with a new story. Some of the basic plot points are the same though. Dante is brother to Vergil, and they are both sons of Sparda, a demon. Throughout the story, Mundus, the demon king, wants Dante killed. Meanwhile, Dante is fighting his way through demons in Limbo city where he meets Kat, a member of the Order – an organization fighting against the demons of Limbo city. The leader of the Order, Vergil, expects Dante to ally himself with them. Along the way, Dante learns that he is a Nephilim, son to a demon and an angel.
Of course, the Devil May Cry series has never been famous for it’s story. It’s the gameplay where it shines. And guess what? Ninja Theory has actually done an unexpected job of delivering great gameplay mechanics. The game is fun throughout, with each battle being fast paced and interesting. Like previous games, the player can use Dante’s sword, called Rebellion, and his dual pistols, Ebony and Ivory. New to the franchise are the Devil and Angel modes. These can be activated by holding down the triggers on your controller. The Angel mode allows Dante to use a scythe, called Osiris. This scythe is speedy, but does light damage. On the other hand, the Devil mode allows Dante to use Arbiter, a huge axe that does heavy damage. Apart from the weapons, the Angel and Devil modes allow Dante to pull himself towards enemies, or pull enemies towards him, respectively.
Switching between these modes swiftly can allow the player to exercise combos in a bewildering array of ways. The objective of producing combos is to get a higher battle rating, like in previous games. I personally found it easier to rank up my battle rating and keep the combos going in DmC, as compared to previous games, especially since the ‘pull’ feature of the Devil and Angel modes allows me to get to enemies quicker so I can continue my combos efficiently.
Boss fights were fun and interesting, sometimes posing a nice challenge and pushing the player to their limits. Items were hidden throughout the game which can be collected to improve Dante’s stats and unlock challenges. Challenges throughout the game offered a diversity to the regular gameplay, awarding the player with items if completed successfully. To take a break from the regular fighting, Limbo city would sometimes try to kill Dante through means other than employing demons. These would include trying to close the walls on him, or making the ground disappear beneath his feet, cases in which Dante has to dash through the area quickly. All these instances were fun and quick-paced, just like a hack and slash game should be.
Despite this diversity, sometimes the game would feel repetitive. But then again, this problem persists with almost all games in this genre. If the player experiments with different types of combos and fighting techniques, the game will obviously feel fresh throughout.
Accompanying the gameplay is a great soundtrack, consisting of screams and metal music. Who doesn’t love that in a Devil May Cry game, right? The soundtrack lets the adrenaline rush through your veins throughout the game, creating a unique atmosphere found only in DmC. The combine this music with the fast-paced gameplay and you’ll get a game that is bursting with energy.
I would like to say that everything about the game’s sound is great, but I can’t. The music is perfectly fine, but the voice acting isn’t. As I said, Dante is a punk, so he speaks like one too. Sometimes, his voice can be horrible, and the dialogues get annoying and stupid. I don’t know if Ninja Theory meant for them to be humorous, but they’re not. Some of them were downright awful. Some of the bosses, like the one featured in the demo was a pain listening to.
Lastly, the graphics were neat. There was the occasional frame-tearing in cutscenes and some areas did not feel polished. But the overall look of the game was good enough. A few glitches were present here and there though. Perhaps a future update will fix these, but then again, they were negligible. The game isn’t something that you’ll feel inspired after looking at, but it does justice to the distorted Devil May Cry universe. There’s enough twisted-ness to go around.
The game is great independently, but is it better than the previous ones? Maybe. That depends on why you liked the previous games in the first place. If you’re looking for one of the best hack and slash gameplay mechanics, a soundtrack that will make you feel pumped and a twisted setting, then you’ve come to the right place, and you’ll feel right at home with DmC.
TechDeville gives DmC: Devil May Cry 4/5 stars.
