"A Stunning Reboot that is Both Unique and True to its Roots"
Video Review
Intro
Capcom handed the reigns of one of their most beloved franchises (Devil May Cry) over to Ninja Theory for its reboot. After seeing the first trailer fans were less than pleased to say the least. Nitpicking over how this new Dante was not the Dante they had known and loved. I also had a mixed opinion over this decision, although not because of his hair being black this time around. No, I was worried because on one hand Ninja Theory had brought us Heavenly Sword, which in my opinion was an absolutely brilliant game even if the combat was a little too similar to God of War. On the other hand though, I was worried because they had also given us Enslaved: Odyssey to the West which had a unique story, and interesting character interaction, but had an extremely bland combat system, and a game that seemed to want to hold your hand the whole way through. I honestly didn't know if Ninja Theory would be able to create a compelling DmC game. I am pleased to say that they have and more. DmC is a stunning reboot that is both unique and true to its roots.
Story/Structure
Originally DmC was planned to be a prequel to the already established Devil May Cry story. Later this was dismissed and Capcom came out and said this Dante is set in a parallel universe to the Dante in previous Devil May Cry games. Saying that this new game is set in a parallel universe seems a little lame, but whatever. It doesn't change the fact that this game is a true reboot.
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| I'll give you one guess as to what she's staring at |
Seeing as this game is a "Western" made game the story is much easier to follow. In this game Dante and Vergil are still the son's of the great demon Sparda, and there mother was an angel by the name of Eva. Mundus is this game's big bad and is Sparda's brother and upon finding out about this unholy union of demon and angel ripped out Eva's heart and exiled his brother Sparda for all eternity. Prior to his exile Sparda hid his two son's seperately and wiped their memory. Fast-forward to current time and Dante and Vergil are all growed up. Vergil is the leader of the resistance group known as the order and him and his human companion Kat are working together to take down Mundus and restore freedom to the humans. Dante on the other hand is still clueless to his past and spends his days being an alcoholic, rogue demon hunter, who seduces woman, and occasionally participates in three-ways. That is until Kat shows up, her and Vergil set Dante on his path to overthrow Mundus. Kat is a human with a dark past and is a medium which allows her to communicate with spirits from limbo and also traverse there herself. Limbo is the alternate reality, thread directly into our own. In Limbo everything is seen in their true form, meaning demons galore. The story while being fairly predictable is actually very intriguing and emotional at times. During my first play through. I was always excited to see what happened next. It helps that the voice-over work is very good and it doesn't take long before you actually begin to care for the characters. Each character is very distinctive to their own personality and the chemistry between Kat and Dante is apparent very early on. Possibly the most interesting part is the relationship between Dante and his brother Vergil and how they each view things. Dante is obviously headstrong, stubborn, and is willing to put the life of one person above all else. While Vergil is more of a thinker, tech-savvy, and tends to look more at the bigger picture. The ending of the game is a little lackluster but has sequel potential.
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| There's only one thing on that kids mind "Revenge" |
Structurally this game is set-up almost exactly like previous Devil May Cry games which is a good thing. By that I mean the game is obviously linear, progression through the game is mission by mission, and the triple-S ranking system makes a return. The game also features all the difficulties one comes to expect from a DmC game. You've got your Human, Devil Hunter, Nephilim, Son of Sparda, and for the truly patient Dante must Die mode. It also has returning spin-off difficulties like heaven or hell where enemies and yourself die in one hit. Along with Hell or Hell mode where you still die in one hit but your enemies do not. Plus this game will even bring about the return of the absolutely grueling Bloody Palace Mode in a future free DLC (Downloadable Content). The game also has a very familiar upgrade system and has several divinity statues placed throughout each level which are used to upgrade your character, and to buy items to help you stay alive through the levels.
Presentation/Audio
This game is absolutely gorgeous in every way, the characters look great, the cinematics are gorgeous, and the character animations are beautiful to behold. What really brings this game to life though is the level designs. When you're in Limbo the levels will break apart creating branching pathways, foot holds will disappear, and at times the level itself will literally try to kill you. At times these moments will both surprise and amaze you. One can't help but gaze in awe at the level of detail that was put into some of these levels.
The game remains true to the franchises comical charm, and takes it to the next level making it more mature themed. Dante's snide sadistic remarks are what one would expect from a Dante still in his youth, on his path to becoming the video game character icon he is today. Perhaps it is this humor that makes this game so enjoyable. One particular instance of this is when a white wig falls upon Dante's head in a cinematic, upon seeing himself in a mirror he remarks "Not in a Million Years".
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| "Not in a Million Years" |
As already stated the dialogue in this game is very good, this level of good is mirrored in the games other sounds. During certain battles the hardcore classic Devil May Cry music will play which adds an extra dimension to the battles. No longer are the days where we would constantly listen to Dante's catchphrases such as "Blast Off". Which in my opinion is a blessing. I'm glad that particular phrases are no longer scripted into particular moves Dante performs.
Gameplay/Fun Factor
This is a Devil May Cry game so the most critical part is the combat system. Luckily the combat in this game does not disappoint. It is probably the most unique combat system I have seen in recent years. It retains the core Devil May Cry combat we've all come to love and then adds onto it. Probably the newest and most intriguing part of the combat is the addition of Dante's demon and angelic weapons. Demon weapons are tailored to holding down the right trigger while performing an attack, while angelic weapons are tailored to the left trigger. All weapons are completely accessible and interchangale by pressing the corresponding direction on the D-Pad. Weapons can even be swapped out mid-combo to change the combo and chain different weapon combos together. The combat has a very nice flow to it and allows for more advanced players to intricately chain together some insane combos that potentially could use every weapon in Dante's arsenal. The combat is easily accessible to anyone, allowing some simple but flashy combos to be pulled off. Though only the more patient and skilled players will be able to master the timing and weapon chaining. The combat is a perfect example of the "easy to learn, hard to master" phrase.
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| Bring it on |
Enemies of this game stay true to the theme of older games but have a more interesting flair to them. A lot of the character designs look very creative, and the developers do a very good job of making the player diversify their weapon choice to deal with their foes. For instance certain demons can only be slain while using a demon weapon, or an angel weapon. While other enemies are just more resistant to certain attacks and vulnerable to others. This allows and forces the player to do a little bit of experimenting and prevents them from just repetitively using the same weapon and combo over and over again. While this game is very polished I did run into a few very minor glitches. At times my character would become stuck in midair but more often an enemy would freeze up. By that I mean the enemy wouldn't move or attack and appeared to be stuck somehow. It should be noted, that these minor glitches I ran into are far and few between. I didn't even encounter the enemy freeze-ups until I started playing on the higher difficulties which change the enemy spawning and attack patterns. Another slight issue, more of a frustration I ran into came with the lack of an actual lock-on system. Since a lock-on system is non-existent and you have to rely on the game to be smart enough to know which character you want to be attacking. On occasion you will accidentally attack the wrong enemy or the camera will switch to an enemy you didn't want to attack. Sometimes, this camera auto targeting has even caused me to run off the edge. I have to say though that the game is smart enough to know who you want to be attacking most of the time. It actually surprised me that it works as well as it does. All of these issues with the enemies and targeting are very minor and do not happen enough or are large enough issues to retract from the experience.
Boss battles in this game are all fairly typical and while they look very pretty, they do not live up to some of the awesome boss battles of previous games. I feel as if they played the boss battles a little safe, and went more for spectacle rather than intensity. All of the boss battles are a bit too easy with very few and simple attack patterns. There are 5 different bosses in this game and while some are better than others I never feared facing any of them like I used to on the older Devil May Cry games. Where that one boss fight could stop you from getting your S rank. I'm not saying the boss battles are bad because they're not. Visually they are gorgeous and they are quite creative, some even force you to utilize your demon/angel weapons. It's just that the battles themselves are a little lackluster and simple.
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| "A face only a mother could love" |
Difficulty wise this game can still be downright hard on the higher difficulties, but dying now doesn't pose as much of penalty as it used to. After getting a game over, no longer will you have to replay the entire level instead checkpoints are given very frequently. I'm assuming this change was made to make the game more appealing to everyone and allow more people to be able to tackle the higher difficulties. This decision isn't really a huge issue in my opinion because that's where the ranking system comes in. While a competent player will be able to get through Dante Must Die Mode, only a hardcore player will be able to Triple-S every mission on Dante Must Die Mode. So, it doesn't really matter if the game is more accessible because the rating system will show a clear distinction between how good a player actually is. The game has an expected and necessary leaderboard showing every persons score on every difficulty for every mission. The game also rewards the player by slowly dishing out the content. Beating the game on certain difficulties will unlock extra character costumes and more difficulties. This allows a sense of reward to the player and incentive to continue playing. The game even features an achievement tracker, and tons of game stats to view.
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| Dante using his Angel Hook |
Conclusion
DmC is an absolute blast to play. The combat system is intuitive and tailored for both the casual and hardcore. This a reboot that surprisingly doesn't disappoint. It is able to appeal to a new generation of people who have never played a Devil May Cry game and is still able to create a unique and satisfactory experience for its already established fan base. While the game seems different without its Japanese influence, different isn't necessarily a bad thing. I can't believe I'm saying this but I actually kind of hope that Ninja Theory gets a chance to make a sequel. Having said that though, I still want to see a Devil May Cry 5 first.
Pro's
+Appeals to both new and veteran players
+Awesome Combat System
+Interesting emotional story with some great character interaction
+A reboot that doesn't suck
Con's
-Minor issues with auto lock on
-Minor enemy and character glitches
-Lackluster boss fights
-Dante's hair is Black!!! (jk that's not a con)
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