After some controversial moves, Capcom seems to be finding itself back on track by successfully revitalizing old fan-favorite franchises like “Resident Evil.” This trend seems to continue with “Devil May Cry 5,” a continuation of the long-beloved hack-and-slasher series that has left fans desperate for a new entry. Thankfully, after returning into the limelight after the conflicted reception of its reboot in 2013, it happily continues the original storyline from “Devil May Cry 4” all the way back in 2008.
Picking up where that game left off, protagonists Nero and Dante, along with enigmatic newcomer “V,” find themselves in a new apocalyptic scenario where a giant demonic tree takes over a city in an attempt to drain the blood from all its citizens. It is a bit of a mess in the long run, but thankfully, even non-fans of the series can find it fairly easy to comprehend. Not only are players provided a helpful video to catch up newcomers, but the plot also keeps itself fairly simple from beat to beat. All that players need to know is to kill the big tree and Nero will quip his way to the end of the level without concern.
Level design is simpler than what most fans will be used to, while puzzles have been almost completely dropped in favor of a straighter shot with combat encounters laced with the occasional secret path. Most of these secret paths reward the player with either red orbs (experience points for upgrades) or, more interestingly, Devil Breakers. Nero can use these robotic limbs to unleash dynamic attacks, usually complimenting the returning “Style Rantings.” However, the Devil Breakers are fragile and can be broken by either being attacked while in use or if the player decides to exceed its standard limits in exchange for a devastating strike. This means that combat is both stylish and intense, especially when combined with the soundtrack. While some tracks in V’s campaign can come off as a bit melodramatic, the rest can be pretty rad, which is great because players can set their preferred tracks to play at any time while customizing their options in Nico’s van.
Progression is well balanced, with a large variety of available upgrades for all three playable characters, adding moves and expanding the player’s arsenal to add more ways to build their style meter. Only dropping the ball with the abundance of revives can prevent most players from falling during their first playthrough, which is made slightly insidious by the option to purchase more of these with real currency.
Players can also enjoy an interesting multiplayer element wherein random players will cross over their playthroughs with one another. It is a bit shaky in implementation, with the odds of actually meeting another player being incredibly slim, but finally being able to combine moves with other players for the sake of style is a joy hard to recreate.
Overall, audiences have been able to look past these misgivings to find a solid action game with an entertaining plot (if a bit convoluted). The people who stick around will find a lot of potential in subsequent playthroughs with increasing difficulties, speed-running potential or alternate pathways to experiment with.
Image from Gamespot via YouTube
