Devil May Cry 5 Review (PS4)
Introduction
This is the latest Devil May Cry game, an action hack-and-slash game developed by Capcom with the RE Engine. This game features three playable characters, with each character have different playstyles and skills.
Story
The story takes place several years after the events of Devil May Cry 4, in Red Grave City. A demon named Urizen planted a demonic tree at the city, siphoning the blood from innocent humans for unknown purposes. Dante, Trish, and Lady went to the city to stop the demon, but they were defeated. Nero, the protagonist of the previous game, crosses path with them as this may be the same demon who rips off Nero's Devil Bringer arm. However, all of them do not stood a chance against the demon, and Nero is forced to retreat. Nero will return to the city a month later with the mysterious V to stop the demon.
The game's story is pretty good. It is a improvement over DMC4's story, and it also has tons of fanservice such as the acknowledgement of Tony Redgrave's name as well as a voiceover cameo by Patty from the DMC: Animated Series. Decent ending as well, but unfortunately story didn't elaborate on the Devil Bringer's origins and V's powers.
The characters are pretty well-rounded as well. Nero, Dante, and V have excellent showings in this game, with really likable personalities. V, especially, is an excellent character. I am indifferent to Nico. Lady and Trish didn't get much spotlight in this game, which is unfortunate.
Gameplay
This game plays similarly to previous Devil May Cry games. Progression is simple, as you clear a mission by going to the objective marker. In many Missions, you can freely explore in certain areas to unlock new Secret Missions or find collectibles.
The Mission structure is simple, as each character have their own designated Missions as you progress in the game. There are some Missions may allow you to choose a different character to play as, such as you may choose to play as Nero or V in a certain Mission later.
Like the previous games, the three characters may learn new Skills by purchasing them with Red Orbs from the vendor. Each character has their own unique skillset, and you can buy more advanced skills as you progress in the game. Nero is highly reliant on Devil Breaker, so buying them is recommended to gain advantage in combat. You may also find them scattered in Missions. You may also upgrade a character's Health Gauge and D.T. Gauge by buying the associated Orbs from the vendor, or find enough fragments to complete a set.
The staple items such as Vital Stars and Holy Water do not return in this game. Upon dying, you can revive by paying a certain amount of Red Orbs or by using a Gold Orb. Keep in mind that reviving by spending Red Orbs will get more expensive within a Mission.
The combat is the same as previous games. As either Nero, V or Dante, you can run, dodge attacks, jump, as well as taunt enemies as usual. Each character has their own signature weapons and movesets that make them completely unique playable characters.
Nero lost access to Devil Bringer, but now he can use a variety of mechanical arms with different variety of offense, such as a rocket punch and slowing time for a while. He also has access to the Red Queen's sword movesets for melee offense, as well as his Blue Rose for ranged combat.
V plays very differently compared to other playable characters in DMC series. He relies on his familiars for combat, such as Griffon for ranged combat and Shadow for melee combat. He also has access to his own Devil Trigger, which allows him to summon Nightmare to deal damage against enemies heavily. However, the drawback is that his familiars have their own health gauges, so they can get knocked out in combat if you are not careful, making V highly vulnerable against attacks.
Dante plays the same as DMC4. He can still switch Styles to suit different combat situations, as well as able to equip a variety of melee and ranged weapons. He also has access to an even more powerful D.T. form, which you can unlock in later missions. Although Dante has wide moveset, it will take time to master him compared to many other characters from the hack-and-slash genre.
Enemies come in different variety, with different designs, health, and attacks. Getting to know them is useful in beating them, such as some enemies can turn invisible during fights. Stylish ranking also returns in this game, where you will be gauged accordingly as to how well you perform in combat, such as not getting hit and performing a variety of moves. Bosses also return in this game, with greater variety than DMC4.
As you complete a Mission, you will be ranked accordingly, such as how fast you finish it, how many Red Orbs you acquired, and how many Stylish Points you obtained in combat. Higher ranks allow you to get more Red Orbs as rewards.
Overall gameplay is great. All three playable characters have good movesets, great pacing, awesome combat, and many great boss fights. However, the mission progression is simplistic, with no puzzles or platforming sections to slow down the pacing. In all occasions, you will be fighting enemies as you progress in a Mission. V does not gain new Skills after completing the game, which is a shame since he is an interesting and good playable character in this game. The removal of staple recovery items such as Vital Stars is disappointing as well. The camera angles can also be an issue during combat and exploration, as they zoomed a bit too close to your controlled character. Regardless, great gameplay despite some issues.
Graphics
Excellent graphics, such as great looking character models, demon designs, and solid overall framerate performance. I do notice that the game has a bit of slowdown in one boss fight, but not gamebreaking.
However, I think the decision of using face models for photorealistic face for the main character designs will be questionable or hit-or-miss with many players, just like Resident Evil 2 Remake. The environment designs, specifically Missions taking place in Qliphoth Tree, is repetitive and generic.
Sound
The English voice acting is excellent. Reuben Langdon and Johnny Yong Bosch return in this game, and did great voiceovers in this game. Kate Higgins also reprise her role as Lady from Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition. Wendee Lee, however, replaces Danielle Burgio as Trish in this game.
The soundtrack is pretty good, and some of the battle themes are quite memorable. Although, I still find previous Devil May Cry games have superior and more memorable soundtracks.
Replay Value
Pretty moderate replay value. you can opt to play the game again in different difficulties, complete all Secret Missions, find all Blue Orbs and Purple Orbs fragments, and obtain all Trophies. Based on what I see from the Trophy List, this game has the most challenging Platinum trophy compared to other DMC games.
Conclusion
This is a very good game. It improved a lot from DMC4, especially in terms of story and boss variety. The combat system more or less improved from DMC4, and Nero has a lot of moves at his disposal thanks to the Devil Breaker. Dante also has better variety of moves and weapons compared to DMC4, and V is no slouch either. I highly recommend this game to any action and hack-and-slash fans, as well as to regular DMC fans. Devil May Cry is back, despite some issues in this game.
Score
Story: 8/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Graphics: 9/10
Sound: 8/10
Final Score: 8.5/10 or 34/40
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Pretty good and interesting story.
- Nero is more likable compared to DMC4.
- V is an excellent character.
- Many memorable scenes.
- Good tie-in of many DMC media such as the novels.
- Excellent combat system.
- Three good playable characters.
- Great boss fights.
- Great graphics.
- Excellent voice acting.
Cons
- Some minor story issues.
- Poor handling of certain characters, such as Lady and Trish.
- Too simplistic mission progression.
- Repetitive stage design, especially Qliphoth Tree areas.
- Occasional camera issues.
- Lack of new Skills for V after completing the game.
- Soundtrack is inferior to previous DMC games' soundtrack.
- Hit-or-miss photorealistic face designs of characters.
- Absence of Bloody Palace (will be included via free update)
**Scrrenshots are from Dualshockers and Wccftech.
This is the latest Devil May Cry game, an action hack-and-slash game developed by Capcom with the RE Engine. This game features three playable characters, with each character have different playstyles and skills.
Story
Nero and Dante return in this game, with new characters like V.
The game's story is pretty good. It is a improvement over DMC4's story, and it also has tons of fanservice such as the acknowledgement of Tony Redgrave's name as well as a voiceover cameo by Patty from the DMC: Animated Series. Decent ending as well, but unfortunately story didn't elaborate on the Devil Bringer's origins and V's powers.
The characters are pretty well-rounded as well. Nero, Dante, and V have excellent showings in this game, with really likable personalities. V, especially, is an excellent character. I am indifferent to Nico. Lady and Trish didn't get much spotlight in this game, which is unfortunate.
Gameplay
Explore Red Grave City and the demonic Qliphoth Tree.
The Mission structure is simple, as each character have their own designated Missions as you progress in the game. There are some Missions may allow you to choose a different character to play as, such as you may choose to play as Nero or V in a certain Mission later.
Learn new Skills by spending Red Orbs.
The staple items such as Vital Stars and Holy Water do not return in this game. Upon dying, you can revive by paying a certain amount of Red Orbs or by using a Gold Orb. Keep in mind that reviving by spending Red Orbs will get more expensive within a Mission.
The combat is the same as previous games. As either Nero, V or Dante, you can run, dodge attacks, jump, as well as taunt enemies as usual. Each character has their own signature weapons and movesets that make them completely unique playable characters.
Play as three unique playable characters.
Nero lost access to Devil Bringer, but now he can use a variety of mechanical arms with different variety of offense, such as a rocket punch and slowing time for a while. He also has access to the Red Queen's sword movesets for melee offense, as well as his Blue Rose for ranged combat.
V plays very differently compared to other playable characters in DMC series. He relies on his familiars for combat, such as Griffon for ranged combat and Shadow for melee combat. He also has access to his own Devil Trigger, which allows him to summon Nightmare to deal damage against enemies heavily. However, the drawback is that his familiars have their own health gauges, so they can get knocked out in combat if you are not careful, making V highly vulnerable against attacks.
Dante plays the same as DMC4. He can still switch Styles to suit different combat situations, as well as able to equip a variety of melee and ranged weapons. He also has access to an even more powerful D.T. form, which you can unlock in later missions. Although Dante has wide moveset, it will take time to master him compared to many other characters from the hack-and-slash genre.
Enemies come in different variety, with different designs, health, and attacks. Getting to know them is useful in beating them, such as some enemies can turn invisible during fights. Stylish ranking also returns in this game, where you will be gauged accordingly as to how well you perform in combat, such as not getting hit and performing a variety of moves. Bosses also return in this game, with greater variety than DMC4.
As you complete a Mission, you will be ranked accordingly, such as how fast you finish it, how many Red Orbs you acquired, and how many Stylish Points you obtained in combat. Higher ranks allow you to get more Red Orbs as rewards.
Overall gameplay is great. All three playable characters have good movesets, great pacing, awesome combat, and many great boss fights. However, the mission progression is simplistic, with no puzzles or platforming sections to slow down the pacing. In all occasions, you will be fighting enemies as you progress in a Mission. V does not gain new Skills after completing the game, which is a shame since he is an interesting and good playable character in this game. The removal of staple recovery items such as Vital Stars is disappointing as well. The camera angles can also be an issue during combat and exploration, as they zoomed a bit too close to your controlled character. Regardless, great gameplay despite some issues.
Graphics
Excellent graphics. Good framerate as well.
However, I think the decision of using face models for photorealistic face for the main character designs will be questionable or hit-or-miss with many players, just like Resident Evil 2 Remake. The environment designs, specifically Missions taking place in Qliphoth Tree, is repetitive and generic.
Sound
Great voice acting and decent soundtrack.
The soundtrack is pretty good, and some of the battle themes are quite memorable. Although, I still find previous Devil May Cry games have superior and more memorable soundtracks.
Replay Value
Moderate replay value.
Conclusion
A very good game and sequel to DMC4.
Score
Story: 8/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Graphics: 9/10
Sound: 8/10
Final Score: 8.5/10 or 34/40
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Pretty good and interesting story.
- Nero is more likable compared to DMC4.
- V is an excellent character.
- Many memorable scenes.
- Good tie-in of many DMC media such as the novels.
- Excellent combat system.
- Three good playable characters.
- Great boss fights.
- Great graphics.
- Excellent voice acting.
Cons
- Some minor story issues.
- Poor handling of certain characters, such as Lady and Trish.
- Too simplistic mission progression.
- Repetitive stage design, especially Qliphoth Tree areas.
- Occasional camera issues.
- Lack of new Skills for V after completing the game.
- Soundtrack is inferior to previous DMC games' soundtrack.
- Hit-or-miss photorealistic face designs of characters.
- Absence of Bloody Palace (will be included via free update)
**Scrrenshots are from Dualshockers and Wccftech.
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