The request from fans over the years has been spasmodic, a wait that seemed even longer than it actually was. Devil May Cry 5 not only arrives 11 years after the release of the last chapter of the canonical series, but he wants at all costs to stamp the rematch after the thud - partly unjustified - of the technically very good DmC: Devil May Cry by Ninja Theory. The release of the game just a month and a half after another blockbuster by Capcom (Resident Evil 2 ed.) Could in a certain sense be a risk for the Japanese company, yet, this time too, the taste that was anticipated from afar was that of a "winning bet". What's special about the Devil May Cry series, even calculating its ups and downs? The technical quality and variety of the fights? The unbridled fanservice? The characterization of the characters and their somewhat cryptic events? That's right, but in addition much, much more. The most important task therefore remains that of having to learn from past mistakes and draw on what has worked great, using the experience and feedback accumulated over this decade to create an experience that borders on perfection. Starting our analysis of Devil May Cry 5, I want to reassure fans: this title is not as good as what we were hoping for. DMC 5 has gone further.
The King of the Underworld
Before starting our journey within this chapter, Capcom has well thought of giving a clean cut to one of the features of the series that have most confused fans throughout history: the timeline. In fact, a short summary video is available within the game where all the adventures lived so far are told to us in chronological order, so as to put in order the ideas of both old-time players who have never pushed themselves to understand the plot until now. fund, both those first-hair players who knew the brand only from afar. Devil May Cry 5, will come to life after all these events.
Once the game has started, we will finally discover what is the new threat looming over humanity, a threat that against all odds - and to the great surprise of the interpreters themselves - is extreme enough to corner the entire team of our demon hunters. If until now you have never had the inkling of seeing Dante or Nero in serious trouble, you could change your mind in the blink of an eye. Wanting to avoid as many plot spoilers as possible, just know that the main threat will be that of the new King of the Underworld, which brought the Quilphoth, the tree of life of the Underworld that feeds on human blood. The location is Red Grave City, a place that our demon hunters will be very familiar to ...
As anticipated in the previous months, among the characters who will take part in this new adventure there are also some very welcome new entries: Morrison, the one who provides Dante with his "jobs"; Nico, a gunsmith belonging to a legendary family in the field and collaborating with Nero in his new traveling anti-demon agency; is V, the mysterious and enigmatic raven-haired individual who will also be one of three playable characters. Without going into too much detail (because we assure you that living the experience by discovering the narrative by playing is essential), just know that this time the story will unfold in a non-linear way, making a wise use of both flashbacks and a particular timeline that in some cases also makes the experiences of the various characters intersect: in some missions in fact, it will be up to us to choose which character to face a certain mission, and yes, your choice will not only change your style...
Different routes
It would be easy to summarize everything by saying that "the gameplay is spectacular", yet the facets and peculiarities that mark it are enormous, so much so that our missions are always different and can be faced with a totally personal approach. During our journey we will use three different characters, but also in this case, as for the timeline, there will not be a specific order, and most of the time the character we will command will be dictated by the narrative purposes, without forcing. Don't worry, all the protagonists will have their space, and there will be no way you will feel less satisfied. Unlike all the titles of the saga since its inception, it is not only the equipped weapon that changes the gameplay and the moveset (perhaps giving the feeling that with different characters it is possible to do the same things, but with a different skin): Nero , V and Dante will all have their own style, their particularities, their ways of approaching the enemy, and of unique and essential qualities that will continue to grow and evolve as the game progresses.
However, what our characters will share are the Blue Gems purchased and the Blue Gem fragments found (to 4 collections, increases the Max health), fragments and Purple Gems (where 4 finds increase the bar by Devil Trigger), the Golden Gems, able to continue the game once the vitality is exhausted (continuing from the exact point where you were defeated!), and clearly the Red Gems, the historic “coin” of the series formed by crystallized demon blood. The latter will be used to enhance every single ability of our characters, from those of movement to those dedicated to the various attack modes, and with special exceptions for each of them.
The young Demon Hunter
after a mysterious hooded individual rips off the demonic arm of Wildman, this was replaced by Nico with i Devil Breaker, extremely versatile interchangeable mechanical arms. Each of these gems will have its own peculiar abilities, and can be used for attack, defense, to dodge quickly and more. Nero's mechanical arm will also be indispensable for attracting enemies to him or catapulting on them thanks to a sort of grappling hook, which is essential to maintain a frenetic pace in the fights and to keep the bar of the multiplier of the style points. However the Devil Breaker, even if very powerful, are extremely fragile, and using them while an enemy attacks is tantamount to destroying them. Sacrifice them voluntarily, however, it could mean Nero's salvation, being able to detonate them to free us from the gripes of some enemies or damaging some around us. These arms will not only be available for purchase from Nico's store by spending red gems, but they can also be found within the levels and hidden in certain places. It does not end here: being fragile prostheses, as mentioned, it will be necessary to create special sets with those we own, customizing them ad hoc for our needs and strategies. Warning! There is a maximum number of Devil Breakers that we can take with us, and consequently it will be up to us to decide whether to use them sparingly, or devote ourselves to devastation and rely on luck (the ones we will find around will be random, chosen from the unlocked models ... and the one that touches you, touches you). Do you want to increase this maximum number? The usual Red Gems will be the answer to your problem. Certainly his historical weapons could not be missing: Red Queen, the sword complete with a throttle to become even more lethal, and his trusty firearm Blue Rose.
The Mysterious Man
V, the dark boy who joins the crew, is more than a mystery, and his own powers are proof of that. Will it be human? Will it be a Demon? Maybe neither of the two? Clearly, we won't tell you anything. However, know that the fighting style that characterizes it is an absolute novelty within Devil May Cry, and already alone it could attribute to Devil May Cry 5 the most innovative gameplay award in the series. In fact, he is not able to fight hand-to-hand like the two demon hunters we have known over time, but he uses Demons summoned by himself, three to be precise:
- Shadow: if you have played the first DMC you will certainly have caught the name. The shadow panther, with its attack maneuvers completely similar to those of the enemy that we have faced several times in the first title of the series, will attack mainly with hand-to-hand maneuvers. The skills, as well as those of the other demons, will be available for purchase with the Red Gems.
- Griffon: another DMC-branded deja-vu. Although in miniature format and with a much darker color, the talkative bird is very reminiscent of the majestic boss of the same name. He will take care of our ranged attacks, clearly using electricity and his flying abilities.
- Nightmare: A very special demonic ooze golem, which may remind you of the historic DMC boss, albeit without armor. The ability to summon it lies solely and exclusively by activating the Devil Trigger, during which this creature will be able to unleash a real apocalypse.
Each demon will have its own moveset, and being able to master two or three at the same time, all while keeping an eye on V, will certainly be a challenge for all players, extremely fun and rewarding in any situation. However, for some obscure reason only V will be able to inflict the final blow on creatures with his cane, and consequently studying one's strategies and tactics in a nanosecond will become vital. Be careful though! Demons don't have unlimited health, and if they take too much damage they will stall, forcing us to wait to be able to return them to the battlefield.
The Legendary Demon Hunter
How we remembered it, but even better. Dante returns more tamarro than ever, with the bravado worthy of his eternal youth still characterizing him. However, time has passed, and with it his skills have also been honed. Its peculiarity, as always, is that of being able to choose the most congenial style for the situation, adapting to the hordes of enemies that will stand against it: therefore the evergreens return Gunslinger (suitable for keeping enemies at a distance with firearms), Swordmaster (where the art of the sword will give life to spectacular combos and evolutions), Trickster (agile and fast to get around enemies, dodge on the ground and in the air) e Royalguard (total defense, with complicated counterattacks to implement but devastating in effect). All styles are upgradeable, and each level will give the specific skillset something new. During the battles we will be able to change them dynamically simply by pressing the corresponding directional arrow on the pad, an action that will not only give spectacular maneuvers, but will make us continue the combos in a more varied way to accumulate Style points. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg: Dante will always have his firearms and hand-to-hand weapons available: between new arrivals and welcome returns (such as pistols Ebony & Ivory) it will be possible to set your favorite equipment sets, choosing between the basic weapons and those unlocked during the game (which we will leave you the pleasure of discovering for yourself ... because you will jump from your chair). New entry from minute 1 in the company of Dante instead, there is Balrog, gloves and boots for really “fiery” hand-to-hand combat. The Devil Trigger? Always present and ready to increase strength and agility to close cases in less time.
A long climb
As per practice, the game consists of 20 missions, but the climb will be longer than usual, and not just because (as anticipated) some of them they will be playable with one or the other character. This is because beyond the corridor-style linearity of the levels, in some cases it will be possible to divert and discover hidden areas, in addition to the eternal secret missions, who will challenge us in different ways to reward us with fragments of various gems. It all adds up to the incredible and never so high replayability of the title, which once finished will offer us the highest difficulties as usual, in addition to the two available deafult (Human e Demon hunter). For a longtime player it won't be too difficult to handle many situations in these two, but once the first run is over… well, it will be another story altogether. If you do not feel able to master the characters, you can easily train in a section called "The void".
As usual, at the end of each mission we will get a final grade, in the form of a letter. The differences from the old titles, however, are there, and they feel a lot: in Devil May Cry 5 there are no consumable items, and those that can be purchased are limited to the gems of the three colors listed above. This means that the media will be the Golden Gems exploited to continue the game (or the Red Gems, since it will also be possible to use those, but at an ever increasing cost), ei Style points accumulated during the mission by varying the combos in the fights from time to time. Battles along the way will always be interesting, and only on rare occasions will we find ourselves slaying a small number of enemies. The bossfights are also totally diversified (thanks also to the difference in approach for the various "interpreters"), and we leave it to you to discover the particularities of each of them!
Old glories
When you think of the most beloved chapters of the DMC series, you can't help but think of the unbridled fanservice dictated by the personalities present, and not only. Devil May Cry 5 manages to hit the mark in this too: we are not just talking about Dante and Nero's tamarragine, or the limits of the imagination with which enemies are killed, or even the mini scenes that characterize the coup de grace inflicted by V; we speak above all of the great returns, of those old glories that seemed to have disappeared. Therefore they arrive Trish e Lady to act as secondary characters, important in the plot and more attractive than ever, but also of the minor demons that we have faced in previous games, and we can not help but applaud Capcom for the consistency and beauty with which these enemies have been re-proposed: Death Scissor, Nobody, are just a couple of the creatures that will come back to give you a hard time, and many others will be clear references to the past. To enrich everything in terms of content, there is a good selection of historical tracks in the jukebox, but also the "Nico's Reports" which go into deepening the information on characters and bestiary, Morrison's letters that will cover some small holes in plot, and other surprises that we will let you discover for yourself. A mature fanservice, not shameless, a gift to all Devil May Cry lovers who have waited so long, and who have been rewarded for their patience.
Surrounded by blood and shadows
What literally left us stunned, was undoubtedly the technical sector of Devil May Cry 5: Although the average difficulty level has dropped slightly due to changes due to the versatility and less prohibitive functionality of the Golden Gems compared to the past, we can say that the difficulty has remained at a good level. Clearly many of the "bad luck" of the first chapters of the brand were due to the management of the camera and the hitboxes, things that in this decade thanks to technology have become increasingly avoidable: it is therefore reasonable to think that the less demanding challenge is also due to this. To oppose a granitic frame rate without dips (indispensable for a title of this kind), there is however, and sorry if I repeat myself, some slight problems with the camera in some rare cases, but certainly nothing to do with the enormous problems that occurred on the old consoles gen. After already the excellent work done with Resident Evil 2, the RE Engine wins and convinces.
The level design is promoted without infamy and without praise, with always different missions, but clearly with a couple of locations that are repeated for plot reasons. On the other hand, the graphic rendering and special effects are excellent, but above all we underline the important work done regarding the facial expressions, both in cutscenes and in combat.
Last but not least, let's talk about the audio sector: varying in the quieter moments (like in Nico's shop) from the eternal and adrenaline-pumping heavy metal soundtracks, both the music and the sound effects are excellent. As far as dubbing is concerned, we always and in any case remain at high levels, as we have always been accustomed to, and precisely on the English language we advise you to concentrate, if you can, since the Spanish translation of the dialogues in the subtitles was very "generous", avoiding literally translating some of the colorful and characteristic expressions proposed.
