DmC: Devil May Cry

I think the reboot series has plenty of potential to be amazing. You can never replace the original DMC series but honestly DmC was a pretty badass game. I don't see why they can't just keep making DMC and DmC games, everyone would support them if they did both.

Best level design in the series and it's not even close. Over-hated in the past. Ahead of its time fs.

There has been much talk about this Devil May Cry. Unfortunately, very negatively, too negatively as far as I'm concerned.
Gamers still struggle to see the artistic potential that lies within video games, especially in certain specific cases. And one of these cases, which we will explore today, is when a game belonging to an existing brand is taken over by another artist/development studio different from the original, giving rise to a different work.
I understand the attachment and affection towards the original works (I have played and love the original Devil May Cry), but don't you, as a gamer, find it interesting to see how another author/development studio can create a different work based on an existing one? Providing us with a different perspective of the work itself?
There is a concept in Japanese literature, the original name of which currently eludes me unfortunately, that was based precisely on "playing one's own notes on a pre-established theme," being a common occurrence in classical Japanese literature (but also in many literary traditions, such as Greek and Latin), embodied by many writers, for example, Ueda Akinari, who rewrote some myths in the form of stories, for example, "The Passion of the Serpent," based on the myth of Kiyohime. I could cite numerous works in numerous traditions to provide further examples, but this should suffice.
Applied to video games, this concept only elevates it, not diminishes it (as some players seem to believe apparently).
DMC, developed by Ninja Theory (the creators of Senua’s Sacrifice), has sparked quite a controversy among longtime fans, especially due to its portrayal of Dante, who is much less charismatic than the original, rougher, and younger. We see him in one of the early scenes of the game engaging in sexual intercourse, in a scene characterized by music that indeed conveys disorder.
Here, honestly, I fail to see the problem. But many have also complained about this. If you want real problems, they come later.
Moving beyond how he is presented... is this Dante really that terrible? Well, he isn't particularly characterized, that's true, and he also comes off as very flat, not only in characterization but he even lacks all the distinctive traits of the classic Dante, charismatic, cocky, and provocative, or even honorable (depending on the enemy he faces), and in the end, he'll just be a kid living with a demonic world trying to draw him in, without any particular way of dealing with such condition to the extent of making it a relevant characteristic of the character.
Let's move on to Virgil, his brother. Exactly the same problem, and even though the events of the story will push him to act in particular ways that will reveal unexpected facets of the character (although not too unpredictable), overall he doesn't come across as particularly relevant.
Then we come to the worst character who, however, seemed promising, namely Kat, the only original character in this DMC. A girl who hints at a history of abuse, but in the end, she is reduced to being a helpful assistant who ends up being the damsel in distress.
So, in all this, if I spoke relatively poorly of the characters, why do I consider the work to be an excellent video game?
First of all, for its excellent Hack & Slash combat system. You have a variety of weapons and different combos at your disposal to eliminate enemies, creating very satisfying synergies, but the real reason is another. Its ARTISTIC DEPARTMENT.
DMC has one of the most beautiful artistic departments I've ever seen.
DMC's Limbo is TRULY BEAUTIFUL. Often characterized by a specific color, often red or blue, but sometimes green too, which almost completely monopolizes the environment. In certain points of the game, what lies before us seems like one of those expensive cinematic locations where every single object on the scene has been carefully crafted to create a beautiful set. Perhaps by painting them to make them more in tune with the surrounding environment.
All of this gives life to an excellent environment to indulge in being photographers by taking some screenshots, or, to do something more complicated, by removing the HUD to capture only and solely the environment without distractions.
Some cutscenes lack these qualities, but not all. Some even make use of different artworks in motion, ranging from one style to another, from mimicking the classics to a very street art style.
The same care is found in the indications offered by the game, presented with a certain aesthetic care that makes it difficult to define them as simple directions. Arrows and enemy arrival signs appear on the screen like words on walls and floors. Almost like neon signs, or street art if you will.
It's a pity that only in the penultimate mission do we find another nice way to give directions, which turns the environment in front of us into a sketch-like design, with an animated arrow showing us the direction to take.
The same aesthetic care is also found in the outfits of the two protagonists, Dante and Vergil. Perfectly in tune with the appearance of the two characters, albeit in their simplicity. It's curious also that the two dominant colors of the game, red and blue, are the same as our protagonists.
In short, overall, despite all the problems, I wouldn't say it's a game to discard. On the contrary, especially in terms of aesthetics, it should be taken as an example.
If I were to explain it briefly, I would say that compared to Devil May Cry, this game is much more street. It shouldn't be taken as "prettier" or "uglier", and any comparison with the very important Devil May Cry, the father of Hack & Slash, seems superfluous to me.

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☐ Kids
☐ Everyone
☑ Casual players
☑ Pro players
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☐ Potato
☐ Really bad
☐ Bad
☐ OK
☑ Good
☐ Beautiful
☐ Masterpiece
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☐ Full price
☑ Wait for sale
☐ Average
☐ Refund it if you can
☐ Don't do it
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☐ 90' PC
☐ Minimum
☑ Medium
☐ Fast
☐ High end
☐ NASA computer
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☐ You just need 2 arms
☐ Ez
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☑ Hard (first few hours) (You get used to the controls and unlock more things)
☐ Dark Souls
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☐ Really short ( 0 - 2 hours)
☐ Short ( 2 - 8 hours)
☑ Few hours ( 8 - 12 hours)
☐ Long ( 12+ hours)
☐ Endless
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☐ It doesn't have
☐ Still better than Twilight
☑ Average
☐ Good
☐ Fantastic
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☐ Game itself is one big BUG
☐ Bugs destroying the game
☐ Lot of bugs
☐ Few Bugs
☐ You can use them for speedrun
☑ Nothing
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Multiplayer: None
Singleplayer: Yes

This game got a lot of hate because of Dante's new look and personality. I personally didn't mind it. Ninja Theory still made the game shine where DMC really matters: the combat. Combichrist and Noisia coming together for the soundtrack was crazy too. The only gripe I have was the absolutely awful virgil campaign. The story wasn't the best written, even by spectacle action game standards, but some of the dialog was entertaining and the anticapitalist message was an interesting backdrop for the game. It's like a bag of trail mix. You're not going to like everything, but the whole experience might be worth it.

Making this review a long time after I played this game.
I have one tip that will make this game VERY enjoyable to play: Mentally separate it from the actual Devil May Cry series. A lot of people harp on this game because it basically insults the original series. But if you just look at it as another demon hack and slash, with stylish moves, you'll enjoy it a lot.
This is worth the play, but if you get mad at it for not being like the original, then I'd say you are setting out to get mad in the first place.

The game is actually criminaly underrated, enjoyed it a lot. The idea with demon and angel weapons, new controls and overall design makes it one of the best slashers I've tried.