DmC: Devil May Cry

DMC: Devil May Cry is a supposed reboot of the franchise. Seeing there is a Devil May Cry 5 as the latest entry, it is clear that this reboot is a failure. Historically, for all sorts of reasons, when a Japanese game was handed over to western developers, it usually didn’t end well (not all). This game is not an exception: it is a very good game but did not end up well. From what I see, the only wrongdoing of this game is it is not what the fans wanted.
Surely, if you compared DMC: Devil May Cry with previous games, you could find some drawbacks, but they are hardly the point to hate this game. On the contrary, this game actually fixed many issues of previous games, if not all. Many design choices of this game also influence the latest Devil May Cry 5. Why fans did not like this version is contextual. Publicity before the launch was quite bad, there are also other reasons you can dig up yourself. I won’t go lengthy about them here, nor I truly understand why.
In my view, the greatest improvements this game made are to fix the platformer and simplify the combat mechanics and control scheme. Started from DMC 1, this franchise always has this weird obsession to make platformer, however, platformer is always the worst part of the game. As platformer sessions mostly adopt fixed camera, estimating distance and angle becomes an issue. To make the matter worse, camera angle usually switches midway, causing temporary disorientation that leads to failure. But fundamentally, control of all previous DMC games is just too clunky to be a good platformer.
This game addresses this issue completely: it adopts fully free camera angle (except a few scenes) and overhauls (it was actually built from the ground up) the entire control system to make it way better than any previous games. As a result, platformer finally becomes truly enjoyable: it is fast, responsive and fluid. That gave the developer an opportunity to follow the trend starting from DMC 4 - replacing all Metroidvania-like map exploration with platformer. I like this kind of exploration especially in survival horror, but to be honest, in action game it is not my liking, because exploration is supposed to be slow-paced while action game should be more fast-paced. To me, they don't match each other and therefore I am glad they made such a change.
Also partially benefited from those two improvements, combat is more fluid and friendly to casual gamers. But mainly, it is because of the simplification of combat mechanics and control scheme. From DMC 3, combat mechanics are very similar to a fighting game. Thus, combat is very in-depth, but also very skilled-based. Pro gamers can do some very cool and flashy combos by memorizing those complex button combinations and strictly following the timing, yet casual gamers such as me can only stick to a few simple combos. This game makes those complex combos possible for casual gamers, as the control scheme is much simpler and combat mechanics are more accessible to figure out, while still maintains a fair amount of depth. I get that some diehard fans would complain about those depths are not enough. They get a point and I do appreciate the very in-depth mechanics as they do, but to me and the majority of gamers, it is a good and welcome change. As you can see, the majority of the market are not those who dwell on how to put through flashy combos, but those who just want a good experience.
For me, I enjoyed this game more than any previous games, but it doesn’t mean it is perfect. My first complaint is the camera angle during combat – it doesn’t automatically turn. Quite often I could not see my enemies in combat, as I was busy pressing action buttons and forgot I have to manually adjust the camera towards their direction. It is such a hassle and I often got hit while I was doing it. As a game with heated combats, automatic camera adjustment is a must. The second complaint is the enemy design. There are some color-coded monsters you can only hit with either angelic or demonic weapons, otherwise your attack will be just bounced back. I don’t really like this design because it breaks the flow of combat. Secondly, the developer did not do a good job in boss design. Boss design is actually very important to Devil May Cry – a game with a heavy focus on combat. The news host is good, but other bosses are quite boring. Also, in the fight with the spawn, environmental lighting is too flashy for a fight as I could not perceive incoming attacks timely due to the light pollution level of lighting. There is no humanoid boss as well, except Vergil. It is a universal truth in the DMC games – humanoid boss is always the better boss.
Speaking of Vergil, it leads to my main complaint about the story and also the entire game. The whole story is well structured and reasonable, except the ending which leads to a fight with Vergil. It lacks some serious setup in the story to justify Vergil’s final betrayal to Dante. As far as I am concerned, this betrayal is out of nowhere and completely groundless, to the point I think the developer just wanted to make them fight, no matter how sudden it is. As for the fight itself, it is a ramification of Vergil fight in DMC 3. Not as good as DMC 3, but it is okay. However, I don’t understand why made Dante needs to be in Devil Trigger form to be able to deliver the final hit to Vergil, otherwise all attacks would be blocked by Vergil’s double and Vergil would regenerate. It is certainly more epic to have to use Devil Trigger, but the game never tells you nor gives you any tips that you have to do this, causing quite a confusion that turns the fight into sour.
As said before, the story is fine, it is the characterizing that probably where the major hate came from g. This version of Dante is drastically different from the previous version: all the cockiness is greatly turned down and more subtly (not in language) is added to accommodate the more western and realistic storytelling. He is more immature and inexperienced and the story shows how he outgrew himself and turned into a more mature man. I like this version as well and it doesn’t make sense to me comparing two versions - they bear the same name and share some similar settings, yet fundamentally they are two different persons. I think this character deserves some more fair interpretation and people should drop the comparison.
This game not only runs good but also looks good – it is a very beautiful game and I think the art design is where the later Devil May Cry 5 was inspired most. Unlike previous games that most happen in dark, gothic environments, this game has a good variety of environments. They are aesthetic, colorful and in different color palettes, like a breath of fresh air to ease your fatigue from looking at similar environments too much.
This game took me around 9 hours on Nephilim difficulty (the hardest difficulty at get-go), much shorter than previous games (except DMC 2) due to difficulty. Though Nephilim is a fair difficulty that neither too hard nor too easy, I think Son of Sparta would be the one DMC players really enjoy for being the true equivalent of previous normal difficulty, which unfortunately is locked at get-go. There is also a Vergil DLC taking less than 3 hours on Nephilim. Unlike previous games that Vergil is a playable character, it is a complete campaign showing what happens to Vergil after being defeated by Dante, as a foreshadow of the sequel which unfortunately will never come. Vergil’s fight style shows a lot of restraints, which well fit with his personality. I like this DLC a lot because of this.
Once again, this game is actually very good despite it is not the sequel fans wanted. I played this game a bit many years ago, but only after I played DMC 1 to 4 that I found this game impressive. Whether you are a DMC fan or not, this game deserves a try. And if you decide to do it, don't miss the Vergil DLC.

My favorite meme about this is "Donté, el exterminador de demonios"

severely underrated, as someone who has played and completed every single Devil May Cry game multiple times I have to say that even though it isn't on the same level as the later games in the franchise it is far from an awful game.
the biggest problem is the fact that it is labelled as a devil may cry game. if the story changed and was its own property it would be seen as a great game if a bit edgy.

ITS NOT GOOD AS ORIGINAL DEVIL MAY CRY BUT AT THE END ITS GOOD GAME

Better than DMC 2

It's very good, just treat it as a non-canon Devil May Cry and you're good to go

Short version:
Pros:
+ Action-packed
+ Cool visuals
+ Epic soundtrack
+ Challenging
+ Fluid and responsive controls
+ Some weird/epic boss fights
Cons:
- Story is a bit predictable
- DLC is fun but not as compelling
“Long” version:
DMC: Devil May Cry is an action hack ‘n’ slash brought to us by Ninja Theory and published by Capcom.
You play as Dante, a half-demon – half-angel guy who must stop Mundus (the Demon King) with the help of his twin brother Vergil and a human girl called Kat.
The story is a bit predictable – you can see pretty much everything coming from a mile away. There is always something in the way that prevents you from confronting the final boss and you must deal with many other problems first. It is not a bad story, per se, but I would have enjoyed more nuanced characters and a hefty dose of character development for the villains.
Gameplay is outstanding.
Exploration is very forgiving and will not penalize you heavily for mistakes – you can either get damaged from environmental hazards or just fall off the map. Either way, the health you lose is not that noticeable, even on the higher difficulties.
Combat is the other side of gameplay and, man, it is great. You have quite a vast arsenal to choose from and all weapons play differently. You start out with a couple of weapons but steadily unlock more.
Weapons can either be of the “angel” or “demon” variety and some enemies are only vulnerable to a specific type. This spices things up and requires you to change tactics and weapons. I found myself not liking one of the weapons (Eryx – the demon fists) but there was another one I could use. You can also use ranged weapons which are usually the best option to keep your combo going, as they usually lack the damage output to dispose of enemies.
The controls are a bit complex at first, as you must memorize the combos and, just as an example, hold a particular key to keep a weapon selected, but once you give it a few tries, you will be slaying demons left and right. It is fluid and responsive.
DMC: Devil May Cry is also sporting a sexy combo/scoring system that rewards mix-ups, speed and not being hit. It is quite challenging to get through fights unscathed but, again, once you get good at it, there is nothing more satisfying.
The enemies are relentless – they usually spawn in groups and are paired up with other types of bad guys. You can, for example, encounter enemies which attack at range while you deal with melee monsters, or a big, slow, powerful demon with smaller, weaker ones that swarm you.
You also get to fight several epic bosses – sure, most of them are kind of gross but they are super creative –the Succubus boss battle reminded me of that Slurm episode in Futurama! Bob Barbas and Lillith are highlights in terms of creativity
The game is challenging… Really challenging if you are going for some of the more… “exotic” difficulties. But it is never unfair. The enemies telegraph their attacks and it’s usually manageable.
Graphics are up next.
The graphics are good but they are carried by the art direction – the clever twists on the environment when you are in Limbo (basically a distorted parallel dimension, full of demons where you do most of the fighting) are really cool. You get to visit a wide number of varied locations and they look very good.
Character models look good too – I am aware most fans of the franchise hate Dante’s new design and I can respect that but, as a DMC layman, I have not played any other game in the franchise (yet) so it did not bother me.
Enemy design is awesome – the demons look amazing. They are twisted and gross. There are also quite a few different types which prevents combat from feeling same-y.
Ok, onto sound.
The soundtrack is bada$$. Sort of like a combination of Killing Floor’s and Payday 2’s soundtrack. Really got me in the mood for demon slaying.
Voice acting is surprisingly good. Some of the dialogue might be just “OK” at times but most actors do a good job.
The game has a total of 20 missions and it should take you a considerable amount of time to complete once. If you enjoy going for achievements, there is even more content as you will have to complete the game several times.
You can also get the DLC, Vergil’s Downfall. It is a decent side-story but it lacks the polish and care put into the base game. You do play as a different character though and Vergil has some rad moves, so I would still recommend it on a sale.
DMC: Devil May Cry goes on sale often and I can confidently recommend it if you are looking for an action-packed adventure that offers you a challenge. You do not have to know the characters to play this one, it stands on its own. If you are a die-hard fan of the originals, I still feel like the combat is fluid enough to justify giving this a try.
Final score: 8.5 out of 10.
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