Now I’m gonna be honest with ya, I’m a big fan of Devil May Cry. When it comes to a quipping anti-hero, I’m there in a heart beat. Maybe that’s why I like Han Solo more than Luke when it comes to Star Wars. The game itself is rebuilt from the ground up with only lingering semblance to the franchise it borrowed its name from. So if you’re a new player, here’s a great stepping stone. If you’ve been with the franchise from the beginning though, it could be hit or miss.
The general gist of DMC is that you play as Dante, a son of the demon Sparda, hell bent on avenging his family by killing the Lord of Demons: Mundus. Along the way you find your brother Vergil is still alive, and you gain a female sidekick to help you through levels which you’ll have to rescue later. Still here? Ok, let’s continue with the review.
Story
When you start this almost swashbuckling tale, you find our lovely anti-hero Dante shaking off a hangover after a night of drinking and easy women.
The world of DMC shows what happens when corporate greed gets a little bit of help from hell to make the world into a faustian nightmare that caters to fulfilling the needs of the seven deadly sins. (Wait did I just go political there?) The underlying warning that corporate greed is evil, is seen throughout the game as Mundus sends swarm after swarm of monsters and police after the hero all with the use of his charisma… I mean Cash. He paints Dante as a terrorist with the media, causing a good chunk of the trouble for the hero.
Underlying the strife between Dante and Mundus is the backstory between the brothers and how their parents really put a kink in Mundus’s plans.
Gameplay
As always the key fundamental of a Devil May Cry game is to hack, slash, shoot, and blow up your enemies and DMC doesn’t disappoint. With break neck speed game play and a fast and loose combat system DMC will leave both newcomers and veterans with something to learn.
A great staple of this series are the numerous weapons you receive and DMC continues this trend allowing to take demons out through the use of a sword, an axe, and a good pair of gauntlets. Your weapons really do shape how you play and getting used to each makes you a better player.
Like with any third person action game, prepare to jump, dodge, and block enemies. In DMC players will be fighting numerous enemies and bosses, and each one has a certain pattern. Being able to mix your offensive and defensive skills will be a must.
Art
DMC, as stated before, shows a world corrupted by the rich on a demonic level. In DMC the world is cut into two. There is the human world, where everything looks normal and sane, then there’s Limbo. Inside Limbo the players get to see what the corporate owners of the world are really selling and how it’s quickly turning society into a world of sheep with the demons as their shepherds. Ninja Theory’s redesign and retool of characters are very sharp giving them a more contemporary and younger look. Some of these are a hit, such as Vergil and Kat, but some are severely lacking and almost lazy.
Replayability
DMC comes with numerous difficulty levels, some only unlocked by completing the game. Players can test their skills against harder and harder hordes of enemies. Collectables also appear in the game and grabbing each one helps your rank on completing levels and scoring items and upgrades.
Final JudgementSmall Rant so please bear with me. If you’re a MRA member, go f**k off for a moment.
I hated the bloody game. And it’s mainly because of story. Being a big fan of the old series, I enjoyed the strong female characters that were on par with Dante in class in skill. Sadly, they replaced these strong women for Kat, a typical damsel in distress. While we saw a character like that in Devil May Cry 4 she was equaled out with a pair of really strong female characters.
Next we have Dante. Instead of a roguish male lead that we’re all used to, we have a misogynistic thug.This isn’t the first time that Dante was depicted as a teen anti-hero, but his need to constantly let Kat know he doesn’t need her help, and just pure annoyance at relying on a mere woman for help is a little off putting.
There now that I’m done with that….
DMC: Devil May Cry is actually a nicely done remake of a classic franchise, redoing the world to give it a more modern flare and losing some of it’s gothic architecture, and integrating the city into dungeons makes the game have a unique style. The story is a little rough around the edges, but don’t let it stop you from enjoying the great hack/slash that it is. The combat mechanics are solid and as long as you can keep up with the patterns, playing the game on any difficulty will be a breeze. By Jason Anderson, edited by Greg Dinkelman
