Review: Devil May Cry V
NOTE: This mini-review will contain as little spoilers as I can make, but it will contain some descriptions gameplay elements not widely promoted before the release of the game. Proceed with caution if you're avoiding spoilers.
Devil May Cry V is a sequel to the much beloved Devil May Cry Series, and this game ups the stakes with more high octane blood pumping hack and slash gameplay. What can I say about this game, just wow. Devil May Cry V mainly follows the story of Virgil as he swears to get revenge on the newly self-appointed Demon King who is now trying to take over the world. Dante gets a job request by a mysterious figure known only as 'V'. Dante, Trish, Lady, Nero and new comers, V and Nico (who helps Nero on his missions, crafting new weapons to use as a replacement hand.
I've played every Devil May Cry Series before jumping into this and noticed a few things that were a tad off about this venture. First of all, the story seemed more serious and less comicly overdramatic - the graphics, though good, also were very dark in a very intentional style choice which much bugged me as all the areas start feeling the same and don't have enough unique set pieces to keep my knowing what Mission I'm in on multiple playthroughs. Another very minor "issue" is (and I won't pretend that I'm not serious veteran to the series) I played on the hardest difficulty available (which without unlocking anything is Devil Hunter / Normal) and I had very little trouble in any of the fights, only dying about four times throughout the whole game, mainly to me acting reckless in boss fights. Though it is a good thing for newcomers, it just felt a little too easy, which is much unlike the Devil May Cry style. (However, harder difficulties do unlock after beating Normal Mode, and so far they are bringing more of a challenge making them a lot more fun for me to plow through.)
The puzzles were rather straight forward, and the secrets well hidden (in fact I didn't even know about Secret Missions returning in this game until one of the levels close to the end of the game when I stumbled across it) and the classic level really does show and you can feel the soul of DMC in this game, which was missing from the Reboot. The music is a bit hit and miss for me, as I prefer the harder and orchestral styles over the electronic sounds, however, nothing- and I mean nothing can touch the glory of 'Devils Never Cry' the ending from Devil May Cry 3- so they were up against some tough competition. Luckily Capcom were nice enough to include a music pack for all past DMC game in some DLC that's available for purchase right now on your preferred consoles eShop. The customization in this game is, frankly, insane - with so many upgrades to buy, making replays more desirable and aiming for the best score on each mission something that I'll be sure to do as soon as I can.
Source: The Official Capcom Website
Japan even had exclusive DLC in the form of a new weapon for Nero, the Banana Buster. Sadly, this amazing weapon isn't available to buy outside of Japan, but we can only hope it eventually gets released worldwide. I really did enjoy my time with Devil May Cry V, and plan to continue playing the game in my spare time (now that I've finished the game more than once.) The replay value for me will be lasting, even if the campaign is only about 6-10 hours on a moderate skill level. With Bloody Palace returning as a free DLC update in April, DMCV will keep hardcore hack and slash players coming back for more. Devil May Cry V is available on the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One and can be found in any major retail store.
I had tons of fun with this game man, and there was so many hype moments. This was truly a love letter to the fans. Capcom is definitely back.
No doubt about it man. I'm enjoying this one heaps!