Devil in the Details – DMC: Devil May Cry Review

I classify most Remakes and Reboots under the same category as Fan-fiction. They have a lot in common, the whole idea is to take an existing setting, characters, and/or concept and expand on what is there. For an example, Total Recall had the idea of world that was set in the future where you can purchase memories, this stayed true to the original and the remake, however the setting was changed from Mars to a ruined earth and introduced some different ideas to the story.

This is what Capcom and Ninja Theory has done with the latest version of Devil May Cry, changing the look of the character and the setting to give the game a more modern setting, and introducing several new ideas in the process. The only question though is if this new ideas are strong enough to make the fans of the original series, who are understandably angry with the new direction, love the new Dante?

DMC’s new story focuses on the real world being ruled by demons, controlling mankind through hypnotic soft drinks, news propaganda, and debt. Dante at first doesn’t give a damn until The Order, a group of humans who are leading a rebellion against the demons, find him and explain the situation.  Dante learns that he and his twin brother Virgil are creatures known as Nephilim, the offspring of an Angel and Demon, which are the only creatures that can kill the Demon King.

The story for DMC is a basic revenge ‘chosen one looking for revenge’ story arc, while it’s nothing to special, it is tightly knit together. Almost everything is explain, from Dante and Virgil’s past, Mundus plan to rule the world through debt, down to the powers that Dante and Virgil gain through Limbo where most of the game take place in; we’ll go more into that later.

What make the game special though is it’s gameplay; Devil May Cry has always been about over the top action using swords and guns, and the latest entry is no different. Making a return from the previous entries is Dante’s trusty sword Rebellion and his pistols Ebony and Ivory, which are joined early on by new weapons with a specific alignment to Heaven and Hell. Heaven weapons are weak but faster then the Rebellion and are great for crowd control, while Hell weapons are slow and used as guard breakers. Using any of Heaven or Hell mode switches your ability for a fire arm with the ability to pull you towards the enemy or pull them and their shields towards you.

The new combat may sound complicated but it is easy in execution, using your back triggers to activate the modes allows you to link combos and clear out rooms of bad guys with ease and style. Like the previous Devil May Cry games; it’s heavily focused on aerial combat, and thanks to the new controls with adding a launch button and the Heaven or Hell triggers really makes things flow perfectly.

If there was one complaint I had with the combat was the use of the Devil Trigger. Devil Trigger for those unfamiliar with the series, is the games version of a rage mode. In the new DMC, Devil Trigger does this but sends all of your opponents in a stunned launch state. This is a problem because your still on the ground and in order to get to the launched height; you need to do the launch attack, also it separates the opponents so that your mainly focusing on the one enemy rather than a group. Needless to say, I’ve found little use for the Devil Trigger aside from the final boss battle when you absolutely have to use.

As great as the combat system is, it doesn’t compare to the games level design. The main combat areas of the game takes place in a location called Limbo, which is a colourful location that is hidden from the real world (which is represented by a bleak dark colours.) The world is full of Subliminal messages written over the walls and advertisements, and buildings apart to create platforms and traps for Dante, making it feel like the City is alive and attempting to harm you. It is one of the most interesting level design I’ve seen in games.

There is a lot of replay value in the form of Challenge maps and added difficulties. While playing the game you find keys that are suited for various different doors, these unlocks challenges for more Red and White souls (upgrade points.) Also hidden inside the levels are people stuck to the walls inside Limbo called Lost Souls, finding these creatures and opening the doors contribute to your final score when you beat the level. The game gives you a fair amount of difficulty settings, and while the game is easier based on the older Devil May Cry games, the higher unlockable difficulties can satisfy the challenge of any action gamer.

Like all of Ninja Theory’s games (Heavenly Sword, Enslaved) the graphics and animation are top notch. Combat is fluid and the cutscenes are great to look at, some of the stuff they do in the game makes the game look like a unique movie with some great art direction. (Like the scene where Vigil explain the brothers origins with Graffiti showing of picture show of what he’s talking about, or during one of the level’s graphics change to show the battle plan on a blackboard.)

The question I get a lot on the game is if DMC is better then the originals. It’s not an easy answer. Alone, the new DMC is one of the best action games I’ve played in a long time with an unique level design, stylish combat system, a great story and great graphics, it’s obvious there is a lot of love put into it. But the game is so different from the originals that they can’t be compared.