Alright, I’ll start with my overall opinion – this game is awesome! For those who know me as a story-seeker, this may come as a surprise how much I like this game. But what they don’t know is that I have that little inner perfectionist in me who likes the living shit out of stuff like this. The original Devil May Cry games were score-attack masters who stressed mastering their combat system, and were brutally punishing to button-mashers. This reboot of the series does right by the brand, while still feeling like a unique creation too.
To start with, the new design and character of Dante suits him. Instead of being the wise-cracking goof from the original games, he is a typical bad-boy who just so happens to have a lot of good beneath him, that comes through at the end. He is just as ridiculous and silly, but this was intentional. The story is much the same as well. While the narrative makes a lot more sense than the original series, it doesn’t take itself seriously at all, and neither should you. If you like some old-fashioned action cheese, there will be a lot for you to like in this game. And it is a well-constructed narrative that, even though it never takes itself seriously, does take time to grow the characters, and keep you rooting for the heroes. All in all, it is silly, but totally fun. Not to mention funny. This game is good at making fun of itself and keeping things fresh. Ninja Theory knew what kind of game this was supposed to be, and they did it well.
Another thing worth mentioning are the environments. When I was playing this game, the look and feel of Limbo took me back to another favorite game of mine – Alice: Madness Returns. In fact, I would be surprised if a LOT of the imagery and style wasn’t borrowed from that. But it is a look that suits the game. Limbo is a neat place. Now, some of the textures aren’t as up to date as one would expect a modern game to be. I suspect that the same engine that was used to make Resident Evil 6 was used to make this game. But it is by NO means a bad looking game. It looks awesome.
Despite how linear the environments are, they do incentivise exploration, so you can find all the neat collectables, which helps add to your final score. That is one point that new players will have to deal with – the intricate level design is going to hurt your speed for the first few times. Once you get unlocks from later in the game, and you are able to get the collectibles from earlier levels, that will help you.
But, the thing that matters most in any Devil May Cry game is the combat. And this game owns! I am so glad that this game got pushed back. They got everything right with combat in this game. The combat focuses on the duality of Dante as part angel and part demon. In addition to his sword and guns, Dante can also seamlessly use an angelic weapon and a demonic weapon. The transition between weapons is completely seamless, and it flows so incredibly well. A skilled player can keep a combo chain going throughout an entire fight, and it looks amazing. So much of the fun that I have had from this game came from the absolutely awesome look of how combat goes in this game. Now, each weapon comes with its own learning curve, and its own style. The angelic weapons are all about style and finesse, while the demonic weapons are about brute force. But when you learn to mix and match how you use them, it looks awesome! Combat is the best part of any Devil May Cry game, and Ninja Theory totally ran with that. Combat is almost perfect in this game.
With that said, there is one major hiccup – the bosses. Now, don’t get me wrong, they look cool, and they are imaginative. But the problem is that the boss battles are less about the same seamless style that the rest of the combat in the game is so adept at, and more about finding a weakness, and then exploiting it. Rinse, lather, repeat. That’s not to say that the boss fights aren’t fun, they are, but there isn’t too especially much strategy involved. That is a real bummer.
All in all, this is a very good game. Is it great? No, but that’s okay. This is a game that doesn’t shoot for the stars. It panders to a very specific market, but it does this incredibly well. Ninja Theory did right by the brand they were given, but still made it their own creation. I am eager to see where they go with this franchise. Pick it up, if you are a perfectionist who likes to beat the shit out of demons, and has an affinity for action cheese.
Final Verdict:
8 out of 10
Peace out,
Maverick
Lucien Maverick's Den 