Plays the best of any game in the series. While the V segments are good on their own, they are not what I want from the game. Certain narrative beats are great, but the overall story feels very secondary (just as in the other DMC games.)
Vividly remember holding a controller that was not plugged in while my sister played the game. Later went back and concluded that it was a Crash game not really worth discussing on its own, only in the context of other Crash games.
It's the first game but with better stealth mechanics. The main highlights are the level setpeices. Don't feel pressured to choose the new girl, either powerset is nice.
The limited interaction with nonlethal playstyles sometimes gets in the way, but otherwise a great game, due in large part to the amazing worldbuilding and the modern approach to the immersive sim.
Short but good first playthrough. I felt comfortable playing a few of the challenges and a tiny bit of the endless mode, but you shouldn't buy the game for replayability.