The flavor text for Devil May Cry 5 on the PS5 reads, in all caps: "DEVIL MAY CRY IS BACK, BABY!!" which is probably the most accurate summation anyone can give this thing. It's more Devil May Cry, and the first in the series since everyone's favorite punching bag DmC got knocked right off the chain and exploded into a cloud of acrid dust.
I probably shouldn't need to explain what Devil May Cry is. It's the grandfather of the character-action genre, and although the series took an 11 year hiatus, its legacy has been kept alive thanks to games like Vanquished and Bayonetta. Even if you've never played a Devil May Cry game, you probably know exactly what to expect from it: over-the-top combo driven action, ridiculous movesets, and extremely campy stories.
Where Devil May Cry 5 sets itself apart is in its maturity. That isn't to say DMC has become more grounded or less wacky or anything like that, but rather that Devil May Cry 5 feels like a suitable evolution of a series that has been around since the Playsation 2. It's so affirmed in its identity and design that there's scarcely a single area where it falters. The most experimental thing 5 does is give you three characters to play as, each with their own playstyles that aren't so radically different that they require a complete readjustment. If you've played the last four Devil May Cry games (and by that I mean 1, 3, and 4. I think we can all agree 2 doesn't exist) and spend any amount of time in 5 it will quickly become apparent that the team behind this game knew exactly what made Devil May Cry work. So much so that Devil May Cry 5 is hands down my favorite entry in the series.
Of course this is another RE Engine game, so I do have to bring up how good it looks. Ray tracing makes the early levels stand out even more, though DMC5 still looks gorgeous in performance mode. Most importantly, it runs at a stable 30/60 depending on which mode you're in. I think a solid framerate is every bit as important to a character-action game as it is to a fighting game or Souls title. If you're bouncing between 40-50fps then the action is just going to be nauseating. Thankfully I didn't encounter any weird texture issues like I had in Resident Evil 3, and even if you forgo fidelity for performance, DMC5 still looks great.
The only thing I need from a new Devil May Cry is that it's a god damn Devil May Cry, and that's exactly what DMC5 is. It doesn't fuck with the formula or the characters, but rather pushes them ahead with a certain self-assuredness that speaks to the confidence and experience of the team behind it. Also, it has Devil Trigger, the best song in the whole series. I had a friend who wasn't into Devil May Cry listen to it once. He told me he hated it, said it was "cringe." You know, we're all like, god's creatures or whatever, but god also made dung beetles. Insects that literally roll big balls of shit around. Food for thought.
I probably shouldn't need to explain what Devil May Cry is. It's the grandfather of the character-action genre, and although the series took an 11 year hiatus, its legacy has been kept alive thanks to games like Vanquished and Bayonetta. Even if you've never played a Devil May Cry game, you probably know exactly what to expect from it: over-the-top combo driven action, ridiculous movesets, and extremely campy stories.
Where Devil May Cry 5 sets itself apart is in its maturity. That isn't to say DMC has become more grounded or less wacky or anything like that, but rather that Devil May Cry 5 feels like a suitable evolution of a series that has been around since the Playsation 2. It's so affirmed in its identity and design that there's scarcely a single area where it falters. The most experimental thing 5 does is give you three characters to play as, each with their own playstyles that aren't so radically different that they require a complete readjustment. If you've played the last four Devil May Cry games (and by that I mean 1, 3, and 4. I think we can all agree 2 doesn't exist) and spend any amount of time in 5 it will quickly become apparent that the team behind this game knew exactly what made Devil May Cry work. So much so that Devil May Cry 5 is hands down my favorite entry in the series.
Of course this is another RE Engine game, so I do have to bring up how good it looks. Ray tracing makes the early levels stand out even more, though DMC5 still looks gorgeous in performance mode. Most importantly, it runs at a stable 30/60 depending on which mode you're in. I think a solid framerate is every bit as important to a character-action game as it is to a fighting game or Souls title. If you're bouncing between 40-50fps then the action is just going to be nauseating. Thankfully I didn't encounter any weird texture issues like I had in Resident Evil 3, and even if you forgo fidelity for performance, DMC5 still looks great.
The only thing I need from a new Devil May Cry is that it's a god damn Devil May Cry, and that's exactly what DMC5 is. It doesn't fuck with the formula or the characters, but rather pushes them ahead with a certain self-assuredness that speaks to the confidence and experience of the team behind it. Also, it has Devil Trigger, the best song in the whole series. I had a friend who wasn't into Devil May Cry listen to it once. He told me he hated it, said it was "cringe." You know, we're all like, god's creatures or whatever, but god also made dung beetles. Insects that literally roll big balls of shit around. Food for thought.
7 Comments
If you're playing an action game with a butt metal soundtrack where all of the sudden LYRICS kick in in the boss battles or whatever,, and you DONT immediately feel like you could walk through a fuckin wall, you are lower than a dog to me
This comment was deleted
But DJSCheddar, your avatar is a dog!
My avatar is Missile the dog, who is many orders of magnitude above the average dog and also most humans. Almost on the level of a cat.
whoa
@DJSCheddar shit I thought you were the dog from silent hill 2 this whole time!
@HylianBran that has somehow never crossed my mind lol. I should change it to that for Halloween
FallenGrace
1 year ago