After the excellent work done with the Resident Evil 2 remake, Capcom is already ready with another 90 piece, or Devil May Cry 5 coming out next March 8, 2019. After having already tasted the title at Gamescom and through the recently published demo, this time we had the opportunity to strip it for good through a new full-bodied 4-hour test, corresponding to the first 11 game missions.
Exposing yourself too much after a preview session like this is almost always risky, but we want to do it anyway: Devil May Cry 5 it is potentially not only one of the best action of this generation, but probably the best action of all time. The work done by the Capcom team led by Hideaki Itsuno is unprecedented, we are talking about a title with a frightening amount of content, spread over 3 playable characters each characterized by a unique and damn fun fighting system.
Pad in hand, the feeling we had playing as Nero, V and Dante was that of having in our hands a monumental work that could set a new standard in the action game genre.
Let's start from the beginning: Devil May Cry 5 is set a few years after the events of the fourth chapter, and the prologue immediately throws us into the action with Nero, Dante and V struggling with a demon lord called Urizen, who has invaded the city of Red Grave City by planting a diabolical tree that has taken root everywhere. We will not go beyond this narrative incipit to tell you the story, all sorts of spoilers could spoil the surprise of finding out what Capcom has reserved for this fifth chapter. Just know that every single gameplay footage was flawlessly made, not only in terms of director, but also in terms of acting, sound and above all of "tamarria". Devil May Cry 5 will not disappoint on that front either, knowing how to dose the serious moments with the funny ones, and already from the prologue you will be completely struck by it.
During the first missions we will use Nero, which we had already analyzed thoroughly during the analysis of the first demo of the game. The news related to his character are not many and are mostly related to the discovery of new Devil Breakers, or the mechanical arms that we can use along the different missions of the game. In addition to the already known Gerbera, Overture and Punch Line, we can mention Rag Time, an arm that allows you to slow down enemies, Buster Arm, which allows you to make different holds depending on the enemies (including bosses), and Helter Skelter, which allows you to drill through enemies by breaking any kind of defense.
The characters we want to focus on after our test are obviously V and Dante. V is the real novelty of this Devil May Cry 5, not only because it is a new character for the series, but also because its fighting style is incredibly unique and original. In fact, V is a summoner, a summoner capable of using demonic creatures to fight. In fact, he does not have the strength and agility to compete with his enemies and the only way he has to counter them is to completely rely on his two trusted allies, Griffon e Shadow, two creatures with absolutely no random names and features, for those who played the first chapter. Griffon is a bird that is used in combat for ranged attacks, while Shadow is used for close range attacks. They can be used both at the same time using the keys dedicated to them and it is even possible to use them in tune to create incredible combos. The objective of V, in combat, will be only to give the enemies the final blow, highlighted by a discoloration of the enemies that will remain in a state of stun for a certain amount of time, otherwise they will return active.
But V's surprises don't end there, because he too can use the Devil Trigger, or the demonic power that will allow the young boy to summon Nightmare (again, name not by chance), a huge golem capable of doing unimaginable damage. The really nice thing about Nightmare are its entrances, always varied and in some cases even interactive with the game environment. The Devil Trigger can also be used to power up Griffon and Shadow, giving them a boost in terms of power and agility. Also, if the Devil Trigger bar isn't enough, you can have V read a book that will regenerate demonic energy. Of course, creatures are not immortal, and they too can perish under the blows of enemies. If this happens, V will have to stand near the fallen bodies and wait for the two allies to return to activity.
V's creatures can then be enhanced by purchasing upgrades and abilities in the game's special shop, in the case of Nightmare it will then even be possible to buy the ability to ride it and control it more directly.
Finally, we close with Dante, the true star of the game as well as the emblem of the series, despite the fact that the focus has shifted to Nero starting from Devil May Cry 4. The famous demon hunter will be usable starting from mission number 10 and right from the start, he proves to be, as always, the most complex and fun character to use. Following a bit what was already proposed in the previous chapter, here too Dante will have not only 4 different fighting styles, but also different weapons that can be changed on the fly in real time to create always different and more and more spectacular combos. The main styles are divided into: Trickster (increased agility and evasion skills), Royal Guard (based on parries and counterattacks), Gunslinger (focused on firearms) e Swordmaster (for sidearm attacks). Each of these styles is mapped to the 4 directional buttons.
As for weapons, Dante will start with the Rebellion and the set of Barlog. The Rebellion is the same sword as Devil May Cry 2 and features more or less the same combos that we have seen in the past, while as for Barlog, it is an interchangeable set that provides the possibility to focus on punching or kicking combos . The peculiarity of the Barlog is that the more hits are fired, the more there will be the possibility that the weapons ignite and cause more damage to enemies, as well as greater earning of style points. In the game of course Dante will get other weapons of which, however, we cannot mention, unfortunately, even if one has already been revealed and shown during the last Tokyo Games Show.
In addition to all this, let's not forget that Dante is a half demon and that by means of the Devil Trigger, he can take on demonic form for a limited period of time. which will grant him more power and access to completely unique moves depending on the weapon equipped. The gameplay possibilities with Dante are almost infinite and truly represents the pinnacle of the combat system proposed in this Devil May Cry 5. Playing in his shoes is also a videogame orgasm, the highest peak ever reached in a video game of this type. A dutiful mention for the boss fights, here practically omnipresent at almost every mission and each of them requires an approach and a study of the always different and never banal patterns. Speaking of which, forget about the extremely low difficulty level of the demo. We played at a normal level (called Devil Hunter) and we have already seen a notable difference, although still very "simple" for those who are a veteran of the series. We are confident that the more advanced levels it will be possible to fully exploit all the potential of the title.
We have no idea what the rest of the game's missions will look like, nor will they all maintain the same quality as the ones we've tried, but as far as we're concerned Capcom has already shown in recent years that they know how to give their fans what they need. Reason why, in our opinion, Devil May Cry 5 already represents the definitive chapter of the saga. Nero, V and Dante are three incredible characters to use: unique, varied and delightful. V's style is absolutely masterful for how it was conceived and imagined within the series. The plot is full of twists, the music simply "rock", graphically it is majestic for what it has to show, the direction is over the top and, finally, the gameplay is simply the best thing you could ever want from a game action of this type. The desire to return to playing Devil May Cry 5 is unimaginable. It was since the days of Bayonetta that there was no sense of having in your hands a giant capable of redefining the genre. "Devil May Cry is back".
► Devil May Cry 5 is an Action-Hack and Slash game developed and published by Capcom for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 08/03/2019
Devil May Cry 5 is a game to own at all costs: we decided to evaluate it with a 99%, if you are interested in learning more you can read the Devil May Cry 5 Review
