DmC: Devil May Cry Review

DmC: Devil May Cry – intro

Devil May Cry is back to reclaim its crown as the king of hack and slash. Bayonetta’s slinky moves and God of War’s grandeur might have overshadowed Devil May Cry in recent years, but now Capcom’s frenzied action series is back with a full-on reboot – masterminded by Brit developers Ninja Theory – that promises to keep the magic while bringing the series up to date.

DmC: Devil May Cry – new Dante

The instantly noticeable change is the new look for series hero Dante. Out goes the foppish, silver-haired emo of old, in comes a cocky punk with enviable abs, a devil-may-care attitude and Billy Idol’s sneer. While there’s no denying that the smouldering new Dante doesn’t cut as distinctive a figure as his gothic predecessor, he does pull off his rebel chic with enough swagger to more than make up for it. New Dante is also a better fit for Devil May Cry 2013’s twisted urban setting where sneaky demons have overtaken the world with a combination of CCTV, debt and fizzy drinks.

DmC: Devil May Cry – Limbo

The move to the city means the chilly gothic castles of the earlier games are gone but the new environments are stunning. Rather than fighting in everyday streets, Dante is repeatedly dragged into Limbo, a demonic parallel world where streets rip open and masonry morphs into higgledy-piggledy platforms. Think Inception but more twisted. The resulting topsy turvy visual feast is a triumph of imagination. It’s not just for show either because the ever-warping world not only provides platforming opportunities but also becomes a threat as deadly and dangerous as the demon spawn Dante needs to fight.

DmC: Devil May Cry – Ebony and Ivory

While the wild world and new dishy Dante highlight how Devil May Cry has changed, the action sticks to tradition. Devil May Cry has always thrived on its focus of stylish and fast-paced demon slaughter and this is no expectation. Dante is armed to the teeth with a sword, grapples, an angelic scythe, a demonic axe and – of course – his trusty pistols: Ebony and Ivory. Combined, this arsenal of supernatural weaponry offers plenty of scope to execute and chain together impressively over-the-top attack combos that are nothing short of awesome fun.

DmC: Devil May Cry – demons and difficulty

Dante’s generous supply of combos and weapons is counterbalanced by a wide variety of gnarly demons. Different demons require different approaches and that ensures DmC is no push over. In fact, it’s a pretty demanding game that really presses players to hone their combat and combo skills as they progress towards later stages of the game. Even when the main challenge is over there are several remixed and even more difficult versions of the game to test your moves against. There’s also a plentiful supply of secret missions to discover and side challenges to complete, such as freeing lost souls from Limbo.

DmC: Devil May Cry – bosses

But while the range of demons are welcome and present a decent challenge, DmC’s bosses are a more hit and miss affair with some boss encounters dragging on and others feel underwhelming. It’s more disappointing than ruinous, but given the polish and quality elsewhere in the game, it’s a shame that the bosses ended up in the mediocre bin.

DmC: Devil May Cry – verdict

Ninja Theory’s reinvention of Devil May Cry may graft a new look onto the series but the core thrills of dispatching demons in a blaze of blades and bullets remains pleasingly intact. Add to that the cleverly twisted worlds and plenty of meaty challenge and even the so-so boss battles can’t steal this game’s thunder. Gaming in 2013 is off to an impressive start.