Home Review Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition review

Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition review

January 19, 2021

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It seems as of late, Capcom has really been on a roll. Games like Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Monster Hunter World, Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 have all put smiles on gamers faces. Now, with the arrival of PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition has arrived.

This special edition of the game comes with all-new features for the brand new consoles. These include enhanced visuals and performance, along with a new playable character, Vergil. If you’re a Devil May Cry fan, Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition is a must have on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition Details

Platform: PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S
Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Genre: Action-adventure, hack and slash
Modes: Single-player, multiplayer
ESRB Rating: M (Mature 17+)

Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition

It’s time to fight like hell!

Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition is a story driven direct sequel to 2008’s Devil May Cry 4. Realizing that it’s been quite some time since the last game, Capcom has included an option to fill gamers in on the back story of the 4 previous games. While I don’t want to give too much away to spoil the story, here is a brief overview of the story.

The events of Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition take place 5 years after Devil May Cry 4. Nero has set up his own demon hunting agency and is called, you guessed it, Devil May Cry. The demonic King known as Urizen has launched an attack against the world beginning in Red Grave City and is using a demon tree called the Qliphoth to kill people and suck their blood out.

A mysterious man, who calls himself V, shows up in Nero’s office to hire him with the sole intent of teaming up to hunt down and kill the demonic King. When the duo finally encounters Urizen in Red Grave City, they realize that they may have bitten off more than they can chew. Dante appears and commands V to take Nero to safety as he battles the demonic King.

Overall, I really enjoyed the game’s story. It certainly has its fair share of twists and turns, drama and surprises. Additionally, I like how Capcom made Dante, Nero and V’s story intertwine with one another throughout the game and then come together at the end of the game. With Vergil added as a playable character, I was a bit disappointed that Capcom really didn’t include his side of the story. Instead, you just get to play as him through all of the missions.

Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition

4 playable characters each with their own unique playstyles

Each character, Nero, Dante, V and Vergil offer different gameplay and fighting styles that separate themselves from each other to give you fresh new experiences each time you play as them.

Nero

After having his Devil Bringer Arm ripped from his limb, Nero is now equipped with mechanical Devil Breaker Arms engineered by his mechanic sidekick Nico. The ability of arms ranges from pulling enemies closer to you, to firing shockwaves from your fingers, to healing your wounds. There is even a Mega Buster, straight out of Mega Man, that you can equip and dish out devastating long-range attacks.

Dante

My personal favourite Dante, the legendary demon hunter, is equipped with his iconic dual pistols, Ebony & Ivory along with the Rebellion sword. And, has four different combat styles: Trickster, Swordmaster, Gunslinger, and Royalguard, which you can easily switch between with a press of the button. Stringing combos together using your guns and weapons that you acquire is easy and makes for quite a show on screen.

Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition

V

V, is quite possibly the most interesting of all the characters. We really don’t know much about him and he doesn’t attack his enemies directly per say. Instead, he commands a crow for ranged combat, a black panther for close range combat, and can summon a golem that causes some serious damage. The only caveat is that V must deal the final blow to his enemies to kill them.

Vergil

Finally, there is Vergil. He wields 3 main weapons and his Concentration mechanic has been brought back, similar to that of Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition. He also has new abilities such as a Block, the ability to Trick Dodge in multiple directions, Trick Down and offensive aerial Taunts. Additionally, you can now use all of Vergil’s Concentration Gauge to perform a new move called World of V. This is where Vergil impales himself with Yamato and transforms into V for a brief period of time to attack in a wide area with all of his familiars.

Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition

New gameplay additions

In addition to Vergil, Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition includes a Legendary Dark Knight mode and Turbo mode. The Legendary Dark Knight mode adds an even greater challenge to the game with more enemies who are considerably stronger.

While the Devil May Cry series has always been quick paced, Turbo mode takes it to a whole new level. The game’s speed has been jacked up an additional 20% for some truly fast and furious gameplay.

Next-generation enhanced visuals

One of the biggest enhancements to Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition comes in the form of Ray Tracing and High Frame rate modes. Each comes with a different set of configurations that you can play with. For example, the Ray Tracing Performance mode drops the resolution to 1080p and runs at 60fps with some ray tracing. On the other hand, the Graphics Ray Tracing mode uses quite a bit more ray tracing but has a noticeable variable frame rate. Finally, the High Frame rate mode allows you to run that game at 120fps.

In addition, Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition‘s soundtrack is one of the best in recent memory. The “heavy metal” score really gets your blood pumping when you are taking out the evil demons. And, as you build your Stylish Rank, the game’s music will change. The intensity increases with the addition of guitar riffs, more drum beats and eventually lyrics.

Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition

The Cameo System

The game’s multiplayer mode is not the traditional multiplayer that fans might have been hoping for. Instead, while playing, you can make guest appearances in other people’s games. You can’t select to join a friend’s game, instead you are randomly added to another user’s game.

There are only certain missions that support this. Sometimes it will be real-time, while other times it will be ghost data. At the end of the mission, you have the option to rate the guest players fighting style. If you get a stylish rating from another player, you’ll get rewarded.

It’s a bit puzzling why Capcom added this asynchronous online co-op system to the game. To be honest, it really doesn’t add much to the game.

Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition offers high paced action along with a strange but interesting story

Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition includes almost everything that fans have been waiting for. Each of the game’s playable characters offer distinctly different types of gameplay that help keep the action fresh. And, although Vergil’s side of the story isn’t told, the main story is filled with twists and turns and an exciting conclusion.

The game’s next-gen visuals are nothing short of amazing and the heavy metal themed soundtrack is a perfect compliment. Without a doubt, Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition is a must buy for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S fans of the series. If this is your first game in the series, there is no better time than now to jump in. With an option to get the back story from the previous mainline games in the series, you will have no worries at all understanding the story.

+ Interesting and uniquely different protagonists
+ Turbo mode jacks up the already fast gameplay by an additional 20%
+ Value priced
+ Breathtaking enhanced visuals with a fitting soundtrack

– Vergil’s side of the story is not told
– No true traditional multiplayer mode
– Some may get overwhelmed by the amount of skills you can learn