If you were to ask me what my favorite video game of all time is, I would probably be hard pressed to give you a straight answer. I love the Legend of Zelda for its creative scope, gameplay, and memorable elements throughout the game series. I respect the art and story focused designs of games from FromSoft, like Dark Souls and Bloodborne, but my favorite game of all time just might be Devil May Cry 5.
I love the Devil May Cry series in general, and even picking the fifth game is hard for me because I have a very soft spot for Devil May Cry 3 and 4 as well. I was first introduced to Devil May Cry when I went to my local vintage video game store to sell some games and get a little in-store credit. I got about 20$ for my used games, and I decided to use it as in-store credit. I was just getting into the Castlevania series at the time, and I was looking for anything Gothic in my purchase. Lo and behold, I came across Devil May Cry 4 and Castlevania: Lament of Innocence. I played Devil May Cry 4 first, and I was blown away.
The over the top action, the heavy metal soundtrack, the stylish cinematography, and the style system of combat drew me in and enthralled me to no end. That summer, I bought Devil May Cry 1, 2, and 3 and beat 1 and 3. 2 is a little bit of a blunder for the series, but that's a story for another time. The game catered to my emo and edgy style of high school, and it still does appeal to me on the same terms.
Which leads me to Devil May Cry 5, and the main point of this article. Devil May Cry 5 is a fun game that delivers on almost all aspects. The game looks fantastic overall. The character design is hyper-detailed, beautiful, and has that flair of constrained style that Hideaki Itsuno, the game's creator, brought to the original game. The environments are incredibly detailed, especially for a Devil May Cry game, and it really nails the setting of demons invading the world. The only thing that I could complain about in terms of graphics is that the environments do tend to mesh together and became stagnant after the halfway point in the game, but the gameplay and story make up for that in spades.
The story itself is quite impressive for Devil May Cry. The series hasn't been known for its story, as the first two games never really had that much focus on the plot and took more emphasis on gameplay. Devil May Cry 3 had the best story of the original four games with its focus on Dante's growth as a demon hunter and the themes of familial feuds as exemplified in the character arcs of Dante, Vergil, and Lady. However, Devil May Cry 5 amps up the plot and features many more cutscenes, sections of dialogue in gameplay, and characterization in general. It follows the same themes as Devil May Cry 3 with its focus on family and the bond of Dante and Vergil, but it gives specific consideration to the concept of family, as Nero is revealed to be Vergil's son at the end of the game.
Music wise, the game is still fantastic. Devil May Cry has always been known to have amazing soundtracks, and the same can be said for Devil May Cry 5. It combines electronic, industrial, metal, and classical soundtrack orchestra to create an eclectic and unique sound for the aesthetic of the game.
Gameplay is still over the top and refined. The mechanics of Devil May Cry have stayed largely consistent throughout the series, and the combat is even more fun here. We get three different play styles with our three characters. Nero's style focuses on combining his buster technology with sword and gun combos, similar to his play in Devil May Cry 4, but this time he has a wide array of busters to use. They range from a standard electric shock all the way to slowing down time and one hit kills on enemies. Versatility is the name of the game for him and Dante. Dante sports his standard fighting style system and multiple weapons, giving the player so much variety to play the game and rack up some style points in combat.
But V has the most interesting mechanics out of all of them. he acts as sort of a demonologist, using familiars to fight for him. They are controlled by the player while V stands in the back, waiting to deliver killing blows. Although I have fun with V and I think that his gameplay is unique, I do think that it drags on and can get boring at points throughout his gameplay. He doesn't have as much variety in move sets as Dante or Nero, but he does require a practiced hand to master, and if you do master him, he can be a satisfying experience.
Overall, this game is fabulous to play. It delivers on all aspects and really is the Return of the King for Devil May Cry. It contains references galore, refined gameplay, and a story to leave fans and newcomers of the series satisfied and entertained. Also, Lady is the best girl and the best Devil May Cry babe in all of the games.
