DmC: Devil May Cry: A Series’ Return to Greatness

While we’re all anxiously awaiting the March 2019 release of Devil May Cry 5, let’s take a step back in time to the reboot of the franchise, DmC: Devil May Cry. Developed by Ninja Theory and published by the original creators of the series, Capcom, the action-adventure, hack-and-slash game was released to widely positive reviews, despite the dubious fans who didn’t think much of it. By creating a game in an alternate reality, the game had a distinct and individual playstyle from its predecessors.

In the original games, Dante, the main protagonist, was a half demon, but in the reboot, he’s a Nephilim — half demon, half angel. He and his brother, Vergil, are in a race to take revenge on the demon king, Mundus. The main bulk of the gameplay happens in Limbo City, a parallel plane to action Limbo, with nearly everyone being controlled by the demons who reside on the other plane. These brothers work together to avenge their parents and to topple the cruel king’s rule, with the help of a psychic human, Kat. I won’t spoil the ending if you want to check it out yourself (and I think that you should). Once you do, consider getting the DLC, Vergil’s Downfall, which allows the player to play as Vergil, following the events of the end of the game.

Ninja Theory has made the setting design the forefront of this masterpiece, completely changing the style between Limbo City, and the other dimensional, Limbo. In this remake, the visuals are crisp and clean, utilizing the abstract design of Limbo to change up from the dark and crumbling city. Limbo tended to be dark, lit up by sharp reds and oranges.

The gameplay focuses on Dante in human form with his classic sword, Rebellion, and his twin pistols, Ebony and Ivory. In Angel Mode, he switches to a scythe, Osiris, and in Demon Mode, he changes to an ax, Arbiter. Dante runs through the world literally hacking and slashing everything within reach. You can perform some crazy moves, like stringing together endless attacks through each mode of play, leaving a mess of carnage behind him.

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Combat is fluid and easy to control. There are no quick-time events to hit in a seemingly nonsensical sequence that you can never manage to hit. Enemies telegraph their movements, so with a little practice, you can see every attack and counter it nearly every time.

DmC: Devil May Cry doesn’t just focus on combat, it also has some excellent platforming elements. This really shines in Limbo, letting you explore all the devilish corners of the world. While it flows from one area to another, the layout promotes exploration. If you’re at all like me, you don’t really need the incentive to find every corner, but it’s there. With the grappling and soaring ability early on, you can reach nearly every corner of the map, if you’re dedicated and willful.

There has been one DLC, and I’m always driven to play a game again to complete the newest addition. There’s really nothing to keep you from playing again. Everything about this game is pretty solid. It takes away the surprise and a little bit of the exhilaration that drove you through the first time. If you have a hankering for killing some demons, come back to DmC.

DmC: Devil May Cry released to great reviews at over 80%. This is for a good reason. This game is going to pull you in, set you to town working your way through demons and supernatural beings, and give you a dark story that you won’t want to step away from. I, personally, love this version better than the original, because it was a genuinely fantastic game.