Devil May Cry V is STRONG.

At the time of this writing, I’m about two and a half hours past clearing Devil May Cry V.  What did I think of it?  

What a mystery.  If only there was a blog post title people could read.

The wait’s been over for a good while, so naturally I’ve had time to give the game a whirl -- even if it meant sacrificing sleep and getting to bed at 3 in the morning at one point.  The tradeoff?  Comparatively, I haven’t had enough time to let it sit; I’d rather mull over the particulars for a bit -- let them whirl in my mind, and digest through my guts -- before I make any claims besides the title.  I’ll say this, though: having put in that time, the novelty of the franchise’s “return to form” has worn off.

Would I be as big a fan of this game if the franchise wasn’t seemingly assassinated by DmC?  Alternatively, was I (and everyone else) hyped up because of nostalgia casting a spell on us?  While there’s no definitive answer, the fact that I even have to ask those questions says plenty.  Beyond that?  As with plenty of other games, the time I’ve put into Devil May Cry V leads to familiarity with the nuances (sure, let’s call it that) and intimacy with the gears spinning behind the scenes.  It’s the same with fighting games; put in enough time with one, and you’ll know where it excels and falters.

Which isn’t to say that DMCV falters.  At least, not in any grievous way.  I don’t think it’s a perfect game by any means, and I’m not as blinded by excitement as I was on Day 1 (or Day -1, or -2, or whatever) so I can be a bit more impartial.  That said, whatever problems I have with it are easy to overlook thanks to the fun I had from start to finish.  The thrills were real.  The emotions were real.  The satisfaction was real.  The catharsis was real.  Nothing can ever take away those fond memories or genuine emotions -- happiness that, on occasion, I forget games can give out in this modern age of industry highs and lows.

To be honest, my complaints (right now) barely even qualify as complaints.  They’re more like observations.  Surprise at some of the design choices.  That applies to the gameplay and the story, of course; my faith in the dev team was ultimately rewarded, but the route they took to get me where I needed to go was…unexpected.  Without going too far into spoiler territory, my biggest complaint is that certain things don’t get as much play as they should, and I’m residually salty about it -- but the blow’s been softened because it’s almost a given that incoming DLC will give them their time to shine.

On an unrelated note: Nico’s the best.  Like, I’m fine with Kyrie (and secretly hoped for more out of her in DMCV), but now I’m just casually putting a hand on her face and gently pushing her aside to make more room for Nico.

The gameplay is absolutely the shining star here, as it should be, and that alone would cement DMCV’s status as a great game.  Even so, I have to admit I kind of dig the story.  It’s not high art, obviously, but it gets me and all of the devil hunters where we need to be.  Personally, I found it kind of compelling -- something that kept me invested between all the flash and noise.  I’m saying that as a fan of the franchise (and a nerd), but there’s enough here to thematically link this one to past titles in a way that, even with a minor amount of reflection, just sort of works.  Even if you can reliably guess what’ll happen and who’ll show up.

Again, I’m trying to avoid spoilers here, but V -- in a way -- sort of comes off as a refutation of DmC.  Maybe I’m reaching here because I hate that game and want it to burn in a specially-crafted tenth circle of Hell, but (setting obvious stylistic/tonal differences aside, of which there are many) the way V treats its specific, plot-embedded characters is the complete opposite of how DmC handled it.  It actually makes me want to laugh -- though three guesses as to which one actually does a good job.

Probably the nicest thing I could say about DMCV is that even though I just beat it a few hours ago, there’s a part of me that’s itching to play it more.  That same part of me is waiting -- salivating, even -- for the chance to bumble into, and subsequently get demolished in, the Bloody Palace.  Failing that, I’ll give the harder difficulties a whirl.  As a Dante boy, I’m still hungry for stylish crazy action with my favorite devil hunter.  But if I suddenly got blown away in a freak thunderstorm and suffered death by cyclone-bolstered lightning, I’d at least die happy with what I’ve gotten so far.

So you know what’s coming next, right?  More posts on DMCV in the future, so if you haven’t cleared or played it yet (and intend to), I suggest doing it soon.  That way I can go into spoilers without regret or fear of reprisal.  In the meantime?  Eh, I’m sure I can find something to buy me time.  Till then, I’ll leave you with one last tidbit: “Subhuman”, at least with its new vocals, is actually starting to grow on me.  A little.  Just a little.  “Devil Trigger” is still way better, but this’ll do.

Man, it’s gonna be so hard to get back into Kingdom Hearts III after this…