Never thought I’d see the day.
It kind of makes sense, though. If you blur your eyes a little, then coat them with Vaseline, put on a blindfold made of thumb tacks, and dip your head in a vat of jalapeno pepper juice, then you could maybe mistake Devil May Cry V for Kingdom Hearts III. Or, if that’s a bridge too far, then just remember that these two, long-awaited, high-profile releases came out in a relatively narrow window of time. And on top of that? Pared down to the ABSOLUTE basics, they have the same genre of gameplay.
True, DMCV isn’t an action RPG. KHIII isn’t a character action game. But on the lowest fundamental level, there’s some overlap. The former does have its share of character customization and leveling up, after all. The latter does pit you against hordes of dark forces with a slew of crazy abilities at your disposal. But before you come at me, let me elaborate: the devil’s in the details. Even though both games have different objectives and roadmaps to follow, the craft behind one puts it roughly 1.3 billion steps ahead the craft (and existence) of the other.
So pardon me, KHIII fans, but I’m going to have to use Squeenix’s latest as a whipping boy to prove my point conclusively. And get one step closer to talking about KHIII’s story, because HOOOOOOOOO-LEEEEEEE SHIT.
Savior! Bloodstained! Hellfire! Shadow!
SPOILERS on a landslide!
Savior! Bloodstained! Hellfire! Shadow!
SPOILERS on a landslide! (For real, though.)
Let’s get right into it. Oh, and…don’t worry. I’ll be gentle.
…
…I won’t be gentle.
1) A fully functional control scheme
We all make jokes about how you can get through virtually every KH game just by mashing X. Yeah, I know it’s not 100% true or accurate. There are other mechanics in place that help you against the Heartless -- magic at a bare minimum, but also launchers, air combo filler, and air-to-ground knockdowns. Just to name a few. You have options, be it in the earlier games or the latest.
And let’s be fair here: when it comes to DMC -- latest or otherwise -- you’ll need a working Triangle button. It’s what your primary melee attacks are mapped to, after all; guns are on Square, as usual, though they aren’t guaranteed to give you more damage or style points. So when you get down to it, is Nero attacking demons with his Red Queen inherently different from Sora attacking Heartless with his Keyblade? The answer is yes.
Here’s the thing: even if you bemoan DMCV for making you “mash Triangle” -- and that’s a strawman-tier generalization, but play along for a bit -- then consider that just one button in Capcom’s baby has more functionality than several in Sora’s arsenal.
Off the top of my head, here’s what you can do with Nero and one button in DMCV (assuming you get the requisite upgrades). You have access to four different combos, requiring a mix of mashing and pauses to select them mid-battle. Hold down the button, and you get an armored leap at foes. But the beauty of it is that you can expand Nero’s move set even further -- on the ground and in the air -- if you target an opponent. A rushing attack; a launcher; a swipe with a dodge built in; an aerial dive-bomb; an air-to-ground slam; an air-to-air slash. And on top of that, you get a different, practical combo extender in midair if you insert a pause.
In order to dispatch foes coolly and effectively, you have to mix it up -- and the game gives you the tools you need to mix it up in a simple but understandable manner. On top of that? Giving you full, manual control over when and and what you want to do it adds a level of satisfaction from the intricacy. You’re the one making decisions. You’re the one engaging, and making split-second choices on which moves will help you most in a scenario. And as a reminder: this is just with one button, and only makes it to two (out of nine, give or take) when you need to tap into a couple of extra moves.
It’s a little hard on KHIII to hold it to the exact same standards as DMCV. On the other hand, it was up to the devs to create a combat system and style that matched the genre mix-up -- something that wouldn’t risk the fanbase breaking their fingers just to make it to the Hundred Acre Wood. And guess what? They botched it; the old “mash X” stigma has followed KH for years, and the fact that the devs didn’t do enough (or much) to prove the naysayers wrong speaks to what might as well be willful ignorance. Sasuga Squeenix.
A huge amount of moment-to-moment decision-making is gone in KH, especially in III. The moves that determine your positioning are baked into your tool kit -- and to some extent, even previous games tasked players with using the finite resource of AP to equip them -- so that if you want to close in on an enemy, just hit X. If you want to hit them with a magic-based finisher, just keep hitting X. If you get hit and need to recover/restart your offense, just hit X.
There’s no variation in attacks, whether you include pauses or slam the button like a hyped-up woodpecker. Just hit X, and you’ll do your combo -- a combo that extends with each AP-consuming ability you equip, yes, but that just means mash X harder. There’s a fraction of the input diversity that virtually any DMC game has. And no matter how flashy the game looks, those bursting particle effects don’t hold a candle to a devil hunter slamming his sword down with wrathful might.
And speaking of diversity…
2) Diverse yet synchronous systems
I’m just going to come out and say it: Attractions in KHIII were a mistake.
I’m pretty sure I’m on record -- here on this very blog -- arguing that they were a tool in your arsenal to be used in your time of need. That was true at one point, but the further into the game you go, the more you cone to realize how non-essential they are. Even obtrusive. Your damage output and skills are enough to clear out hordes without much effort, so the screen-busting effects of Sora’s theme park weaponry are just an easy-mode gimmick that’s only used practically in about three instances over the course of the entire game. (Okay, for real though: why is Sora willing to declare the fight against a Heartless tornado hopeless when he just used a magic roller coaster to kill, like, a million of them in a matter of minutes? Has the lad gone mad?)
KHIII throws a lot at you, and only parts of it feel essential and/or integrated smoothly. I stopped using summons shortly after getting Wreck-It Ralph, and didn’t miss out on much. Shot-Locks are fine and have some uses, but I never felt the need to use them or considered them essential parts of my repertoire (minus one possible application, but I’ll get to that).
Basically, it all boiled down to physical attacks, magic -- the breadth of which got toned down from previous games, not counting the odd Flowmotion opportunity -- Formchanges with my Keyblades of choice, and the Situation Commands…which, in order of persona usage rankings, went something like Grand Magic > Formchanges > Limits > Rage Form. Also, two of those are rewards for mashing X, sooooooooooooooooooooo…ignorance continues to be bliss.
At its absolute best, KHIII scrapes its way to the level of “fine” -- held back by, among other things, a lingering sense of triviality in its core gameplay. Then you look over at DMCV, and you’ve got a game that seamlessly mixes dual rocket launchers, teleporting, a chainsaw motorcycle, and whirling energy swords. By default, DMCV has greater diversity in its gameplay bu virtue of having three starkly-different playable characters (KHIII also has three fighters in Sora, Riku, and Aqua, but the differences between them are negligible and fleeting). Still, for argument’s sake let’s focus solely on Nero again. What does he bring to the table?
Many things. The answer is many things -- but they all work together to create a complete, compelling character.
Nero has his sword. Cool beans. And he has his gun. Fine and dandy. But you’ll need to mix up the two in order to fight stylishly and practically, because the former is essentially the latter. Thankfully, the properties of each of Nero’s tools either expand his tool kit, or make one element stronger for the sake of victory. Even if his gun isn’t the absolute best in terms of damage per second, it still has practical functions in that 1) you can use it in midair to stay afloat and dodge attacks, 2) you can use it to hold enemies in place, either with charged shots or just basic bullets against launched demons, or just 3) it’s a gun, so shoot distant bastards without much fuss.
If there’s a problem mid-battle, there’s a solution a few button presses away. Distant enemy you need to slash? Use the Wire Snatch to close the gap. Want more power and hits in your melee attacks? Use the Exceed system to gain the boost you need (with proper timing!). Need to go on the defensive in a snap? Use either the basic roll -- which has improved from earlier entries -- or upgrade to Table Hopper for expanded evasion. Want an extra tool that suits your play style? Use your Devil Breaker of choice and the abilities it grants you, any one of which can add a single crucial tool to Nero’s kit. Staggered or downed an enemy but need a strong finisher? Sacrifice your arm for a powerful Break Age.
Nero, Dante, and V all have many buttons you can press during a fight. Do you need to use all of them just to make it past the first room? Nah. You can get by without risking a trip to the emergency room for your shattered digits. With that said, you’re encouraged to -- and those that dare are rewarded for their bravery with mechanics that fully complement one another. And if they don’t, they complement you -- allow for a level of self-expression that KHIII just can’t provide. You have the tools to be a style beast, so why not use them? Why not see how far you can push yourself and the system, what with all the splendid toys at your disposal?
Honestly, I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to play around. And that’s because in DMCV, there’s…
3) Incentive to seek self-improvement
So there’s talk of DLC for KHIII, which is about as unexpected as the sunrise every morning. No way was Squeenix going to miss out on a chance to wring a few more dollars out of the players it suckered. I honestly can’t say I’m excited to get back into the fold. I mean, I probably will regardless -- begrudgingly, and for all the wrong reasons -- but until further notice, my attitude toward the game is “Who cares?”
KHIII is an intensely easy game, even on its (current) hardest difficulty. Supposedly players have found ways to inject more challenge -- in the absence of a dedicated Critical Mode -- by doing a No EXP run, and having Sora locked at Level 1. Fine for others, but not for me. Neither is Critical Mode, if I’m being honest. I have zero motivation for some arbitrary challenges, especially if they’re more punishing than satisfying.
Okay, yes. I’ll acknowledge that KHIII may have some deeper mechanics and details that I overlooked. That’s very possible. Probable, even. But if those are there, I don’t feel like seeking them out -- and moreover, I never got the sense in the main game that I needed to push myself to be better, or do better. Just do the usual and it’ll all work out. And it did. Every single time.
One of the quirks of battle is that, instead of spending meter on Shot-Locks, you can use the Airstep command to instantly close the gap on an opponent. What this means is that -- assuming this was intentional and not a Squeenix oversight -- once you finish a combo and blow an enemy away, you can Airstep and zoom in on them to start another combo. That’s interesting. Too bad I never felt pushed hard enough to use it consistently. Or learn anything besides what had already been proven to work.
I don’t feel like I learned a damn thing over the course of 30 hours with that game. My defense didn’t get much better. My offense never truly evolved. If anything, the former got worse over time -- partly because going up against guys like the Organization meant having to deal with their seconds-long combos and super moves I couldn’t begin to avoid. But even if they hit me -- and they did -- it hardly even mattered. One Cure spell got me back in the fight easily. So essentially, my motivation evaporated. Why bother trying when you can just tank a super move with your face and then heal up when you get the chance?
It’s the polar opposite of DMCV. Taking even one hit in that game -- as light as a slap on the wrist -- made me feel like complete garbage. It’s the synthesis of gameplay and story; Nero and crew are supposed to be a bunch of nigh-unbeatable, badass demon slayers, so the idea of them getting knocked around grinds against player expectations -- expectations that you’re supposed to meet, as the player holding the strings. And from a gameplay perspective? That’s the deviousness of the style ranking system. Nobody wants to spend all their time in the D-rank or C-rank doldrums, knowing that the almighty SSS is waiting in the wings.
It’s an unwritten contract between player and game, one that’s common among (though not quite unique to) character action games. There’s a story to wrap up and enemies to beat down, but the secret -- if not core -- objective is to look as cool as possible as often as possible, even if nobody’s around to watch but a pair of sleepy dogs. Knowing full well how many toys you have to play with, it’s only natural to want to push yourself further and further, developing skills in your quest for coolness.
I don’t say this lightly: there’s a level of DMC play that basically reaches into the realm of gods. The true experts can execute combos that, frankly, normal humans just can’t do. Normal humans probably don’t even know half of the shit that’s even possible -- so with a skill ceiling that high, there’s an incentive to at least try. To start at the base of the mountain and scrabble toward that distant summit. You may not have what it takes to challenge donguri, but you can still try…and have a ton of fun doing it.
And really, it’s all about…
4) Catharsis on every level of play
I’ll be blunt. Despite my hang-ups, I had some fun with KHIII. I had fun with DMCV, as well. That, I won’t deny -- and I don’t want anyone to forget it just because I wear my biases like a scarlet letter.
But there’s a key difference, though. As the days and weeks go by, and the distance between the me who just finished that game and the me who’s thinking about it way down the line grows, the lasting impression is going to have a bigger impact than objective truth or logical reasoning. I’m not going to remember every single, nitty-gritty detail about either of these games years from now. What I will remember are the feelings -- however vague -- that I have. The emotions. The aura.
To me, KHIII was fun. But I need to put an emphasis on the past tense here. The longer it went on, the more my satisfaction withered. A LOT of that is owed to the story, granted, but eventually the gameplay stopped doing it for me, too. The combat stopped evolving, the mechanics became unwelcome, the incentive to improve was MIA, and the general lack of challenge only made a worse situation…worser.
Compare that to DMCV. That game marks the fastest I’ve ever gone from clearing the default difficulty to starting again on a harder level. Even if I hadn’t? I still would have been satisfied. I may not have died that often (and only used one Gold Orb throughout my entire run to expedite a mission/boss fight), but the enemies had me on the ropes on more than one occasion. I won, and I did so with mechanics that satisfy on levels tangible and intangible. Even if I’m no ace, I didn’t need to be to have my fun -- though my skills evolved just enough to see me through Mission 19. And, crucially, I was satisfied at every turn by a game whose every element is built to satisfy. Use V if you want to feel like a genius. Use Dante if you want the maximum spectacle. Use Nero if you want direct, visceral thrills.
The takeaway from this is simple. Whatever fun I had with KHIII is there, but it’s fleeting. Transient. It didn’t last for my whole playthrough, and it sure as hell isn’t going to inspire good feelings anytime soon. Meanwhile, DMCV is so good from start to finish that I’m going to carry and cherish those fond memories for months, if not years to come. That’s the most important difference between the two -- and you don’t need to have a smokin’ sexy style in order to understand it.
You just play it. And you feel it for yourself.
That’ll do for now. Check back soon, because it’s high time to give DMCV’s story a closer look. Though I can tell you right now that, depressingly, it manages to be a better KH game than KHIII. Sasuga fucking Squeenix.
…
…Can you tell I have a grudge?
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