Before I begin, I’d like to take a moment to admit that -- as of this writing -- I have “Devil Trigger”, “Subhuman (Game Edit)”, and “Crimson Cloud” downloaded and embedded in my phone. With a little “Unwavering Bravery” for good measure.
Now let me give Devil May Cry V the sendoff it deserves.
I will suffer
I will burn
Let hate prevail
Enslave my soul
But I’ll never surrender
I’ll admit it. When I finished the special edition of DMC4, I got a little misty-eyed -- partly because it was a reminder of what the franchise used to be before Capcom and Ninja Theory wombo combo’d it into oblivion. Partly because it served as an artifact, and a precious one, of “the good old days” of gaming. Partly because, well, it’s just a good-ass game overall.
The good DMC games have gameplay that’s virtually unrivaled; still, I would argue that their stories are actually not as bad as you’d think. Absurd? Sure, and unabashedly so. But even with Michael Jackson dances and impromptu rock concerts, there’s substance under the stylish crazy veneer. Working in tandem, the two of them come together to create a franchise that’s worthy of, well, pretty much any praise thrown its way.
So you would think that when I cleared DMCV, I’d be bawling. Shedding tars of joy like a broken faucet. That didn’t really happen. Pretty much the only thing it got out of me (outside of frustration over botching the two mid-credits battles) was a muted and respectful “Yeah.”
That’s the best possible reaction it could have gotten out of me.
This post is pretty much redundant (and obsolete, given the gap between it and release), because really, there’s not much more to say about the game. It’s good. Great, even. Not perfect from a story or gameplay perspective, but even if there are flaws, they’re far from deal-breakers given the overall quality of both. What’s here is satisfying on multiple levels. Nothing, not even a terrible reboot, can take that away from DMCV.
Until Bayonetta 3 comes out, this is going to be the benchmark for character action games for a good while. The hyper-complex trailblazing done by DMC4 has returned and been revised, lowering the barrier of entry to guarantee easier access to options (you can use Royal Guard without being a battle savant or having a death wish!). Enemies range from punching bags for you to style on to hellspawn destined to drain your body of blood -- and you can ratchet up the difficulty at your leisure, just in case the default difficulty is too softcore for you.
The audiovisual flair has never been greater than it is now, and this is coming from someone who secretly worried about the drained color palette. But the desaturated affect is 100% justified, integrating with the story to reinforce just how broken and dead Red Grave (and the world at large) have become in the Qliphoth’s wake. Meanwhile, the sound effects guarantee that you’ll feel those hits right down to your bones -- with the souped-up soundtrack rewarding you for being a true devil hunter.
And the story? It’s not revelatory by any means, but it compensates by being a focused, personal tale -- one that makes its core, beloved cast more three-dimensional and less walking meme machines who most people stereotype into the ground. This is the best Dante and Nero have ever been, with V getting that slam dunk from half court. Vergil himself is used sparingly, but his presence (and his alternate half-forms) is so ever-present that he develops even when he’s not there to develop. There’s a reason why the game uses Roman numeral V instead of 5, and I don’t fault the devs for it.
I mean granted, I went in thinking that the obvious Vergil reveal would be too obvious to ever see the light of day. But apparently, I either gave Capcom too much credit, or wanted to delude myself into rejecting Occam’s razor. Just sayin’.
I don’t doubt that Capcom took some shortcuts and weaseled out of certain aspects in order to get the game out on time and within the budget (*stares daggers at the lack of Trish and Lady DLC*). It’s a reality of modern-day development, if not the entertainment industry as a whole. With that said? This still comes off as an eighth-generation game that -- unlike a lot of contemporaries -- doesn’t feel like “the same, but less”. Sonic’s first PS4 foray was borked. Sora’s first PS4 foray was borked. Multiple characters and franchises made their debuts with games with such obvious problems, you’d think the devs forgot how to make video games -- despite the PS3/Xbox 360 being, like, right over there.
Dante’s first (new) foray on the PS4 used Trickster to dodge those problems. Arguably that came with its own high price; outside of rumors, teases, and “leaks”, there was complete radio silence on DMCV until its reveal at E3 2018. I guess it was essential to do that, since it gave the devs all the time they needed to make the best game they could. That doesn’t make the months and years of doubt -- of wondering if DmC was the last we’d ever get, or if the franchise died with the embodiment of everything wrong with the entertainment industry.
We got lucky it didn’t happen this time. Very lucky.
How bizarre it is for DMCV to be an abject refutation of DmC. The latter tried to up the scope and failed, while the former narrowed it and succeeded. The latter rushed its relationship between Dante and Vergil, while the former made it the lynchpin of the entire game. The latter tried to sell us a Dante whose wisecracks hid a tortured soul, while the former actually sold us a Dante whose wisecracks hid a tortured soul. (The biggest, best point of characterization for me: Dante visibly getting angry and dropping his act when Nero accuses him of commandeering the fight against Vergil/Urizen just so he can “have all the fun”.)
Even so, what’s even more bizarre is that DMCV is also -- however occasionally -- a celebration of DmC. Ideas from that game were collected for this one (with some of the presentation, notably), there are arguably some blink-and-you’ll-miss-it references, and the home stretch goes ham by basically redoing DmC’s climactic battle. Only, you know, better.
It’s almost like a kid in his school band playing the trumpet sort of decently, only earning the attention of a pro. The kid thinks he’s pretty solid, and the pro congratulates him before asking for his turn with the music -- whereupon he blows the kid away. If only by accident.
That’s a weird scenario, but I’ll stick with it. It’s the best way to explain the different design philosophies. Donte dropping F-bombs and flicking off demons? A mundane display any dry-witted teen could pull off. Nero dropping F-bombs and flicking off demons? Accompanied with a shout to the heavens, an explosion of light, slow motion, a camera pan, and a hijacking of the background music.
The kid’s all right. But he’s got work to do if he wants to play like a pro.
News on DLC and/or a special edition is pretty sparse right now. This is Capcom we’re talking about, so I wouldn’t put it past them to put out Super DMCV a half-year from now. It does bring up an important question, though: what happens next for the franchise? Setting aside sales figures -- though it’s a safe bet on which one brought in more cash -- DMCV is generally beloved while DmC is divisive at best. They say you should vote with your wallets, and fans have likely chosen which direction the franchise is going to go.
The question is when. And also, how. Are we going to get DLC? Or are we just going to have to wait another half-decade for DMC6? It’s hard to say with absolute certainty, though recent reports suggest that Capcom’s business side is more than satisfied, thus making the franchise viable again. At least in terms of the actual game, there’s room for more. Dante and Vergil’s departure to handle the Qliphoth means that they recognize Nero as the new blood who can bear the world’s weight -- someone who’ll protect everything and everyone from demonic forces. I strongly doubt this is the last we’ve seen of the Sons of Sparda, but it’s not hard to imagine Nero building up Devil May Cry on his own terms, with his own vision. It’d open the doors for more crazy new characters, if nothing else.
And gameplay-wise? Come on. They could just stick to adding in crazier and crazier weapons, and I’d be kissing the ring until I turn into a husk.
Having course-corrected to an insane degree, I’m ready for the future of this franchise. But before we can reach the future, we have to make it through the present -- though in this case? By “make it”, I mean “enjoy it”. I have yet to beat the Bloody Palace, what with me inexplicably dying on every floor that ends with a 9. I still have higher difficulties to clear. I haven’t gotten all the upgrades for every character, which naturally includes the EX Provocation taunts. Beating the game once on the standard difficulty was only the beginning. That much was a given from minute one of day one.
Speaking of? Right now, it feels like Capcom is back -- back on day one. I recognize and applaud them for releasing big hit after big hit, but I’m not quite ready to say that they’re in the clear, or that all is forgiven. The effort’s been put in, though. The talent is there in spades. They’ve started over; having realized how far astray the company has gone, they’re doing what they can to set things right. DMCV is more than just the proof of that. It’s a symbol of hope. The starting line, showing just how far they can go if they stay on-course and on-target.
I’m hard-pressed to think of a better game I’ve played this year (so far), and there’s a decent chance things will stay that way for a while. If whatever comes next for the franchise builds on the foundation here, then that’s going to be the Game of the Year for me.
But like I said, before we can reach the future, we have to make it through the present. For now, that journey’s looking a little bit brighter and a little bit happier, thanks to this one game and its three over-the-top heroes. I could go on and provide pages of analysis for each, but why bother? It’s a futile effort re-explaining why this game is good.
In the end, there’s only one thing that needs to be said.
Yeah.
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