After playing through the demo at Gamescom 2018, Devil May Cry 5 seems to be exactly what fans expected, a modernization of DMC which still feels true to the core. It does indeed feel like a mash-up of the older games with DmC built as a modern action game. I had trouble getting used to the camera at first, which was extremely close to the playable character.
I got to play as Nero and as expected, his main weapon was Red Queen, a sword he can rev like a motorcycle. I was familiar with his move-set and seeing some of his combos return from DMC 4 was a nice touch. As revealed in the gameplay trailer from E3, an unknown figure cuts off his demonic arm and thus, Nero can equip a bionic attachment that gives you access to unique moves mapped to his Devil Breaker attack. These arms work like consumables and you lose them upon holding B or getting hit during the attack. The two I had access to in-game were Overture and Gerbera; the former would unleash an energy blast of sorts while the latter would allow Nero to repeatedly utilize an air attack. You can easily cycle through them.
Before long, I was executing combos, pulling enemies or myself towards them, unleashing air attacks or devil breaker moves with ease. It is hard to gauge the overall depth of its combat and systems from the short demo, but I was pleased with the mechanics of the game. The idea of utilizing arms as consumables is exciting because now it has left me wondering what other special attacks I will have access to on launch. In addition to that, it makes you carefully think and plan ahead, or only use them in utmost need.
The demo was filled with classic Devil May Cry style writing, humour and cut-scene direction. As expected, it ended with a ridiculous boss fight against a massive creature. It was a pretty chaotic fight as the boss jump around, slashing away at Nero while also using AOE attacks as well as a special fire move from his chest. In order to counter his size and movement, I was always pulling towards or away, getting in close for a few hits and then quickly running back.
As an action game, it is responsive and the fighting feels good. As a DMC game, it has the same sense of over-the-top style you expect from the series. For now, it seems like DMC 5 knows its target audience and has a plan for it – it is designed around the ideas of the older games while implementing QOL features and a graphical style to encourage new fans to pick it up.
By: Parth Bagaria
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