REVIEW: Devil May Cry 5
Developer/Publisher: Capcom
Released: 2019
Platforms: Steam | PS4 & PS5 | Xbox One
You need to play DMC5.
Preferably on PC, so that you can also install the best mod for it.
For the longest time, I unintentionally sat on this franchise (in my defense, I didn’t grow up with Playstation). Major thanks to Psychotic_Zero for spamming my Steam library with the main 5 games.
My broad opinion of the collection is probably unsurprising. 3 and 4 are great, 1 shows its age but might be better as a veteran player, and we don’t talk about 2. DMC “Squared” (Definitive Edition) has a horrendous story, but delivers satisfying combat and a wicked soundtrack.
Just when I thought the peak was reached with 3 and 4, Devil May Cry 5 became the most addicting to my tiny brain.
As is the tradition, DMC5 provides short but sweet cutscenes without taking too much time away from the important content - the combat. While it starts out intimidating, finding your own “dance” with each character’s kit feels amazing to play.* I didn’t think I’d be able to juggle 5 swords with Dante, but with enough dedication (and rage, and breaking the rubber on my joysticks), it all fell into place.
(*Well, maybe not with V as much, but I also haven’t gotten a handle with his playstyle).
My Experience with Each Character
Dante was a shoo-in for me, having the most flexible kit full of swords, guns, and Styles to swap for more abilities. By the end game, I found myself instinctively utilizing 3 of the 4 Styles (I prefer Swordmaster over Gunslinger), and nailed a crude but otherwise solid rotation against Vergil. While I have major respect for the 2-weapon limit from DMC3, having Dante’s full arsenal is great as well.
Nero is close second for me. I’ve always liked his streamlined kit (although I suck at revving Red Queen). It’s perfect for jumping in and out of the game, but much like everything else in DMC5, is hard to master. The new mechanical arms are fun gimmicks, although I hate being railroaded into using or else shattering them. I’d like to swap between them on the fly just like with Dante’s weapons.
V is… V. His kit isn’t necessarily bad; it’s slow and methodical, letting the player control his 3 best imaginary friends from a distance. It’s a clever playstyle, but he kills the adrenaline rush from previous missions. V would be best served as a separate campaign mode.
Vergil ties for #1. His kit is streamlined like Nero’s, with the flexibility of Dante despite only wielding 3 weapons and DT-powered swords. He’s the most broken of the crew, but by no means does that remove the difficulty curve for his playstyle. Getting a handle of 4 Judgment Cuts back to back is immensely gratifying.
Must-have Mod
Earlier, I mentioned prioritizing DMC5’s PC version, and that’s for one small but amazing mod: “DMC5 Co-op Trainer.”
The awesome community at Nexus built an option so you can play the entire game with your favorite character. Want to play as Dante in a Nero mission? BAM, solved! A change this simple elevated my DMC5 experience past an SSS tier. Some characters become busted in levels they were never intended for, but it’s all in good fun.
What’s more, Trainer has a co-op feature that runs surprisingly smooth. At the time of writing, a few missions are excluded (e.g. the Cerberus and Vergil fights), but this feature is still above and beyond what I was expecting.
One more significant option I wanted to share: Nero can freely swap between his arms! My small dreams to make DMC5 even better have been fulfilled!
All of Devil May Cry is awesome. I’d suggest trying them all out, but ensure you don’t miss the one that narrowly claimed the throne for me.
HIGHEST PRAISE!
