Game review: DMC: Devil May Cry

When a game is announced and the developers mention that the franchise has been rebooted and has taken on a new look and feel, critics tend to rain down on them with negativity and a lot of the time the reboots definitely do the original franchises justice.

DmC: Devil May Cry from Capcom and Ninja Theory is one such franchise, recreating the demon hunter Dante giving him a new look and feel, a tougher attitude, a fouler mouth and a new playground whilst maintaining the soul and aura of the classic PlayStation 2 games that started it all.

Players play as the legendary demon hunter Dante who is the cross-breed of an angel and demon.

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However, when Dante is approached by Kat who is a member of the Order, which is led by Dante’s brother Virgil.

Kat takes Dante on a journey into his past whilst juggling from the real world and the alternate demon infested dimension known as Limbo.

Kat and Virgil inform Dante of the fate his mother and father suffered at the hands of the evil Mundus and so Dante embarks on a personal mission to rid the world of Mundus and his lieutenants.

The story is a retelling of the PS2 original and it retains its charm and uniqueness marvellously with a few shocks along the way and unusual character encounters.

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The over the top action has been watered down a little, however, so no scenes like the infamous one from the original game where Dante fights around a snooker table using the snooker balls in outrageously creative ways to defeat his foes.

However, Dante retrieving his coat from atop a rolling Ferris wheel is a way that is humanly impossible is definitely a feat to behold.

The gameplay has been tweaked just enough without compromising the original games’ gameplay, there is a jump, standard attack, launch attack and shooting buttons on the pad which allows the player to juggle enemies between attacks from Dante’s legendary sword Rebellion or his two revolvers Ebony and Ivory.

All of which can be upgraded by using upgrade points in the in-game shop at the end of missions, or if the player comes across a Divinity statue.

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Using either trigger buttons transforms Rebellion into different angelic or demonic weapons obtained throughout the game and also allowing Dante to use a grappling ability to either pull or launch him to grapple points scattered throughout.

Limbo is a treacherous place that alters as Dante proceeds through it as though it is alive which is impressive to watch and even more fun to traverse.

Throughout the game world are collectables such as Health stars, copper, gold and argent keys, which open challenge doors hidden throughout each mission.

A bad point with DmC: Devil May Cry though is the difficulty spikes which tend to catch you off guard if you’re not prepared.

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Early missions are steady and simple yet still providing a challenge however later on, different types of enemies are thrown at you which require certain attacks to defeat them causing confusion and frustration as the screen gets rather hectic.

DmC: Devil May Cry looks fantastic with the clever ways Capcom and Ninja Theory have put Limbo together compared to the real world.

The city feels alive as though it is trying to kill you as well as the enemies that inhabit it. Each enemy is nicely animated and now look like demons, gone now are the abstract multi-limbed enemies and walking suits of armour thank god.

I love Dante’s new look with his short haired teenager look with his matching attitude, gone is his white locks and deep red coat which will not be accepted by those older DMC fans.

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Vergil has also undergone a whole new makeover, however he has retained his trademark blue hair and black coat with a blue stripe.

Dante’s attacks carry weight and look stylish and I love the way a heavy metal track kicks in when the fighting starts, it keeps the adrenaline flowing nicely.

Summary

The reboot and revamp of the Devil May Cry series is a fantastic one with all characters being believable thanks to the outstanding voice acting and superb graphics and motion capture.

Capcom and Ninja Theory have done the series justice with this fabulous retelling of Dante’s story brilliantly whilst maintaining the old charm created by the PlayStation 2 classics and the realm of Limbo is something every gamer should undertake. Ignore the critics.

DMC: Devil May Cry

Developers: Ninja Theory

Publishers: Capcom

Xbox 360®

Playstation 3®

PC

Genre: RPG

Release Date: 15th January 2013

Story – 5/5

Graphics – 4/5

Gameplay – 5/5

Overall – 5/5

©theleet

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