DmC: Devil May Cry is a 'hack and slash' action game, developed by Ninja Theory and published by Capcom. This game is a reboot of the original Devil May Cry series with a different plot and an entirely new look in both the characters and the environment. These drastic changes upset many fans of the original series...but for this review, I'm not going to judge it based on the differences...rather, I'm going to tackle it as a fresh new game.
The protagonist in this game is Dante. He appears to be a guy that doesn't care much about anything except partying and getting laid, but as events of his past are revealed to him, things start to change. The game mostly takes place in different areas of Limbo City. It's a place that appears like an average city to the human eyes, but has a much sinister side, called limbo. Dante will be dragged into limbo frequently, where he will be confronted by many demons. I found the concept of limbo city to be interesting and noteworthy. The game tries to portray a problem that's happening in OUR real world. How higher authorities are using their power to manipulate what we think, either through news or advertisement.
Now getting back on track...the "Unreal Engine" was used to make this game. The level designs, character models, and the overall graphics look great. One of the most notable things about the environment is that it frequently changes with respect to where Dante is. For example, if you walk closer to a wall, you will see vines gradually sprout. Many of these little touches can be found throughout the game, which adds to the immersiveness.
The sounds of the attacks your weapons make, are realistic. Heavy-damaging weapons feel powerful when you hear them come in contact with demons or the ground. On the other hand, weaker weapons don't make as big of an impact, but you can tell they're used for chip damage. As for voice acting, it was all very well done. The voices chosen for the different characters, suited their personalities. During most of your battles, you'll hear metal music playing in the background. These tracks are taken from the bands, Noisia and Combichrist.
Alright, now lets get down to the gameplay. So how is the "hack n' slash" elements in this game? Well, it's what you would expect from a Devil May Cry game. There are many techniques you can combine to pull off crazy, massive combos. The more stylish your combos, the higher the rank you'll get. As you progress through the game, more weapons and abilities will be unlocked, which are available for purchase at shops. Note that you can also sell your upgrades. Dante will start off with a standard sword, called rebellion. The special weapons are separated into angelic and demonic elements. Depending on the enemy type, only one or the other works. Demonic weapons include the arbiter and eryx...and angelic weapons include the orsiris and aquila. Another property I'd like to mention is that angelic weapons are more effective on large groups of enemies, since it mostly deals chip damage and has long range. While demonic weapons are most effective for shield breaks and dealing heavy damage. On top of the blades, Dante also has firearms. You start off with a pair of dual pistols called 'ebony & ivory'. These are mainly used for chaining long combos together. Later on, you will get the revenant and the kablooey. Both deal heavy damage and has their uses in certain situations.
DmC makes swapping between weapons easy. Most games would halt your progress to change weapons...but in DmC, all the swapping happens in real time. Two buttons on the front are used for attack and launch. By default, the revenant is used. Both angelic and demonic weapons can be triggered easily by holding the left or right triggers. It's great how DmC makes the player use every weapon by pitting you against enemies, that not only has demonic and angelic forms, but also, different attack and defence styles. The real challenge comes in when the game pits you against a group of enemies with very different styles. At first, pulling of long and stylish combos may be difficult. But as you get the hang of it, and understand what weapons to use in what situation, the gameplay becomes a frenzy of fun. Juggling your enemies all over the place while swapping between weapons to finish them off, feels very satisfying. Speaking of juggling your enemies, Dante can enter a hyper mode, called Devil Trigger...in which enemies will be helplessly suspended in mid-air for a duration of time, while you are free to combo them into oblivion, while recovering some health. Combat is what DmC is mostly about, but in between battles there are actually a wealthy amount of platforming. These segments are actually pretty fun. You must make use of your demonic and angelic grappling hooks to maneuver through the environment. In some parts, you can feel...a little bit like spiderman.
Throughout the game, you will find orbs, either dropped by enemies or in the environment. White orbs allow Dante to purchase skill upgrades. Green orbs recover health immediately, while red orbs can be used to purchase items in shops. Items include vital stars, which are used to increase health; devil trigger stars, which are used to boost Dante's devil trigger; golden orbs, which are used for resurrection; and the health and devil trigger crosses, which are used to lengthen your meters permanently. The game discourages you from overusing items, hence the price will increase after every purchase.
As for replay value, more challenging modes are unlocked after you complete the previous modes. For example, in the mode "Hell and Hell", Dante will die in one hit. There are also secret missions which are available by unlocking doors found throughout the game. But you must first find the appropriate key. The secret missons aren't anything special. All you do is, basically kill a group of enemies within a given time. Other unlockables include skins and perks which are available by completing the game on various modes or by paying cash. And finally, there are leaderboards for players to compare their high scores.
- The combat is deep and fast paced, along with a variety of weapons to use. Its nice that there is platforming in between to mix things up. I'll give gameplay and controls a 9.
- Limbo City gives a nice depiction of a place between hell and earth. It's fictional, but it looks awesome. I'll give graphics and atmosphere an 8.5.
- The story is decent. A handful of cutscenes throughout the game help give the characters personality, with a little humor here and there. I'll give story and characters an 8.
- Voice acting was very well done. The voices suited the characters. Metal music matched the hellish environment, for the most part. I'll give sounds an 8.5.
- The games main replay value lies in going back to missions to get higher scores. The secret missions aren't that special. I'll give replay value a 7.5.
- Overall, DmC: Devil May Cry gets a score of 8.3.