Platform reviewed on: PC

Also available on: PS4, Xbox One

General/ Plot:….8

Devil May Cry is a series that was initially conceived as a Resident Evil game. There are obvious similarities between these 2 franchises, particularly in the 1st game. However, it ended up quite a lot different. It is a pure hack and slash game where you control 3 characters: Dante, Nero and V a catastrophic trio who team up in order to face a powerful foe, Urizen. If you are not familiar with the series, there is a lot of ground to cover, mostly beacause this is  the 5th installment of the series but, for all of us, CAPCOM was very generous to make an introductory video where it briefly explains the origins of every character sheds some light to his back story. Alongside the protagonists, you encounter other familiar faces such as Lady and Trish as well as some new characters like the gunsmith Nico. In general, without spoiling much, the story of the game while nothing marvelous, is decent and it gives you reason to see it through.

Graphics:…..9

Devil May Cry uses the Resident Evil engine which was first seen on Resident Evil 7. This means that the graphics are exceptional. First of all, the characters are brillinatly designed. Dante and Nero never before looked that good in the series and V is also expertly crafted. A very good job has been done to the enemies as well. You face a large variety of otherwordly demons eager to send you back to hell in every mean necessary. In addition, animations are fantastic, particularly in cut scenes where CAPCOM managed to make the whole game feel like a billion dollar Hollywood production. Special effects are also great: every battle is a gamer’s playground where you face against a ton of enemies and the screen gets filled with all sorts of explosions and gore. The only blemish in this sector are the environments; not that they are not well designed, my problem is that there is not that much variety to them particularly in the middle of the game and as a result you feel like you are exploring the same areas over and over again.

Sound Design:……10

If I could give an 11 out of 10 here I would do. The game has one of the best soundtracks I have ever listened to. My favourite song from the soundtrack is by far “Devil Trigger” (Nero’s theme) which when played makes my fingers itchy to perform a ton of deadly combos to my pitiful enemies. Voice acting is superb; Dante, Nero, V even supporting characters all sound amazing. Sound effects like gunfires and swords tearing out demon flesh are also outstanding.

Gameplay:….10

Most hack and slash games are monotonous due to the fact that you do the same thing over and over again. Well, here you also do that but, there is a catch; you do it with style! Every character of the trio has his own unique abilities; Nero is equipped with a sword and Devil Breakers as his left arm. Devil Breakers are special contraptions made by Nico that each has its own abilities, like being able to slow down time or used as a hand rocket to mow down enemies. Dante is equipped with pistols, shotguns, swords, nunchucks even a motor cycle which is split in 2 parts and is used to do tons of damage to your enemies.V does not fight by himself but instead commands 3 different demons each one serves a different purpose; a griffon for long range combat, a panther for melee attacks and a hulking giant that mows down everything and everyone in its path. In addition, every character can be upgraded by learning new skills purchased using red orbs, the currency of the game. Combat is brutal, stylish and satisfying ever for those who are not fans of the genre. I have not seen such an excellent and addicting hack and slash game since the first Bayonetta.

Value for money:…..10

DMC 5 now costs around 20 Euros which is a steal for the quality and the amount of content it offers. A normal playthrough is around 6 to 8 hours but there is a lot of replayability due to the extra modes and the amount of unlockables. Buy it without second thoughts. A real masterpiece.

SCORE:….9.4, ”Epic”.