Is this reboot Heaven or Hell?
I wasn’t sure what to expect with a reboot of Devil May Cry, but I did have faith in Ninja Theory after their excellent (and underappreciated) Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. The redesign of Dante divided opinion between gamers, but is the final product good enough to put their doubts to rest?
Without a doubt. DmC is a near perfect reboot of the franchise; it doesn’t necessarily change things that much but it does almost everything right with its 20 levels, replayability in the form of arenas, collectables and higher difficulties. The boss battles are more exhilarating than challenging though, while the platforming sections are cleverly designed. The story is gripping and funny at the same time, with Dante’s cheeky attitude and the great cast of characters that you come across.
As a nephilim, Dante is hunted by demons in Limbo City. The combat is fast-paced and challenging, especially when you are trying to get SS Ranks with combos, it takes a while to master the moves and you’ll need plenty of souls to unlock new abilities, the game is mostly linear but you will be able to access new areas with certain abilities which is great for replay value. It’s definitely a difficult game, especially on the hardest difficulty where one hit will end you. The only problem I have with the combat is the lack of a lock-on, which makes things irritating.
In terms of visuals, DmC is a brilliant game to look at. Its framerate is solid and the levels push the most out of the hardware, the character models are well detailed and the enemy variety is great. The voice-acting is mostly great, although there are a few lines that are cringy, while the music is just fantastic as a whole.
The Verdict
DmC is a brilliant re-entry to the series and it’s about time. The combat is stellar apart from the lack of a lock-on; the levels are wonderfully designed and beautiful to look at. It may not have changed things too much, but Ninja Theory didn’t need to. Dante is back and better than ever and that’s all that matters.
