Devil May Cry 5 is a 2019 action-adventure game developed and published by Capcom. It is the sixth installment in the franchise not counting mobile games and the fifth installment of the mainline Devil May Cry series. Capcom released it for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on 8 March 2019. The game takes place five years after Devil May Cry 4 and follows a trio of warriors with demonic powers: the returning Dante, Nero and a new protagonist named V as they attempt to stop the Demon King Urizen from destroying the human world. Across their journey in Red Grave City, the player can use these characters in different missions. Each of them has their own way of fighting and becoming stronger. As this happens, the mystery behind V is revealed along with his connection with Urizen.
Devil May Cry 5 was directed by Hideaki Itsuno whose goal was for this installment to be his best work. He aimed to make the game balanced for both newcomers and returning gamers by providing adequate, difficult and new enemies. Capcom also wanted to bring a more realistic design inspired by the “RE Engine” used in their previous work, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. As a result, models were used to make the character’s faces. The plot was written by returning writer Bingo Morihashi while the setting was based on various locations in London. Multiple composers worked together to produce the game’s audio, creating three main themes centered around the playable characters.
Devil May Cry 5 received positive reviews from critics, praising the variety of techniques the three characters bring, while also liking the handling of the narrative. The game won multiple game awards in both 2019 and 2020, sold over two million copies less than two weeks after its release, and surpassed three million in a year, becoming the top-selling game in the franchise. A light novel and manga related to the game by Morihashi have also been released. An expanded version called Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition was released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, featuring the addition of Vergil as a playable character. For players on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Vergil is available as paid DLC.
Gameplay
The gameplay features the return of Dante and Nero as playable characters, along with a new character, named V.[5] The gameplay is similar to that of the other titles in the Devil May Cry series, focusing on fast-paced “stylish action”; The player fights off hordes of demons with a variety of attacks and weapons. They receive a style-rating for combat based on a number of factors, such as move variety, the length of a combo and dodging attacks. The game’s music changes based on the player’s performance in combat.[6] Every time the player interacts with the mechanic Nico or finds a statue, he can buy new abilities for each character. While there are three playable characters, the game forces the player to use only one per mission. Like previous games, this title has a Bloody Palace mode where the player can face multiple types of demons in a single area.[7]
The first character is Nero who was introduced in Devil May Cry 4. He retains his Red Queen sword for melee combat, and the Blue Rose double-barreled revolver. However, he does not have his demonic arm from the previous game but has an assortment of new robotic arms called Devil Breakers instead. These have a variety of functions like grabbing enemies from a distance or stopping time to freeze an enemy in place. Nero can also find Devil Breakers during stages. Devil Breakers are powerful but fragile, and can be destroyed if used incorrectly.[8] Late in the story, Nero has access to the Devil Trigger move which expands his combat skills.
Dante plays like his Devil May Cry 4 persona as he can change between four styles to create new techniques or parry enemy attacks. Along with his signature blade “Rebellion” and the Demonic “Devil Sword Sparda”, Dante uses two new Devil Arms, a pair of buzzsaw-like weapons that combine into a motorcycle called “Cavaliere”, and a set of fiery gauntlets and boots called “Balrog”. Dante also wields “King Cerberus” a stronger version of the Cerberus nunchaku introduced in Devil May Cry 3. He also wears the “Dr. Faust”, a hat that requires red orbs to attack; it is a risk/reward weapon depending on the player’s actions. Dante can use both “Kalina Ann” from Devil May Cry 3 and the new enhanced “Kalina Ann 2” as substitutes for the guns, as well as both versions at the same time.[9] Besides the Devil Trigger that enhances Dante’s abilities and restores his health, the character also possesses a more overpowered form named “Sin Devil Trigger” which produces new means of attacks.[10]
The third playable character, V, who wields a book and a silver cane, uses three demons based on enemies from the first game to fight. These include Griffon, an eagle that uses ranged lightning-based attacks, Shadow, a panther that forms blades, spikes and portals out of its body and Nightmare, a large and powerful golem. V enters a Devil Trigger-like state, which turns his hair white, to summon Nightmare, which uses a combination of melee attacks and explosive laser beams. Once the enemy’s health turns light purple, V uses his cane to give the enemy the final blow.
