Throwback Reviews: DmC: Devil May Cry

DmC: Devil May Cry

Reviewed By: Giuliano V.

Platform: PS3

Gameplay: 9
DmC consists of a very defined hack n' slash system of gameplay. The amount of combos possible is grand, and while the combat only slightly evolves with the addition of new weapons later on in the game, there are always new and fun ways to kill your enemies by pulling off different strains of combos. The controls are very fluid and easy to get used to, with all of Dante's Angel Weapons being tied to the L2 Button and all his Demon Weapons being tied to the R2 button. The boss fights are action-packed and fun, but could have had a little more diversity, as many of them have the same tactics on how to win.

Story: 9
The story of DmC may not be revolutionary, but it is very well-written and an altogether fantastic narrative. DmC uses a literary style known as Low Burlesque, in which the content of the story is high, but the style is low. Basically, what this means is that the story is an epic journey dealing with the supernatural, death and other deep content, but is told in a trivial way. DmC is a very punk-western narrative, and constantly has swearing, sexual insults and dick jokes throughout, giving it a very unique style of humour that is not found in too many games nowadays. Despite having this type of narrative, DmC's punk-western style definitely does not take away from the epicness of the story, and simply makes it a much more enjoyable experience altogether.

Sound: 9
Most of DmC's soundtrack is heavy metal full of swearing that is thrown into the background of the many battles you face. This honestly makes the game so much more badass than it already is, and was a perfect musical direction for the game. The voice-acting is also incredibly believable and well-performed and definitely add to the characterization.

Presentation: 9
While most of the levels are linear, they are not barren. The landscape is designed quite well to fit with the tone of the game, and Limbo City really feels like Earth corrupted by Demons. The graphics of the game are not anything unbelievable, but the art direction definitely is. The use of grays and lifeless colours helps create this atmosphere of a world in turmoil, and definitely aids to the believability of the world given to us by the game directors.

Lasting Appeal: 9
DmC has twenty missions in total, giving the player roughly ten hours of gameplay for one play through. However, the levels are riddled with collectibles that are not obtainable on the first play through, which begs for players to go back and complete the level 100%. Also, the game has a wide-array of difficulty levels, which allows for players who want a really tough challenge to face the game on difficulties such as Dante Must Die, where everything, including attacks from enemies, results in a 1-hit kill.

Final Verdict: 9 / 10
DmC is surprisingly a gem from 2013 that was never realized until now. It is clear to me now that all the hate from the fan base of the series was more directed at the drastic change this game made in terms of story and tone from the previous games, but on its own, DmC is a fantastic game that should not be overlooked.

If you have PS Plus, the game is free this month so definitely give it a download. If not, I'm sure you could find a used copy of the game for close to $20-$30 and it is definitely worth a purchase.

Article By:
Giuliano V.