By Ethan Harmon
The game industry, just like the movie industry, is flooded with reboots and sequels, most of which suffer from monotony and a sense of sameness. Each release lacks a core component: no improvement and no attempt to change up the formula. Every once in a while, a game is released that provides a fun adventure, keeping the same feel as previous outings, while also pushing the envelope, adding new mechanics to the gameplay. Capcom – or more importantly the creators Ninja Theory – have released a game that is new, fresh, and keeps the charm of its predecessors.
DmC: Devil May Cry follows Dante, a powerful, cocky twenty-something that parties hard at night and sleeps all day in his trailer. But the party life ends all too soon for our protagonist when he meets a mysterious medium named Kat. Soon, Dante is pulled into a demon city, called Limbo, and is forced to fight the demon hordes that now hunt him. Things become even more complicated as Dante meets his long-lost twin brother, Vergil, and comes face to face with his past.
The gameplay for DmC has been refined since the last time Capcom released a game for the series. Though it plays similarly to the previous releases, Ninja Theory has spent a lot of time and effort making Dante’s attacks, combos, and style feel and play differently. Now, our protagonist can switch between angel and demon weapons on the fly (a scythe and an axe). The two weapons come with special abilities that allow our demon-hunting-badass to infinitely chain combos together, allowing players to rack up high rankings and tons of points, which can later be used to upgrade abilities and unlock new attacks.
The level design is the most significant, and overall best, change to the series. As Dante makes his way through Limbo, the city itself breaks apart and tries to kill our protagonist. Streets fall apart, walls close in, and demons drop from the sky at every turn, making each encounter different from the last. Whereas many game that try to integrate this type of feature would most likely falter after a few levels, DmC keeps up the pace, forcing players to deal with new challenges as the environment changes for each new area.
The graphics for this game are top notch, though there are a few moments that experience some frame rate issues, but they happen primarily during cutscenes and do not hinder the actual gameplay. DmC is an absolute blast to play, for both newcomers and veterans of the series. Anyone will be able to pick up a controller and completely immerse themselves into the great narrative and superb gameplay. Pick up a copy for Xbox 360 or PS3 and face your demons.