DmC: Devil May Cry

Well, I completed it and I gotta say that like Max Payne 3; DmC: Devil May Cry isn’t all that bad.  Oh that’s not to say it doesn’t piss me off, especially in that opening, but honestly it’s really only the first hour or so and some small nitpicks here and there that ruins it for me.  So let’s get the good out of the way before we jump right into the bad.

For starters, the combat is typical DMC, it’s fast, it’s fluid and it’s fun.  Those are really the basic things you need in order to properly execute one of these games.  The controls take some adjusting to, but once you get it down switching between weapons and combos is a breeze and, honestly, the most fluid in the series so far.  I know there have been some complaints in regards to the color coded enemies, taking the player at once, but switching things up mid-combo is such a breeze and becomes second nature so quickly that I honestly never had an issue.

It’s extremely fun and satisfying to experiment with the different weapons and mix and match your combos with each weapon.  Similar to DMC3 and to a lesser extent DMC4, you can switch weapons on the fly while still keeping your combo up.  The game recognizes button inputs and will start your combo off with the weapon you switched to as if you’ve been busting out the combos with that weapon alone.  There’s a bit of a learning curve, mostly because of the controls, but once you master the system being a stylish demon killing badass is a breeze.

The game also varies it up on the weapons.  You’ve got your primary sword for balanced attacks, your scythe and discs for crowd control and air juggling and your axe and gauntlets for maximum damage.  It’s not quite as diverse as the selection in DMC3, but it certainly beats using Red Queen combos for 75% of the game.  On top of the different weapons, there are two versions of the Devil Arm mechanic introduced in DMC4.  You can either pull yourself to an enemy or pull the enemy to you.  It opens up for some interesting styles and while the end result is the same, there is some variation, especially in regards to air-born opponents.

As for the story and characters, well, they’re actually pretty damn good.  Dante actually has an arc in this one, Vergil’s role is closer to the role he plays in the original poem the series takes majority of its inspiration from, Mundus has some real character and Kat, while the obligatory love interest, actually plays a pretty heavy role and doesn’t suffer the same one-dimensional personality like most characters in this role.  She’s got personality, she’s got a developed backstory and she’s likable.  All of the characters are fleshed out, they’re not winning any awards with the characterization, but it’s a welcome change of pace in a series that has pretty basic characters.

The story is a tad blunt force trauma in its themes, but it’s still compelling and fun satire regardless.  The whole government/business/media run by demons thing is super on the nose, but I appreciate the commentary.  I appreciate the fact that they’re trying to have some sort of message underneath and that they build this comic book universe on its political commentary.  It’s no V for Vendetta or Watchmen, but it works either way.  The character banter and writing is a pretty big mark I have to give it.  It starts off clunky and forced, but once the writers get into their groove it’s sharp and natural.

Now, the bad.

For starters, fun as the combat is, the game is just too damn easy.  I started off on Nephilim (default hard) and maybe died a total of three times.  It’s Devil May Cry, I should be in for a challenge, especially if I’m brave enough to tackle the game on the default hard mode. DMC3 gouges your eyes out on Normal, DMC’s hard mode is the stuff of nightmares and DMC4 is no stranger to hair pulling challenge either.  Hell, DMC2 is harder than this.  It’s not as fun mind you, but it does offer more challenge on the default hard than DmC does.  Even when I was doing bad and using consumables like the bad player I was, the game was handing me A and S rankings at the chapter end.

As for the combat, the game hands out SSS ranks like its candy, especially if you’re using the axe.  That thing is beast in how broken it is, it does max damage and nets you SSS ranks in a single combo and keeps it going no less.  Unlike previous titles the game doesn’t encourage variation in combos with the ranking system and instead just rewards the player for doing combos.  While switching things up is fun and looks good, you can easily get away with using the same basic attacks and getting S combos without effort.  Hell, my second achievement was to get a SSS ranking combo.  That’s not good.  Devil May Cry should challenge the player and make them work for their ranks, not just give them a pat on the back and say “everyone’s a winner.”

Now the biggest issue, the earlier part of the story.  The game starts off, and occasionally falls back into this attitude, with a pretty hollow attempt at being edgy and cool.  Dante is an anarchist who cusses and parties and bangs chicks at night and answers doors naked.  He doesn’t give a damn about anything and comes off like an annoying rebel teenager who listens to Black Flag at all hours of the day and thinks Sid Viscious is the shit, but doesn’t actually understand what anarchy or being a rebel is.  It all rings so hollow, with his cussing for the sake of it and give no shits attitude.  It’s like Shadow the Hedgehog in the forced “look how dark, cool and edgy our guy is” kind of way.

Then there’s some of the writing, especially in regards to Mundus’ mistress.  Their introduction literally starts with her saying something like “and I am your bitch” or something along those lines.  Then there’s the sex scene that added nothing to the story, but was thrown in just because “edgy”.  Many of these sections feel dishonest, they don’t feel like natural parts of the story, just like they’re trying to be edgy and appeal to the cool kids.  It’s like Good Charlotte or early Avril Lavigne or some shit, they look all hard and punk, but once you pull off the façade you realize it’s just dishonest shit that’s trying to pander to a culture it doesn't understand.

Thankfully, this writing drops after the first thirty minutes and only pops up occasionally, so it becomes much more tolerable, especially when Dante stops trying to sound like Anarchy McPunkman and just lets loose and acts like his natural self (which is actually similar to classic Dante).

Aside from some shoddy writing here and there, an on the nose premise and zero challenge, the game works.  It’s fun, the characters are good, the story is good in an over the top comic book way and the combat is fluid and engaging.  It’s no Platinum title and it’s no classic DMC, but it is the best non-Platinum character action title available.