Revisión de Devil May Cry 5

El cielo y el infierno. Noche y dia. Nuevo y viejo. Los dos nunca se encontrarán. Son opuestos. Así es como se supone que debe ser. Bueno, Devil May Cry 5 deja claro que Capcom no está de acuerdo. La última entrada de la serie es la continuación de una franquicia y un reinicio al mismo tiempo. Un juego para ser defendido por los fanáticos existentes y adoptado por los nuevos. Es un movimiento audaz y arriesgado, pero la mayoría de las veces paga dividendos.

Ambientada varios años después de los eventos de Devil May Cry 4 , la última entrega de la serie continúa la historia de Nero. Ahora, un cazador de demonios profesional, completo con un letrero de neón de marca registrada ‘Devil May Cry’, todavía es engreído y testarudo, pero también es identificable. Es más, se siente nuevo: le falta el bagaje de Dante y sigue siendo un personaje establecido, y eso es importante para que este juego funcione.

Claramente acostumbrado a acabar con cualquier nuevo infierno que se interponga en su camino con una serie de combos basados ​​en espadas y pistolas, Nero aún se las arregla para sentirse increíblemente original. Esto es, en parte, gracias a su nueva apariencia inspirada en Cody Rhodes y en parte gracias a Nico, un armero encargado de diseñar los brazos robóticos Devil Breaker de Nero. Una nueva adición a su arsenal, estas prótesis intercambiables y armadas cambian mucho el combate, y su variedad permite una mayor experimentación desde el principio. También se fomenta esa experimentación, con nuevas variaciones que se desbloquean a medida que avanza el juego, lo que aumenta los enfoques que puedes tener para cualquier pelea. Intenta detener a un enemigo en seco con un proyectil que congela el tiempo, corriendo en un hoverboard Devil Breaker causando estragos, o simplemente desgarrarlos con una fuerte ráfaga: esas son solo algunas de mis sugerencias. Encontrarás tu propio camino y una carga favorita, con recargas esparcidas por el entorno si quemas lo que llevas a la batalla.

Presumido.

Tampoco es solo el Devil Breaker, el combate continúa evolucionando. Nuevo en la serie, V es un personaje cuyo estilo es diferente a cualquier otro personaje jugable en Devil May Cry . En lugar de un aluvión de combate cuerpo a cuerpo, este Adam Driver gótico da un paso atrás de la acción, y solo se abalanza para dar el golpe mortal. El resto del tiempo ataca con Familiares, demonios que puede lanzar sobre los oponentes para cumplir sus órdenes: Griffon, un ave de rapiña mística con habilidades de relámpago que ataca a distancia, Shadow, un demonio Pantera, que puede infligir un gran daño de cerca y Nightmare, una criatura gigante parecida a un golem que actúa como el movimiento especial Devil Trigger de V, puede simplemente destruir cualquier cosa en su camino. Jugar como V es similar a jugar como un pasajero poderoso, pero usarlo se sintió sorprendentemente bien.

A medida que el juego salta alrededor de una línea de tiempo inconexa, cambiando entre Nero, V y, finalmente, Dante, te mantiene alerta y lo agradecerás. El cambio de enfoque mantiene las cosas animadas y evita que el juego se estanque. Puede elegir favoritos cuando la historia se cruza, pero nunca se sentirá decepcionado con la persona que ha elegido. Mi preferencia era V. Su estilo era tan diferente que quería ver más, pero me hizo apreciar mi enfoque cuando me vi obligado a cambiar de nuevo. Es inteligente de esa manera. Además, como ocurre con todos los juegos de Devil May Cry , DMC5 está diseñado para jugarse una y otra vez para aumentar tu rango o enfrentar el desafío de una nueva dificultad. Ofrecer más opciones solo ayuda con esa rejugabilidad.

Godo.

Al jugar con personajes específicos, también se manifiesta la mayor de las funciones de red del juego. Con una historia ramificada que presenta múltiples caminos que chocan, tiene sentido que los otros personajes aparezcan mientras juegas, ¿verdad? ¡Y lo hacen! Sin embargo, en lugar de una apariencia de IA convencional, el sistema Cameo del juego permite que otros jugadores aparezcan mientras te abres camino. Piense en ello como Journey , pero con menos interacción y más sangre. Esencialmente, podrías jugar un nivel como Nero y ver un V o Dante cortando demonios en el fondo. Si lo haces, será otro jugador. Es sutil, no tiene ningún efecto en tu juego además de proporcionar una imagen genial y probablemente no sea necesario, pero la implementación fue impecable y se sumó a la experiencia.

Introducing these interlocking paths early on meant that the story could develop slowly too. DMC5 would often show two sides of the same encounter, giving a more rounded look at the fight against the demon king Urizen and the scourge of the Qliphoth that has taken root across the city. However, running the same (or very similar) areas with multiple characters when required did become frustrating; a feeling that was particularly prominent in the game’s later sections where I simply became bored of all the blood and gore. If you’ve seen one bone bridge and one elevator made of blood you’ve seen them all, y’know? I found the much more tame environments of the game’s first half more interesting. Having the London-inspired backdrop of Redgrave become overwhelmed by a demonic plague presented some amazing visuals. For instance, famous locales Leicester Square and London Underground stations become battlegrounds, with nods to the city’s varied architecture being caught in the crossfire.

All the environments look incredible, even in their destroyed states. It’s something that can be said for the vast majority of this game too. Each of the areas felt real and lived in, a stark contrast to the excessive nature of the late game hellscapes. It’s the little details that do it: chipped tiles, posters, dilapidated signage; true signs of polish that you don’t always see in a game that is designed to be played at one hundred miles per hour. The most satisfying detail was seeing Nero’s bullet casings drop to the floor and hit with a satisfying chime.

Style.

The way characters look has had an upgrade too. They look more real, the voice acting is better — although I could do with not hearing the same battle cries over and over — and they move gracefully, with their clothes and hair taking on the effects of the motion. This level of polish and structure plays into the more mature, self-serious, feeling Devil May Cry 5 has managed to conjure. I mean, it’s still a hugely ridiculous, over-the-top, blood and gore goth quest, but it made it easier to buy into.

It’s not just the characters’ looks that have had a change for the better either. The way the story plays out is a marked improvement over previous titles as well. Motivations are realistic, understandable and have surprising depth. The overarching story is clear cut too, but with little winks and nods there for those who know DMC like the back of their hand. Old habits die hard however, and outside of the three protagonists characterisation is lacking. For the amount of time you spend with Nico, she is severely underutilised. Thankfully she goes beyond the typical oversexualised Devil May Cry female sidekick, but is still held back by unnecessary flirting and innuendo. At least her crude jokes and jabs at other characters add to her providing a fantastic comedic contrast to everyone else’s B-movie seriousness. Her mid-mission upgrade cutscenes never failed to bring a smile to my face. Attempts are made to tie her into the wider series narrative, but they feel too little too late.

Sparkly.

Essentially, Capcom has trimmed the fat in a way that makes sense and improved the experience across the board. Each character has a clear contained story arc that fits into the main narrative, and the fact that they combine and overlap gives them extra weight.

This is particularly prevalent in Dante’s case. The devil’s favourite demon hunter is, surprise surprise, the one who knits this story together. The way the game builds to you finally getting to play as the series’ key man is great too. It makes him feel like a huge deal, building him up as this all-powerful demon killing machine before finally giving you the payoff you deserve. Taking control of Dante for the first time is cathartic. It feels like this is what you’ve been waiting for. He’s objectively the best playing character in the game but thanks to the variety of the other characters’ abilities, the game doesn’t do Nero or V a disservice either.

Londoner dream of having this much space on the Tube.

Playing as Dante is feeling like you can take on the world. It’s a thrill and the power fantasy only grows as your skills increase, the death metal kicks in, and your arsenal of weapons becomes more ridiculous. At one point I was cleaving demons in half with a motorcycle — that’s the level we’re at here, folks. Leaving Dante’s first playable appearance until the second half of the game is another one of the risks that Capcom has dared to take, but it produces a well rounded experience overall. Dante is massively overpowered, there’s no denying that. Utilising everything he has to offer is a reward to the player and avoids the developer having to revert to the trope of the hero losing all his powers. No spoilers here, but series favourite weapons make a return too, so you’ll have plenty to play with and smile about. Each weapon and ability, regardless of who you’re playing as, gets a detailed description as well. Again, great for introducing new fans or reacclimating old ones.

You’ll get the best out of these weapons during larger enemy encounters and the massive boss fights. Using some of Dante’s more inventive equipment makes tearing these guys down a joy, but that’s not to say Dante gets all the fun. Nero and V are just as capable of a good scrap with a huge beast as their mate with the red coat. Switching up your style to counter their moves before cleaving them in the face feels great, whoever you’re playing as. However, I would’ve appreciated more challenge than just dodging attacks and moving in for the kill. There are elements of this to be found throughout, with one boss encounter in particular playing like Shadow of the Colossus lite, so it’s a little disappointing that the majority are traditional bigger, more evil bad guys with bigger health bars. That’s great for grinding out an S rank, but doesn’t necessarily make for a memorable boss battle.

Don’t ask what’s happening, just enjoy it.

That line between tradition and innovation is at the core of Devil May Cry 5. From bringing it back in house and having Hideaki Itsuno retake the reins, to making sure it did more than was expected of it. But not too much. And that’s the thing — even with all the updates, high polish and creative new additions, at times it still feels ever so slightly dated. And that, alas, is the game’s only major flaw. Capcom has succeeded in what they wanted to do. However, I think the fear of failing — of derailing the franchise for another six years — has stopped the developer from pushing further, something that this game shows that it has the capacity to do.

What Devil May Cry 5 has done is given an old franchise a new lease of life. Delivering a classic character action game at a time when the industry at large is telling them not to is a huge risk, but in sticking to their guns (and swords, and bikes and robot arms) and figuring out what is at the core of Devil May Cry they’ve managed to refresh the game for series veterans and provide an easy point for new fans to jump in.

Devil May Cry 5 was always going to be a turning point for the franchise one way or another. It’s certainly not without its flaws. It’s throwback feel will be just what some people want, but as the game evolves elsewhere those elements feel occasionally out of place. Pacing issues sour the game’s second half too, but the way this game looks and sounds, the way combat feels, and how the story is told are all stellar.

This is how you do a reboot without actually doing a reboot. This is exactly what Devil May Cry needed.