‘DmC: Devil May Cry Definitive Edition’ Review

[ Read Game Rant’s Review of DmC: Devil May Cry on Last-Gen]

DmC: Devil May Cry had an uphill battle almost from its very first screenshot. With fans voicing their outrage over the redesign of hero Dante, many thought that Devil May Cry would have a tough time recovering, let alone finding success. Yet, there lurked behind it all a sneaking suspicion that developer Ninja Theory would be able to deliver something unique and fun. After all, if Capcom was willing to give them free reign to redesign Dante, perhaps they had given them the opportunity to design a game that met Ninja Theory’s expectations.

As it turns out, those suspicions were correct. Not only was DmC: Devil May Cry a successful character action game, it injected new life into the franchise. Sure, Dante was still a punk rock-looking kid, but the rest of the game carried on that Devil May Cry spirit with near pitch perfect aplomb.

Still, many gamers missed out on Devil May Cry because of those preconceptions, which in our mind is a shame. Thankfully, those holdouts now have a second chance at playing the game with DmC: Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition.

Current-gen remasters are obviously nothing new to this generation of consoles, but in DmC’s case the Definitive Edition is an intriguing prospect. It features the usual higher resolution, better frame rate upgrade, as well as all of the previously released DLC for Devil May Cry. It also includes a few new difficulty settings for those DmC die-hards out there as well. But really, the Definitive Edition is for those gamers who overlooked the game for one reason or another.

Visually, Devil May Cry: DE looks and runs better than it did on last-gen, and is on par with the PC version of the game. With a character action game like this you want smooth frame rates, and the remaster delivers in that regard. It’s not a tremendous leap forward, like say The Last of Us Remastered, but DmC: DE still looks best in its PS4 and Xbox One incarnations.

The package also includes the Vergil’s Downfall campaign, which charts Dante’s brother’s story after the events of DmC. By and large the story, environments, and enemies in Vergil’s Downfall are formulaic copies of those featured in the main game, and the story is hardly memorable, but Ninja Theory does do some interesting things with Vergil’s combat.

Like Dante, Vergil has both a devil and an angel side that unlock any time the player holds one of the triggers. These devil and angel moves then compliment the basic sword and range attacks for Vergil, giving him a suite of three tiers to choose from. What makes Vergil different is that his attacks are a bit more deliberate (read: slower) than Dante’s. Where Devil May Cry proper is all about quick slashes and flashy combos, Vergil must be more precise with his moves, while also shooting for the highest combo rating. Playing as Vergil obviously makes for a different experience, but one that’s no less enjoyable. It’s just a shame that the component parts packaged around the DLC aren’t new as well.

The main campaign for DmC remains relatively unchanged from current-gen save for a few balance tweaks, but the new modes should offer more fun for the hardcore. In typical Capcom fashion, Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition includes a handful of new difficulty modes to make the game even more challenging. There’s the Must Style mode that only lets players damage enemies at combo rank ‘S’ and higher. There’s even a Turbo Mode that runs the game at a 20% faster speed, testing players reflexes and giving them a better shot at speed running the game.

And once players have conquered all of the new modes for DmC: DE, they can take on the round-based Vergil’s Bloody Palace for more character action fun. It’s a fine addition to the package, but is only for those who really crave the combat. Others will give it a few runs and then be done with the Bloody Palace.

Packaged together, DmC Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition takes an already great character action game and gives it a little extra content and an added layer of polish. Those who enjoyed the game the first time around have a few incentives to upgrade, but a few extra difficulty levels and a horde mode are not the biggest draws. Similarly, the Vergil’s Downfall story DLC offers a change of pace, but only from a gameplay perspective.

Vergil’s Combat is Slower, But Still Fun

However, those who skipped out on DmC on PS3 or Xbox 360 are highly encouraged to give this game a try. It has a great sense of style, a scathing humor, and its gameplay is some of the best the character action genre has to offer. Look past the younger Dante and pick up DmC: Devil May Cry, you won’t regret it.

What did you think of the original DmC: Devil May Cry? Will you pick up this re-release?

DmC: Devil May Cry Definitive Edition releases March 10, 2015 for PS4 and Xbox One. Game Rant was provided a PS4 copy for this review.