Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition Review (PS5)

Written by Alexander O. Cuaycong and Anthony L. Cuaycong

Title: Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Genre: Action
Price: $39.99

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It’s refreshing to see the Devil May Cry franchise stand on its own two legs, especially in the face of its humble origins. The first title was released back in 2001, and it was a triumphant, if awkward, combination of action, survival horror, and dark fantasy. Devil May Cry, directly inspired by the writings of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy and the gameplay of the Resident Evil series and Onimusha Warlords, decided to blend these together to create an unsettling, claustrophobic action game that rewarded exploration and aggression. Its resounding success cemented itself as one of Capcom’s strongest intellectual properties. The series has had its hiccups since then, but its greatness was assured in light of its outstanding start.

The franchise’s roller-coaster ride notwithstanding, Devil May Cry 5 proved to be the best of the series by far when it was launched in 2019. Featuring over-the-top storytelling combined with responsive controls and iconic characters, it wound up meeting gamers’ expectations. It offered three distinct characters as vessels for unparalleled demon slaying, and could well have been flawless had it not been hampered by the horsepower limitations of consoles already on their last legs.

Which, for all intents, is why the release of Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition on Sony PlayStation 5 should be celebrated. It offers a chance for gamers to reexperience it at its finest. With smoother framerates, better-looking textures, faster load times and all available downloadable content bundled in, it brings the entire franchise to the cutting edge. Simply put, it’s an utter joy to behold.

The narrative remains. In Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition, Hell itself is unleashed into the world as the demon lord Urizen seeks to strengthen himself by using the blood of humans as its fuel. Only by finding and destroying the roots of the tree it uses to harvest blood can Dante, Nero, and the mysterious V hope to stop its progress. And to do that, they have to make full use of what skills and powers they have available to them, and eradicate any and all traces of demonic presence they can find.

This means engaging in the exquisite combat system of Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition. The characters tumble, roll, and dodge their way out of enemy attacks, sending the opposition into the air and jugging them for maximum damage. It might sound just like every other beat-’em-up title, but unlike every other beat-’em-up title, gamers are encouraged to mix and match moves to continually raise the combo meter; rewards come by way of constant alterations in attack patterns and approaches to engagements. Fortunately, the significant differences between each character – from Nero’s Devil Arm and grabs to Dante’s stance changes – encourage experimentation of the environment, unlocked abilities, and special moves while skirting the edges of risk.

Of course, none of this would work if Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition didn’t run better. It still features the same distinctive art style, but everything about it looks and plays better compared to its 2019 base counterpart. Textures have a higher graphical fidelity, the framerate is much smoother, landing a consistent 60 fps even during the tenser moments, and even touts the ability to use ray-tracing to generate graphical consistency. Technical and performance improvements likewise abound, and are especially noticeable during stage transitions and saving/loading instances.

And then there’s, of course, the DLC. Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition comes packed with all previously released additional content; apart from the base game, it boasts of the Bloody Palace update, all the pre-order bonuses, and the Vergil DLC – at no additional cost. It’s a slew of extra content, and turns what is an already-stellar base game into a veritable masterpiece.

Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition does make a few missteps, though they’re not unique to its own circumstance. It may be the definitive edition, but those who already own the previous release may find it hard to double dip given the absence of any new material. And it bears noting that the same flaws the the original suffered from outside of console limitations are more or less still present.

That said, Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition is a worthy addition to any gamer’s library. It highlights its value as a PS5 launch release, and gives gamers, and avid followers of the franchise, a heady look at what is to come.

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THE GOOD

• Devil May Cry at its finest, running smoothly and crisply
• Comes packed with all previously released content
• A somewhat silly but eminently accessible story mode

THE BAD

• Hardly any new features
• Can prove difficult game for newcomers to the genre
• Sometimes feels a bit floaty depending on the chosen character

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RATING: 9.5/10

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