088
enemies apart from groups. You need to keep
things varied to increase the style meter, which in
turn plays into the vocal fight music, adding extra
layers as things really pump up.
Each chapter follows one of the three main
characters, with a couple of instances where
you get to pick which one you want to play as.
This keeps the gameplay from getting stale, and
stops characters simply repeating the same areas,
though it does leave us wishing they each had
more missions. But then Devil May Cry has
always been designed with replayability in mind,
supporting your desire to top your scores and
take on increasingly tough difficulties.UNHOLY TRINITY
At a glance your trio of heroes might look like a
boy band, but getting to grips with them reveals
each to be the frontman of his own obscure alt
band. Though somehow they all manage to share
the spotlight, each of the three’s mechanics feels
well developed enough that they could easily
carry a game on their own.Down an arm for plot
reasons, Nero’s fleshy Devil
Buster has been replaced by an
arsenal of Devil Breaker robot
arms. These retain the grapple
functionality while also adding
a load of extras you need to
use situationally: a big electric
punch, a satisfying sonic boom
that launches both you and
enemies, and a rocket hand
that you can use to punch long
distances or ride around like
a skateboard, to name just a
few. Mix in his returning Red
Queen sword, which you rev up
like a motorbike for stronger
slashes, and his double-
barrelled Blue Rose revolver,
and Nero has evolved from a
sort of Dante-lite to something
much more unique.
Not all Devil Breakers are
made equal, and you’ll quickly
find you have favourites. But
get hit while using one and
it’ll explode, rotating to the
next one in your magazine.
You can also choose to lose the
arm by using it on a special,much more powerful move, or
explode it off to clear enemies
around you. It varies your
armoury and forces you to
adapt to situations.
Like the other devil hunters,
the new and mysterious flip-
flop wearer V also fights with a
combination of long-range and
close-range weapons. However,
his weapons are demons he
summons while hanging back
from the action himself. Once
an enemy is damaged enough,
he has to step in to finish
them off with his cane. It’s the
newest take on DMC gameplay
yet, and it’s pulled off in a way
that remains satisfying.
By the time you get to
control Dante, you’ll be
prepared to handle his slightly
more advanced system, which
involves switching between a
lot of things. Guns? He’s got
more to flick through. Close-
quarters weapons? His pockets
are deep indeed. Special, unique
moves? He’s got so many you
need to toggle through four“EACH OF THE THREE
CHARACTERS COULD CARRY
A GAME ON THEIR OWN.”
Right The trick
to playing as V
is to know when
to hang back
and let your
demons do the
work, and when
to join the fray.Left Nico drives
the demon-
slaying agency’s
wheels, and
upgrades your
gang’s arsenal.Boss battles can feel
like you’re on a knife’s
edge – or a sword’s
edge – but they all
have patterns to learn.