Devil May Cry 5 arrives on PlayStation 5 (and Xbox Series X) with the usual special Edition, and there is no need to add more to this review. Because yes, we are now in the fourth Special Edition out of six chapters in total, and in all of them the common denominator is Vergil. The final result, this time, is a sort of hybrid between the Special Edition of the fourth chapter and the Definitive of the infamous DmC Devil May Cry of the gaijin Ninja Theory. Not just an extra character, but a couple of modes and a few technical improvement trying to align console gamers with PC gamers. Devil May Cry 5 on PS5 does not want to reinvent the wheel, and it would be stupid to ask him to. It simply wants to be a coat of oil on some gears that already ran very well last year anyway.
Having said that, how is Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition told?
The newness
Incorrect video game:
Devil May Cry 5: the rece full of spoilers (Holygamerz)
The approach, of course, must be more descriptive. Talk about the content for once, rather than the gaming experience. And from this point of view the idea behind this Special Edition is very simple. As happened with DmC, we fish among the most popular mods and try to enhance technical performance of the package. The Turbo Mode, which allows you to play Devil May Cry 5 at 120% of its original speed. The impact with the game, as expected, makes it more frenetic and definitely more challenging. Reaction times are lowered and everything is faster.
The other big playful graft is there Mythical Dark Knight mode. Which no, does not make Sparda playable, but on the other hand multiply the number of enemies on the screen to the point of transforming the gaming experience into something very similar to a musou. The result here is more fluctuating: more enemies on the screen result in a less clean experience and, above all, in a style-meter that becomes much easier to bring to the maximum.
But deep down we know, this is just the appetizer. The main course is Vergil.
Here unfortunately the model followed rather than DmC is the traditional one of the series. Introductory custom movie, removal of most of the rest of the cutscenes and little else. Vergil becomes playable in Devil May Cry 5 without really integrating into the package. They play the same levels as the other characters - designed for other characters - in his shoes. It is something dedicated to fanservice, which is a bit like the stylistic code of this fifth chapter of the series.
Vergil's gameplay is spectacular
Vergil is meant to be the more stylish character in this stylish action festival called Devil May Cry 5. Combo designed for spectacularization, a Devil Trigger that takes up the doppelganger already seen in Devil May Cry 3 as Dante's style and in DmC on Vergil himself. The double is somewhat adjustable, by setting the speed at which it repeats the player's actions. But it doesn't end there, because that's not enough, the concentration bar returns - directly from the Special Edition of Devil May Cry 4 - and Vergil also finally has his Sin Devil Trigger.
What's it like playing with Vergil? Very satisfying, even if it happens from time to time to warn one manifests superiority compared to on-screen opponents. Including some bosses. On the other hand, in other situations it is clear that Vergil is almost a foreign element to the level design conceived last year. He manages to adapt, but always maintaining a kind of detachment. It would have been nice to see some content extras also from this point of view, if not even a mini-campaign like for The Fall of Vergil in DmC Devil May Cry. The playful addition, however, absolutely remains a big added value for fans.
Technical novelties
To learn more:
Ray tracing and the importance of light in video games
It wouldn't be next-gen without it Ray Tracing, one might say. Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition adapts to the generational diktat, at the cost of sacrifice frames per second. Activating Ray Tracing means playing at 30 fps (in 4K) or in 1080p (keeping the frame-rate at 60 images per second). Disabling Ray Tracing, the game runs quietly in 4K and 60 fps, and going down with the resolution to even touch the 120 frames per second.
Playing a Devil May Cry at 30fps is clearly wanting harm. The game - the genre - is meant for fluidity, and giving it up just for a better lighting system is nonsense. Devil May Cry 5 wants to be a toy, wants to be played. Likewise, if you are playing on a 4K panel, it is inadvisable set a lower resolution. The images generated by the game are basically a quarter of the size of the screen and are then stretched to cover it all, resulting in an image. definitely less clean. In addition to the consideration that 120 frames per second are actually anything but stable, the queen configuration is necessarily 4K at 60 frames per second. Of course, all this if the available panel supports 4K.
Verdict 8.5 / 10 The usual Special Edition, but that's okay Comment It's Devil May Cry 5, Vergil added to it and it arrived on next-gen. There is really nothing more to say. The operation is certainly not one of the most sumptuous, but we are talking about an absolutely solid chapter and a product that enters the market at an extremely popular price. Those who have not played it and have made the big leap are faced with a great opportunity, those who have already played it ... Well, the launch lineup of the new consoles is not so full that they can say no. Pros and cons ✓ Still a great game
✓ Vergil playable ... x ... But in the name of fanservice
x Mythical Swinging Dark Knight
