DmC Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition Review (Xbox One)

The Devil May Cry series has been around for quite some time, offering some pretty solid hack-and-slash experiences over the years thanks to Capcom’s expertise. However, one of the most controversial reboots took place a few years ago, when the Japanese company handed the series to UK-based dev Ninja Theory.

The new team drastically modified the whole universe, starting with a total makeover for series protagonist Dante. While the move was controversial at first, the game appeared in 2013 and delighted quite a lot of people across PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

Since then, the new generation of home consoles launched onto the market and Capcom saw fit to re-release the game in the form of a DmC Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition, which includes not just the core game but also its DLC packs, extra goodies, enhanced gameplay, and, of course, a native resolution of 1080p and a solid framerate of 60fps.

Does the new version of DmC manage to up the ante or should fans look elsewhere for their hack-and-slash fix? Let’s find out.

Story

DmC Devil May Cry takes quite a few liberties with the story of the franchise, and whereas the original plot wasn’t that bad, the new experience from Ninja Theory turns everything not just into a fun game to play but also one with a great story that can be enjoyed. Sure, there are some moments that fall flat, but overall, the game manages to serve as a critique of society’s consumerist nature, while poking fun at manipulation through advertising or media.

The Definitive Edition also throws in the special downloadable Vergil’s Downfall DLC, which acts as an epilogue and sets the stage for a possible sequel. While the story in the add-on is solid from a plot standpoint, the actual writing and acting aren’t exactly the best. Even so, it adds plenty of new things to do while controlling Dante’s brother.

Perform flashy attacks in DmC Devil May Cry

Gameplay

DmC Devil May Cry reimagines the hack-and-slash gameplay of the series and augments it in natural ways. Dante can use his sword, Rebellion, as standard, while dual-wielding his twin pistols, Ebony and Ivory. Soon after the opening sequences, Dante also gains access to a variety of other tools and weapons that provide heavy and light attacks, not to mention a couple of grappling tools to pull himself towards enemies or pull enemies towards him.

While this sounds a bit hard to grasp, especially given the hectic nature of the hack-and-slash gameplay, you soon start to combo your abilities and weapons to perform stylish moves and rack up big scores. In order to make things a bit more reasonable, in theory, the Definitive Edition also throws in a lock-on system that makes it easier to target high-priority opponents instead of less aggressive ones.

Speaking of enemies, they’re as varied as ever, with all sorts of different demons trying to impede the efforts of Dante and his allies. Many present special characteristics, like shields, whereas others specialize in spamming annoying attacks, like the tiny cherubs that throw grenade-like explosives onto the ground.

The Definitive Edition retains everything that was done great by the original version of DmC but also adds in a few new elements, starting with a Turbo mode that accelerates the whole action by 20% and should make things even more hectic. There’s also the Hardcore mode, which can be activated no matter the difficulty setting, which rebalances the gameplay and makes things even more difficult.

If you really want to do some work in the new game, there’s also the Must Style option that only allows players to deal damage to enemies once they’ve reached an S combo rank or higher. Add the new Gods Must Die difficulty setting, and even the toughest veterans will have their skills tested by the Definitive Edition.

In addition to the regular gameplay offered by the standard story campaign and the Vergil’s Downfall one, the special Blood Palace DLC is also present, which delivers a survival-like experience. Throw in the bonus skins for Dante and his weapons, not to mention new perks, and this is certainly the Definitive Edition in terms of content.

Unfortunately, the camera is still a bit dodgy when it comes to following all the action, and given that enemies will swarm you at all times, you’ll often be surprised by a sneak attack from an angle you didn’t see, which terminates your whole combo.

Use Vergil's speedy attacks in DmC Devil May Cry

Visuals and sound

DmC Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition runs at 1080p resolution and 60fps framerate on both the PS4 and Xbox One. The game runs flawlessly, and its already stunning style looks even better, thanks to enhanced effects and settings.

The soundtrack is as good as in the original game, and the voice acting makes the characters stand out quite well. There were some moments when the audio didn’t sync up exactly with the animations of the characters, but overall, things are very good.

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The Good

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