Chaos Raiden
Avid Gamer & Reviewer
Devil May Cry games are famously known for their stylish, high-speed action that combines both sword and guns moves effectively, great gothic music, Dante's stylishness, and etc. Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 3 (both editions) are the highlights of the series itself, with the exception of Devil May Cry 2, which falls short from being as good as it's predecessor, due to it's easy gameplay, Dante's different attitude and etc. So how does the latest Devil May Cry game, Devil May Cry 4 measures up to it's previous games?
Story
The story takes place after the Devil May Cry. Nero went to the Opera House to attend the ceremony of Sparda's sacrifice, as well as seeing Kyrie, his close friend. During the ceremony, suddenly, a man in red jumps and break in from the roof of the Opera House, and killed the pope, Sanctus who was praying. He also killed several other knights, and Nero fought him until waiting for backup. After the battle ended, Nero realised that the man in red did not kill humans, but demons. The man in red escaped, and Nero is tasked by Kyrie's brother, Credo to capture the man in red. Little did Nero know that in his mission in capturing the man in red, he will come across to several mysteries that will unlock his power and unveil the truth about the Order of the Sword itself.
I'll be honest, I have a mixed opinion of the game's storyline. The sudden introduction of Nero in the game is rather weird, and there is no background explanation of his origins, his Devil Bringer, and etc. If there are introductory missions that explain his background, it would help us to understand the game's story much better. Unfortunately, the game does not have it, and the game's plot is rather simple and unmemorable, due to lack of certain plot twists that makes the story interesting.
Characters in the game are rather interesting, but lack characterisations to make them more memorable. Gloria only appears in few scenes, and only her true identity is shown in later half of the game. Kyrie is simply a damsel in distress, a good opera singer, and that's it. The game lacks strong cutscenes to make the characters memorable, so it is a minus for me. Perhaps only Nero and Dante are the only two characters I truly like in this game, but Nero's sudden introduction in the game can either make DMC fans excited or turned off since Dante is not exactly the main star of the game.
Gameplay
The game's control is similar to previous DMC games. Slash, shoot, jump, side roll, the usual. There are a few puzzles that need to be solved like previous DMC games, and most of the puzzles are rather creatively designed, especially the dice puzzle in certain chapters.
Nero have three weapons. Red Queen is used to attack enemies at close range with high damage. Blue Rose is used to shoot enemies from far away, but with minimal damage. Devil Bringer is used to deal strong blows on enemies, and can be used to grab enemies from a distance, etc.
Nero's Devil Bringer is a very interesting and new feature. By using it, you can do several things such as grabbing an enemy from a distance to get slashed up close, or bash it mercilessly with a powerful grab attack. Devil Bringer allows new possibilities in getting Stylish combos.
Nero has another unique feature called Exceed. Exceed system allows you to increase the power of your attacks. Exceed has three levels, and you can get more levels by getting new upgrades for your Exceed. To use an Exceed attack, you need to rev up the gauge to gain level for your EX Gauge by pressing the L2/LT button. The higher the level of your Exceed attacks, the more powerful it is. Exceed attacks do not work effectively while doing normal combos, but it works well when used with special techniques such as Streak, Split, High Roller, etc. My favourite Exceed attack will be definitely EX Streak, since it can hit multiple enemies at the same time as well as highly damaging.
Unfortunately for Nero, his Blue Rose does not deal high damage, even when using Charge Shots. It can be used to juggle enemies while they are airborne, or to attack them from faraway, etc. Upgrading his Charge Shot to level 3 can be a good thing since his Charge Shot 3 can deal quite massive damage to minor enemies such as Scarecrows. However, the drawback is that you need to charge it for some time in order to use it.
One thing to be noted is that Nero has no unlockable weapons like Dante. He will only have Red Queen, Blue Rose, and Devil Bringer as his weapons. Thus, he has limited ways to increase his Stylish rank while fighting enemies. Fortunately, he has a lot of Red Queen moves and Devil Bringer moves that helps him to raise Stylish rank as high as possible in a very short period of time if you can master his moves.
Nero also have access to Devil Trigger. Unlike Dante's Devil Trigger, his is not a full demonic form, but some kind of demonic spirit appear at his back. While in D.T. mode, his attack power is increased, slight health regeneration, and has access to several exclusive moves such as Showdown and Maximum Bet. Using Exceed attacks while in D.T. mode can be very effective as well. Using D.T. mode is vital in fighting tough bosses and also in hard difficulties in the game. Nero's Buster will be upgraded to Devil Buster, which will deal more brutal and massive damage to minor demons and bosses. Save your D.T. to use Devil Buster to finish tough enemies faster.
Dante plays differently than Nero, and he has a lot of variety of moves because he has access to different weapons and Styles. In this game, Dante plays like in DMC3, except one major change.
Dante now is able to switch Styles anytime while playing. That means you don't have to go to the Divinity Statue to change your Style like DMC3. This means that endless possibilities of Stylish combos can be created now that you have access to all 5 Styles at the same time.
Dante has 4 Styles at the start of his playthrough, which are Sword Master, Gunslinger, Trickster, and Royal Guard. Sword Master style unlocks exclusive new moves for his melee weapons. Gunslinger unlocks exclusive new moves for his long-range weapons. Trickster allows Dante to use evasive maneuvers to avoid damage. Royal Guard allows Dante to block and reduce enemy's damage by guarding, and also allows him to unleash the stored energy when being attacked while guarding. Later in the game he will have access to the 5th Style, which is quite cool to be used in fighting enemies and bosses.
Dante has access to 3 different melee weapons and 3 different long-range weapons. His main melee weapon is Rebellion, a sword that allows Dante devastates enemies easily, and his main long-range weapon is Ebony & Ivory, two handguns that are capable of rapid-fire. Experiment all Dante's weapons and choose which one suits your taste the best and which one works best in different situations.
Like Nero, Dante has access to D.T. mode. Unlike Nero's D.T. mode, his is a full demonic form. An advantage that can be found in Dante's D.T. mode is that he doesn't flinch easily after being attacked unlike Nero. In D.T. mode, he will still stands after being attacked by a weak enemy. However, his Stylish rank will reduce and he will still take damage. He also have access to increased attack power, slight health regeneration, and new moves. Certain moves while in D.T. form will be much stronger, such as stronger and improved Stinger attack.
There are 20 Missions, 13 Missions for Nero and 7 Missions for Dante. It is a bit uneven, and I would prefer if Dante has equivalent Missions as Nero's. Most Missions in the game has the similar progression. Run, fight enemies, run, solve puzzles, and finally fight the boss.
The puzzles are not too hard, but to find the place to proceed can be cumbersome since there is no marker you to go, which requires a bit of exploring if you are new to the game.
Enemies can spawn in certain areas. In certain areas, there is a Red seal that will only be unlocked if you have defeated every enemy in the room. If there is a Blue seal, you can only proceed after solving the puzzle of the room, such as solving the dice puzzle.
Story
Nero is the main playable character and the main protagonist of the game, while Dante sits back as the initial antagonist in the first half of the game and the second playable character.
The story takes place after the Devil May Cry. Nero went to the Opera House to attend the ceremony of Sparda's sacrifice, as well as seeing Kyrie, his close friend. During the ceremony, suddenly, a man in red jumps and break in from the roof of the Opera House, and killed the pope, Sanctus who was praying. He also killed several other knights, and Nero fought him until waiting for backup. After the battle ended, Nero realised that the man in red did not kill humans, but demons. The man in red escaped, and Nero is tasked by Kyrie's brother, Credo to capture the man in red. Little did Nero know that in his mission in capturing the man in red, he will come across to several mysteries that will unlock his power and unveil the truth about the Order of the Sword itself.
I'll be honest, I have a mixed opinion of the game's storyline. The sudden introduction of Nero in the game is rather weird, and there is no background explanation of his origins, his Devil Bringer, and etc. If there are introductory missions that explain his background, it would help us to understand the game's story much better. Unfortunately, the game does not have it, and the game's plot is rather simple and unmemorable, due to lack of certain plot twists that makes the story interesting.
Characters in the game are rather interesting, but lack characterisations to make them more memorable. Gloria only appears in few scenes, and only her true identity is shown in later half of the game. Kyrie is simply a damsel in distress, a good opera singer, and that's it. The game lacks strong cutscenes to make the characters memorable, so it is a minus for me. Perhaps only Nero and Dante are the only two characters I truly like in this game, but Nero's sudden introduction in the game can either make DMC fans excited or turned off since Dante is not exactly the main star of the game.
Gameplay
A feature unique to Nero is his powerful Devil Bringer. Nero's Buster attacks can be different for every enemy. Use Buster to inflict high damage to lesser demons and bosses!
The game's control is similar to previous DMC games. Slash, shoot, jump, side roll, the usual. There are a few puzzles that need to be solved like previous DMC games, and most of the puzzles are rather creatively designed, especially the dice puzzle in certain chapters.
Nero have three weapons. Red Queen is used to attack enemies at close range with high damage. Blue Rose is used to shoot enemies from far away, but with minimal damage. Devil Bringer is used to deal strong blows on enemies, and can be used to grab enemies from a distance, etc.
Nero's Devil Bringer is a very interesting and new feature. By using it, you can do several things such as grabbing an enemy from a distance to get slashed up close, or bash it mercilessly with a powerful grab attack. Devil Bringer allows new possibilities in getting Stylish combos.
Nero's Exceed attacks are very powerful. Use them to defeat enemies faster.
Nero has another unique feature called Exceed. Exceed system allows you to increase the power of your attacks. Exceed has three levels, and you can get more levels by getting new upgrades for your Exceed. To use an Exceed attack, you need to rev up the gauge to gain level for your EX Gauge by pressing the L2/LT button. The higher the level of your Exceed attacks, the more powerful it is. Exceed attacks do not work effectively while doing normal combos, but it works well when used with special techniques such as Streak, Split, High Roller, etc. My favourite Exceed attack will be definitely EX Streak, since it can hit multiple enemies at the same time as well as highly damaging.
Unfortunately for Nero, his Blue Rose does not deal high damage, even when using Charge Shots. It can be used to juggle enemies while they are airborne, or to attack them from faraway, etc. Upgrading his Charge Shot to level 3 can be a good thing since his Charge Shot 3 can deal quite massive damage to minor enemies such as Scarecrows. However, the drawback is that you need to charge it for some time in order to use it.
One thing to be noted is that Nero has no unlockable weapons like Dante. He will only have Red Queen, Blue Rose, and Devil Bringer as his weapons. Thus, he has limited ways to increase his Stylish rank while fighting enemies. Fortunately, he has a lot of Red Queen moves and Devil Bringer moves that helps him to raise Stylish rank as high as possible in a very short period of time if you can master his moves.
Nero also have access to Devil Trigger. Unlike Dante's Devil Trigger, his is not a full demonic form, but some kind of demonic spirit appear at his back. While in D.T. mode, his attack power is increased, slight health regeneration, and has access to several exclusive moves such as Showdown and Maximum Bet. Using Exceed attacks while in D.T. mode can be very effective as well. Using D.T. mode is vital in fighting tough bosses and also in hard difficulties in the game. Nero's Buster will be upgraded to Devil Buster, which will deal more brutal and massive damage to minor demons and bosses. Save your D.T. to use Devil Buster to finish tough enemies faster.
Dante's skills list are mostly different than Nero's skills list, so you need to get used to both characters skills as much as possible.
Dante plays differently than Nero, and he has a lot of variety of moves because he has access to different weapons and Styles. In this game, Dante plays like in DMC3, except one major change.
Dante now is able to switch Styles anytime while playing. That means you don't have to go to the Divinity Statue to change your Style like DMC3. This means that endless possibilities of Stylish combos can be created now that you have access to all 5 Styles at the same time.
Dante has 4 Styles at the start of his playthrough, which are Sword Master, Gunslinger, Trickster, and Royal Guard. Sword Master style unlocks exclusive new moves for his melee weapons. Gunslinger unlocks exclusive new moves for his long-range weapons. Trickster allows Dante to use evasive maneuvers to avoid damage. Royal Guard allows Dante to block and reduce enemy's damage by guarding, and also allows him to unleash the stored energy when being attacked while guarding. Later in the game he will have access to the 5th Style, which is quite cool to be used in fighting enemies and bosses.
Dante has access to 3 different melee weapons and 3 different long-range weapons. His main melee weapon is Rebellion, a sword that allows Dante devastates enemies easily, and his main long-range weapon is Ebony & Ivory, two handguns that are capable of rapid-fire. Experiment all Dante's weapons and choose which one suits your taste the best and which one works best in different situations.
Like Nero, Dante has access to D.T. mode. Unlike Nero's D.T. mode, his is a full demonic form. An advantage that can be found in Dante's D.T. mode is that he doesn't flinch easily after being attacked unlike Nero. In D.T. mode, he will still stands after being attacked by a weak enemy. However, his Stylish rank will reduce and he will still take damage. He also have access to increased attack power, slight health regeneration, and new moves. Certain moves while in D.T. form will be much stronger, such as stronger and improved Stinger attack.
There are 20 Missions, 13 Missions for Nero and 7 Missions for Dante. It is a bit uneven, and I would prefer if Dante has equivalent Missions as Nero's. Most Missions in the game has the similar progression. Run, fight enemies, run, solve puzzles, and finally fight the boss.
The puzzles are not too hard, but to find the place to proceed can be cumbersome since there is no marker you to go, which requires a bit of exploring if you are new to the game.
Enemies can spawn in certain areas. In certain areas, there is a Red seal that will only be unlocked if you have defeated every enemy in the room. If there is a Blue seal, you can only proceed after solving the puzzle of the room, such as solving the dice puzzle.
Fighting bosses are fun, but very, very repetitive.
As in previous Devil May Cry games, bosses are the real highlights in the game due to their terrific design and have unique moves that can kill you easily. In Devil Hunter mode, bosses won't pose much challenge to you if you are an average DMC player, but can be hard if you are new to it. In Son of Sparda or Dante Must Die modes, they can be very challenging.
Each bosses have their own unique attack patterns and weaknesses. The picture above shows one of the bosses you must fight, by the name of Berial. As for Berial, he specialises in fire attacks and uses some sword attacks to hit you. Most of it can be dodged unless you are not careful. Once you hit the boss enough, they will become in weakened state, open to your full assault of attacks such as Nero's Buster. All bosses except one have their own weakened state, and Nero can use his Buster attacks to deal large damage to them. Unfortunately, Dante has no access to Buster, but he has large number of moves that can deal damage to any bosses, such as Drive, Over Drive, or Dance Macabre.
In every Mission, you will be ranked accordingly to your performance, such as how fast you complete the Mission, your Stylish points, and how many Red Orbs you gathered at the end of the mission. If you get S ranks for those three areas, you will get an overall S rank. Getting bonuses such as 'No Damage' or 'No Items' can also improve your rank. New to this game is that instead of getting Red Orbs as your reward, you will get Proud Souls instead. The amount given will be according to your overall rank of the mission.
As in the first game, Red Orbs are used to purchase items such as Holy Water, Gold Orb, etc. Using them is useful in completing harder difficulty missions. Keep in mind that using Items can lower your overall rank in a Mission. However, Red Orbs cannot be used to purchase new techniques for your weapons, which now Proud Souls will fill in the job for it.
Proud Souls are used to purchase new techniques for both Nero and Dante, such as Air Hike, Enemy Step, etc. As you purchase a new technique, other techniques will start to increase the cost of purchase. Buying the proper and suitable techniques are recommended because some techniques may not be important as the other technique. For example, buying Trigger Heart is much more important since it allows you to use Devil Trigger much longer. If you are not satisfied with the technique that you just purchased, you can always refund it and buy another one.
I love Devil May Cry series' gameplay, but I felt that this game is not up to par with DMC3 or DMC1. Like DMC1, this game have repetitive boss fights. Unlike in this game, the boss fights in DMC1 can be placed in different areas, and the bosses can have new or different attacks, whereas in this game, the boss fights are placed at the same location as before, and have no new or different attacks to give a different experience of fighting them using either Dante or Nero. However, this only applies to only 4 bosses in the game, as the rest of the bosses are unique to Nero and Dante only fights one exclusive boss.
I also felt that the game is not challenging as in the third or first game, and the enemies do not deal much damage even in Devil Hunter mode. Nero also lacks a variety of weapons, and have to rely solely on his 3 weapons. Dante on the other hand, has less Missions to play with in this game. It would have been much better if they make 10 missions for Dante and 10 missions for Nero. DMC2 won in this area, since the game features two discs for two playable characters each. Although DMC2 is not as good as this game, that game perhaps show much more gameplay balance in playing different characters.
Another thing that Devil May Cry games suffer is backtracking. In all DMC games, there is always backtracking to previous areas, and this is no different. The first 7 or 8 missions have great level designs, but the rest of it are repetitive and lazy of recycled level designs. To put it simply, Dante's missions revolve him going back to the starting point of the game, which is a nuisance and can be boring. I wish there are more exclusive levels for Dante, but this did not happen as there is no DLC for the game. Overall, the gameplay is solid, but some flaws prevented the game from being great.
*sticked*
