Devil May Cry 5 review

When we first see Nero in Devil May Cry 5, he revs his sword like a motorcycle. That scratches the surface of the game’s mood. Later on, as Dante, I’m able to weaponize literal motorcycles, dragging their spinning wheels across the faces of enemy demons, ripping loose skin and meat. Capcom’s latest entry in the beloved action series is silly, raucous, and spectacular — and yet surprisingly consistent, juggling gobs of ideas but never losing focus.

The story of Devil May Cry 5 builds upon its predecessors, with our heroes once again fighting demon lords through a setting that falls somewhere between Dante’s Divine Comedy and a Grim Reaper mural airbrushed onto the side of a 1976 Dodge Tradesman.

In this entry, half-demon demon hunter Dante, the demon-handed Nero, and their cast of sidekicks and supporting characters are back to stop (yet) another demon from taking over the Underworld.

Devil May Cry 5’s design leans heavily into the rule of cool. That’s a very particular term that acknowledges the shortcomings and flaws of a piece of pop culture, while also excusing them due to everything else about the experience being badass.

Devil May Cry 5’s reliance on the rule of cool is uncompromising, and I found it grating until about halfway through my 15 hours with the game — when I began to see it for what it is, and found a way to meet it on its own terms. I had to embrace its soundtrack’s guitar shrills, its cast of Iggy Pop wannabes, and a comically byzantine combat system.

Once I did, I was able to enjoy this heavy metal album cover come to life. Devil May Cry 5 delivers on its own aesthetic with so much confidence and commitment that it justifies itself, and most of its flaws.

Capcom via Polygon

I’m more or less new to the series, which may explain why it took a moment to find my way aboard this particular cosmic ride. I understand that Nero returns from Devil May Cry 4 and Dante from many previous entries. The rest of the characters are about what I expected from the series, based on limited time with previous entries. There’s the mysterious and mopey V, with his cane, book of poetry, and wisecracking demon-bird familiar. Nico is the scantily clad, chain-smoking gunsmith who careens around the city in the Devil May Cry mobile office van.

As in previous games, Devil May Cry 5 rates my performance not by the number of enemies I kill in each fight, but by how stylishly I’m able to slaughter them. I earn a rating of “dismal” when I flail around and don’t take advantage of my powers. I earn “apocalyptic” after I learn how to time my attacks properly and use more of the moves at my disposal. To earn the coveted S rank, I must kill with my weapon and slay with my style.

I fought against this approach for hours, because I kept forgetting that nothing is more important than being cool. To a newcomer, Devil May Cry 5 plays like an over-the-shoulder hack-and-slash game, and that’s how I kept trying to play it. I’d mash buttons when I entered unfamiliar territory. That got me through fights in Devil May Cry 5 well enough, but it didn’t take my low ratings during each battle to show me that I was missing the point. I was playing the game but not getting it.

I’m limited by the closed-off arenas of each fight. It’s intentionally of an era gone by, resulting in a pace that, today, feels uneven and jerky. A cutscene is followed by an empty hallway that leads me to another cutscene. I roll my eyes at the flood of new weapons and new moves, and the boss fights in which the enemy is never quite dead enough that fill the game’s third act.

But then I take a step back and realize that a game with motorcycle swords isn’t focusing on its own narrative structure. Because who has time for structure when you have motorcycle swords? The fun isn’t in answering why you have swords, but in taking the time to make the absolute most of them.

And that’s when it clicks. I’m suddenly 14 years old with $5 in quarters in my pocket, pumping coins into the loudest, flashiest cabinet in the arcade. I stop tripping over the fights and pacing. I’m only given a small space for each fight, but that allows me to focus on each scrimmage as if it were a theatrical space: my weapon my instrument, each hit a note. Hallways and cutscenes provide quiet momentS before I’m asked to build another crescendo of sticky violence. I’m given new weapons and moves not merely because they are more powerful, but because they provide variety that will add greater depth to my show.

I start to think of the game itself as an observer for my actions, and I want to make sure it’s having a good time watching how I use the tools I’m given to kick ass in entertaining ways. I want a good rating on this fight, at this moment, more than I want to see what happens next.

Capcom via Polygon

But buying into the rule of cool doesn’t mean I’m able to ignore all the ways the game stumbles. Devil May Cry 5 is built on the series’ impenetrable lore, which lies in the uncomfortable space between baffling and inconsequential. I control a trio of brooding men while largely objectified women sit on the sidelines. I navigate plot twists that don’t mean anything to me unless I dig through fan wikis.

The default control scheme also frustrated me during the game’s early hours, and I spent too much time fighting the tricky button combinations and earning dismal ratings during battles before I realized I should just take the time to remap the buttons. Once I did get comfortable with the controls and spent some time learning the moves, the fights became almost too easy. Low-level enemies dropped dead before I got a chance to do anything cool, and more difficult enemies barely touched me.

I suppose difficulty isn’t the point, since I’m only worried about style. Now, as I work through harder difficulty settings, I find that enough practice and a focus on stylistic combos make most fights quick. The enemies are more like a halfpipe I can use to try cool tricks, rather than a threat that can take me out if I’m not paying attention. And here I find myself, once again, learning to meet the game on its own terms.

Devil May Cry 5 is truly, madly, deeply itself. I can’t think of any other game in which I can slice through flying demons while my panther familiar transforms into a spinning wheel of bladed death as metal guitar licks screech across rain-soaked streets. I’m not interested in perfection in that situation; I’m interested in fun. And Devil May Cry 5 is fun.

It’s all about huge swords, epic fights, and ridiculous characters. Nothing about the game is subtle. It doesn’t have to be. It’s a gory, metalcore-driven, imperfect romp. It didn’t ask me for much — just 15 hours of my time and a willingness to admit that, all right, dragging a motorcycle across a demon’s face is, in fact, pretty badass.

Devil May Cry 5 will be released March 8 on PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One. The game was reviewed on Xbox One using a final “retail” download code provided by Capcom. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.