Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition – Xbox Series X Review

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Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Website: https://www.devilmaycry5.com
Genre: Action, Adventure
Platform: Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5
Age Rating: 18
Release Date: 19/11/2020
Price: £34.99

A code was provided for review purposes.

Introduction

Last year Capcom brought the next instalment of its DMC series; Devil May Cry 5 to the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. The fast-paced hack & slash was a big success and brought Devil May Cry back into the limelight. Building on this success Capcom has re-released Devil May Cry 5 as; Devil May Cry 5: Special Editon which is naturally targeted towards the current generation of consoles – Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

Taking advantage of the power of the new consoles, Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition boasts fancy new ray-tracing technology and higher graphical fidelity. On top of this we’re also able to play the full game as fan-favourite, and series mainstay; Vergil. That’s not all, everything else that made Devil May Cry 5 the game it is, is back and better than ever! Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition is the definitive version of an already fantastic instalment of this long-running franchise.

Story May Cry

The story of Devil May Cry 5 takes place a handful of years after the conclusion to Devil May Cry 4. We yet again follow series protagonists; Dante and Nero as a new mysterious enemy named Urizen arises to cause trouble for the demon hunters and their allies. The hunters are also joined in their quest by the mysterious V, who’s also a new playable character.

The story borrows a lot of – if not all the elements of what made the previous games good. Without going into spoilers, Devil May Cry 5 has so many twists and turns it’s hard to keep up with what’s going on. For returning fans, it’s full of subtle hints to previous events but keeps things feeling new for newer players. It can be a little bonkers and extravagant at times but it’s an exhilarating ride from beginning to end. With an excellent well fleshed out cast of characters, its hard to not fall in love with what Capcom has made.

For those of us wanting a greater challenge, there are two new difficulty settings to try out. Turbo Mode is another returning feature from other Devil May Cry Special Editions. Whilst its nothing fancy, Turbo Mode enables the game to run at 20x its normal speed. The other and the far more insane setting is appropriately named: Legendary Dark Knight. Legendary Dark Knight turns the story into a whole new ball game. It’s absolute carnage, going from encounters where we’d only deal with half a dozen enemies to then having roughly two dozen of these same enemies and those from later in the game all spawning in at once. It completely changes the tone of the game and makes combat that ever more deadly.

Vergil May Cry

So before I talk about anything else. Let’s talk about Vergil. Those of us who’ve played as Vergil in previous Special Editions will find that a lot about him is familiar. He has three weapons to choose from, the Yamato blade, Beowolf gauntlets and the Mirage Edge. His Devil Trigger, meanwhile, summons a doppelgänger with a Yamato that will try to mirror your moves with the main Vergil, doubling your potential damage output for a short time.

Vergil’s unique Concentration gauge also returns, rewarding players that approach the game with considered action rather than button bashing. Staying still in combat and not moving unless necessary plays into Vergil’s character, with the gauge boosting the power of whatever weapon you’re currently using. Vergil can also reach inside of himself and transform into V. This then gives us access to all of V’s powers and abilities from the main game. It’s a nice touch which reinforces why Vergil is such a fan-favourite.

One issue I did have with playing as Vergil is that he lacks any characterisation as to why he’s in the story. He’s more or less dropped into the main Devil May Cry 5 campaign with no real reasoning. There are points in the story that fall apart and don’t make sense for Vergil to exist in those moments. This doesn’t detract from the fun of getting to play as the character again, but it does lead to some bizarre instances if you’re already familiar with the story. 

Graphics May Cry

Fast-paced combat and flashy combos are the foundations to Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition is no different. This time around, getting a triple-S ranking has never looked so good which is thanks to the power of the next-gen consoles. Whilst the original release looked and played phenomenally well, this upgraded edition surpasses it in just about every way possible. It’s faster, smoother and feels like the way it should be played.

With the Xbox Series X’s hardware at its disposal, we now have multiple options to choose from. We can choose to prioritize graphics over frame rate or a mixture of both that’s tailored to our liking. For example, we can enable ray-tracing to play at 1080p at 60fps or 4K at 30fps. Alternatively, with ray-tracing turned off, you’ll be able to reach up to 120fps. Having these options adds a whole new depth of customization and allows for players to mix and match and fine-tune the way that they want to play.

Everything about this Special Edition just oozes next-gen. The Special Edition offers some new technical flourishes that push home this as a release that’s targeting the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Capcom has taken the already cutting edge RE Engine and upgraded it even further. The game’s already exceptionally human character models, real-world costumes and the highly-detailed environments hold up and feel right at home on the Xbox Series X.

Summary May Cry

Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition is the definitive next-gen Devil May Cry experience. This iteration took what was already one of the best action games of the last console generation and refined everything from the performance to the visuals. Even if you’ve experienced the game before, it’s worth a second look for all of the added features and enhancements. If by a small chance you missed it the first time around, this is the version to play. Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition is the whole package and a must-play for action fans and fans of the Devil May Cry series.

Rapid Reviews Rating

You can purchase Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition on the Xbox Store by clicking here