Capcom hosted a very intimate and relaxed event for their two premiere titles at TGS this year. We were lucky enough to be invited to an event separate from the main TGS event center. We got to sit down and try out Devil May Cry 5 and the Resident Evil 2 remake for several hours. Here, we'd like to talk about our thoughts and emotions concerning DMC5's current build and possibly some speculation. Let's not waste any time and get right into it!
Of course, it wouldn't be a DMC game if it didn't have tight controls, over the top action, and a myriad of battle mechanics at your disposal. For all of the love that this franchise receives for Dante, its enemy design, the metal soundtrack, demonic yet stunning aesthetic, and memorable (cheesy) lines of dialogue die-hard fans stick with the game long after they've completed the story because of it's combat. We can already tell that this latest entry into the franchise could prove to be the most in-depth system with the highest skill ceiling to date. That's a tough claim to make considering we haven't seen or had access to all of the moves, weapons, and devil breakers that this game has to offer. But from what we've seen, it has all the makings of a game that puts it far beyond most contemporary action-adventure, hack and slash titles.
Devil May Cry 5 TGS Trailer:
Combat
Each character has their own unique "system" for fighting. Nero keeps his Exceed ability from DMC 4. So you can tap the left trigger to rev the handle on his sword (possibly the Red Queen) and build up a charge that can be released to perform an exceed attack that dishes out additional damage and sometimes has other effects. "Instant Revving" is a thing but none of the players were able to do it, it may not have been possible in the current build. But one of the Capcom staff members confirmed that one of the game devs performed it in the game. On top of Exceed, Nero has a robotic hand to replace the Devil Bringer that was taken from him. On this arm, he can equip various Devil Breakers.
First, he has Overture. This one unleashes an electrical surge of energy, called "Battery", that blasts the enemy away. Next, there's the Gerbera. It gets its name from a flower which this weapon resembles when it opens up to unleash it's "Break Age" ability, which it has 2 of. The first one is a long beam of energy that remains released for about 7 seconds and continuously outputs damage. The second is called Petal Ray (performed while jumping) and it unleashes a myriad of lasers aimed downwards that ricochet off enemies and the floor. Each Devil Breaker has a charge move called "Break Age".
There's a third Devil Breaker called Punch Line. It has the ability to become a rocket that flies around and knocks around enemies and can even be ridden by Nero and still attack with skateboard-like attacks in the air. Fourth, the Tomboy. The idea behind this weapon is that it powers up the Blue Rose and the Red Queen. It can fire off a powerful blast that is reminiscent of a shotgun. Or it can be charged to unleash a semi-controlled explosion that can decimate several enemies at once.
There's a fifth Devil Braker known as Ragtime. It has the ability to stop time. We don't know if that's its Break Age ability or just its normal function. Sixth we have the Helter Skelter. It's a drill extension for your arm that digs right into your opponent in three different stages of damage and penetration. The last one is the Rawhide. It transforms into a whip that can hit multiple enemies at once and even grab one to throw them at the rest of the enemy group.
Yeah. That's a lot of information to digest. Nero has at least seven different Devil Breakers at his disposal (more if you count the Mega-Buster and preorder bonuses). He has the Red Queen, Blue Rose, Exceed, and Devil Trigger just like in DMC 4. He may even receive additional weapons as well. Who knows! All of this is just a way for us to say that Nero has so many different abilities and weapons at his disposal that it'll take a long time to master his fighting style. With that in mind, Capcom has said that Nero is the more straightforward character between him and Dante. He's the simple one!
Dante has access to (at least in the TGS demo) to four different styles, Trickster, Swordmaster, Gunslinger, and Royal Guard. Each style has a different set of abilities at its disposal. We haven't heard anything concerning Quicksilver, his fifth style from DMC 3. He has a ton of weapons including Rebellion, Balrog, Sparda, and a brand new motorcycle. That's right. He can wield half a motorcycle in each hand and use it almost like a chainsaw to deal damage to demons. In addition, he has his classic sidearms Ebony and Ivory at the start and will pick up additional armaments such as a shotgun. You'll be able to equip four weapons and four sidearms at any given time. Styles, weapons, and arms can all be switched mid-combat at the tap of a button. You can probably see by now that playing as Dante will take an entirely different set of skills than playing as Nero.
Characters
Again, these are only two playable characters that have been revealed so far and likely there will be able to play as V. Although it's hard to imagine that we'll be able to use three different male characters and not have access any of the female cast. So, we're hopeful that Trish or Lady will be a playable character as well. Those two are fan favorites that have made a return. To round off the female squad is Nicoletta Goldstein, aka Nico. It appears that she drives around a van and works as an arms dealer. Specializes in designing and dealing weapons. That's perfect for our group of protagonists! Even if only three characters are playable, that sure is a lot of different fighting styles and characters to choose from. Just thinking about it makes us more excited for this game by the second!
V is the newest character that we saw a bit more of at TGS. It appears as if V was once a powerful being. He wasn't a demon but he definitely wasn't human either. He mentions in one of the cutscenes that he is now just a shadow of his former self. He said this after Dante told him to stay put while he went off to search for clues pertaining to Urizen. His powered down version is what we've been shown of V, a lanky man who needs a cane to get around and is always carrying a book. He may have once been a powerful supernatural enemy to the world.
It's unclear what his motivations are or if he has ties with the possible main antagonist Urizen. It would be too simple of V was just another incarnation of Vergil. It's probably a red herring. V is surrounded in complete mystery and we are excited to find out who he is, who he was, and what he could possibly become. The game has to focus on him since he's displayed on the cover art with Dante and Nero.
Final Thoughts
There was other information that Capcom revealed such as the pre-order bonus, a deluxe edition, and the release date. The game comes out March 8th, 2019. As far as the event goes, Capcom just wanted people to play as much of the game as possible and give their opinion on it. That's why we focused so heavily on diving into combat and exploring what it had to offer. The soundtrack was amazing. The voice acting was on-point. DMC 5 rivals in other game in terms of style, visuals, and design. Again, combat is nearly unparalleled in the action-adventure genre. Personally, this was the highlight of TGS for me. We can't wait to play it again and find out even more about the story. We're trying to throw our money at this game without even knowing 10% of the story. That's insane!
Thanks for taking the time to read our thoughts and impressions of Devil May Cry 5. We hope some of you were able to play it at TGS or at least watched footage of it from the event. We'll keep you up to date on any news related to this title. Have a great day and we'll see you in the next one!
Author: Javier Garcia
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