DmC: Devil May Cry will always be a controversial game. Fans didn’t see a need to reboot this series, as the fourth game had just introduced Nero. The marketing campaign from Capcom and Ninja Theory didn’t do this game any favors either, trying to convince fans that old Dante was lame and not masculine enough, insulting them in the process.
Having all these factors against it is a shame because this is an incredible character-action game. In some aspects, it’s the best entry in this series, with creative levels, solid combat mechanics, and some of the best boss fights you'll ever take part in.
Let’s get the bad stuff out of the way; DmC: Devil May Cry’s marketing was atrocious, and it’s easy to see why fans were so against this game. Aside from a reboot not being necessary, given how light the series is on plot, interviews with the devs showed a weird disdain for the property they were working on.
YouTuber Foxcade chronicled the game’s various controversies, like Creative Director Tameem Antoniades claiming Dante would be laughed out at bars in Tokyo. There was also the infamous 2013 GDC Showcase, where they claimed reboot Dante was cool and grounded, while the old Dante fits more into Brokeback Mountain.
Regardless of how you feel about Dante and the old Devil May Cry, insulting the fanbase of a series you’re going to reboot is just a poor move. Video games need to sell well, and telling the fans that a game series they like wasn’t any good is just going to ruffle some feathers.
It didn’t help that the opening level of DmC: Devil May Cry had a mop fall on new Dante’s head, looking like his old self before saying, “Never in a million years.” What made this extra embarrassing was that the game had DLC, which allowed you to make him look like the old Dante, complete with white hair.
Why would you insult the audience’s nostalgia and then try to sell it back to them? It’s no wonder the series returned to the old continuity after this game, with Devil May Cry 5 becoming a huge success. This is all bad and contributed to DmC becoming one of the most hated video game reboots.
But when you ignore all of the insults from the devs and the game itself, this is a pretty spectacular character-action game.
Ninja Theory may have insulted old Dante’s character, but they got his combat right for his rebooted version. Slashing and gunning foes never felt so good, especially with the game’s creative visuals. It might be edgy and a bit try-hard these days, but seeing the level change so monsters can appear with words like “DESTROY HIM” or curse words popping up gives this game a unique visual identity.
The level designs of DmC: Devil May Cry are pure bliss, blowing previous games out of the water. On one level, Dante enters the reflection of a city in a big body of water, which looks amazing. Another has Dante entering a dance club where the level mutates with demons, sometimes moving to the rhythm of the club music. It’s all great stuff.
Boss fights are also a highlight, as they are for most games in this series. Succubus is a gross fight filled with swearing, but that makes slashing her down feel all the more satisfying. Bob Barbas has to be the highlight here, as Dante has to fight through Barbas’s demonic form, which looks like those moving graphics you see on news shows.
All of that is much improved in DmC: Devil May Cry - Definitive Edition for the PS4 and Xbox One. This version of DmC improves the combat, has all the DLC for free, and even adds a lock-on system. It’s a shame that this version of DmC wasn’t ported to PC, but fans can play Definitive Edition on PS5 and Xbox Series consoles, thanks to backward compatibility.
Now that character-action games are having a resurgence in modern gaming, with Blades of Fire and Tides of Annihilation leading the way, the DmC reboot deserves another look. Definitive Edition is the way to go for console fans, but PC owners can still enjoy the original game, thanks to fun combat and great levels.
Should we get DmC 2 instead of Devil May Cry 6? Maybe not, but this reboot is something special.