Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition review

Reviewed on: PS5

Devil May Cry 5, originally released in early 2019, is one of the best action games in recent times. As usual at the start of a new console generation, games are re-released in remastered or special versions with extra content, but the additions are not always worth much, and many of these editions only exist to sell the game one more time. It is with great satisfaction, however, that I can say that Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition, released for Xbox Series X/S and PS5, is a re-release that adds a lot of content and is worth it even for those who had already played the original (like me). If you have never laid hands on the game, then the perfect opportunity has just appeared.

In short, Devil May Cry 5 (the original game) is an action game of the style known as “character action”: a character goes through the levels killing enemies, bosses and picking up collectibles, etc. You must know the Devil May Cry series or something in the same style, like Bayonetta or Metal Gear Rising. It is a style of game that is quite common in Japan, and Western audiences like it a lot too, with these games usually well reviewed and commercially successful. This fifth chapter of the Devil May Cry saga (sixth, if we count the game that tried to reboot the series) does very well everything a game of this style should do. Originally, Devil May Cry 5 features three characters completely distinct in their combat styles, each with an enormous variety of attacks and strategies, and all prizing precision in battles and the need for sometimes superhuman reflexes from the player, depending on the difficulty level chosen. Devil May Cry 5 is an excellent character action game, one of the best, with varied and challenging enemies, sensational bosses, incredible visuals and soundtrack and a slapstick comedy vibe, in a good way, that makes everything a lot cooler.

How do you improve such a good game even more? Simple: just put in more of everything, and keep the quality extremely high. That is what Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition does. New difficulty levels, new game modes, a new playable character, and all with next-gen-worthy visuals.

Let’s start with the visual part. Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition brings several different graphics modes, according to the player’s preference. The game has access to the much-talked-about Ray Tracing, and although I am no expert on the subject, I can try to quickly explain what it is. Ray Tracing is a different technique of showing reflections on the game’s different surfaces, such as glass windows, water surfaces or metallic objects, which makes the environment much more believable. See the comparison in the image below, in the puddles on the ground. You may think the difference is small, but in the work as a whole, the entire image looks much more natural, which helps the player’s immersion. That is the best kind of technology for video games: it is not simply a graphical improvement, but something that helps the experience as a whole. Ray Tracing is, however, a heavy tool, and its impact on performance is visible, so the game lets you turn the effect on or off and choose between different modes that favor either a higher resolution or a more stable frame rate. Whatever your choice, Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition is drop-dead gorgeous, and I think it is great that the game gives the player the power of choice, since it is impossible to expect a five-hundred-dollar machine to deliver an experience of this level in 4K 120 fps with ray tracing and all the graphics options. Any power of choice left in the user’s hands is always the best choice.

Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition is not limited to merely delivering last year’s game experience with better graphics, but adds a lot to the gameplay. The most important addition is the new playable character, Vergil, with his katana Yamato. He was already part of Devil May Cry 5’s story, but now you have control over him. Vergil is a hugely fun character to use and, in my opinion, the hardest. Vergil requires a precision and a calm when executing commands that will leave any button-masher defeated in the very first levels. Vergil’s main mechanic, “Concentration”, increases the power of attacks each time you hit an enemy, but penalizes the player for each attack that doesn’t find a target or for each useless move. This demands planning from the player, and makes every button pressed thought out and with a purpose. Of course, on the easier difficulty modes this is not as necessary, but on the harder modes, playing as Vergil becomes a big challenge, but also an enormous satisfaction from the moment you know what to do and manage to land a perfect combo. Vergil also has many more mechanics, including his powerful transformation that makes him a giant beast that eats demons for breakfast.

Speaking of difficulty, Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition has two important additions on the subject. The first is a turbo mode, which makes the whole game run 20% faster. You may be thinking that’s not much, but the original game is already quite frenetic, and with this extra speed you will need even faster reflexes. Playing as Vergil in turbo mode is a double challenge, precisely because of the demands of the character’s gameplay, which tolerates no mistakes. Another addition is the Legendary Dark Knight mode. I played this mode only a little, and it is only for the biggest fans and enthusiasts of the game, since it is the greatest challenge in Devil May Cry 5. This mode is not simply something with increased difficulty. In Legendary Dark Knight mode, you face hordes of demons far more numerous than in the game’s other difficulties. Arenas with five or six enemies now have thirty (or more!), and this demands a completely different mastery from the player. It is much easier to face a single super-powerful enemy than a horde of enemies attacking you from all sides, and that is exactly how you feel in this difficulty mode: constantly surrounded by demons who want to end your life at any cost. Hugely fun, but super challenging.

With all these additions, Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition is a complete package for any fan of the series, and any fan of good action video games, to tell the truth. The story is interesting (the Special Edition adds practically nothing story-wise compared with the original game), but it is not necessary to have played the four previous games in the series; after all, the story is there as a pretext for you to kick demon butt in a thousand and one different ways and in the most humiliating ways possible. In addition, the game also has a video recap of what happened before, and the recap does its job very well. I had only played 3 and 4 before, and a long time ago, so I remembered little, but the recap helped me a lot.

In a perfect world, this edition would bring even more things fans wanted, like a playable Trish, or more significant additions to the story. Still, the greatly improved graphics, the addition of Vergil (and a sensational soundtrack of his own that accompanies him) and the new game modes more than justify the existence of this new edition. What was missing was the option to upgrade for those who already had the game on the last generation: Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition is a separate purchase. For this single reason, I’m not sure I can recommend the purchase to everyone. Maybe, if you have already invested dozens of hours in the original game, you should wait for a sale. Whenever you get this game, what I can guarantee is that it is a great experience, with plenty of content, and that does justice to the series so beloved by fans.