Dante has black hair now. He's been labeled emo and his rebooted identity has been torn to bits by long time Devil May Cry fans. Say what you will about this fresh take on a beloved character but this new Dante is what the talented folks at Ninja Theory came up with and I think it fits the whole feel of this reboot quite well. Changes have been made across the board but at the end of the day what remains is an immensely fun action game.
Combat is fast paced and fluid. The amount of variety and depth offered is commendable. Pulling off intricate and drawn out combos isn't as complicated as one might think. Dante still has his trademark sword and pistols but that's only just the beginning of his demon-slaying arsenal. He also has in his possession a selection of both demonic and angelic weapons that offer different advantages in combat. Angelic weapons are light on damage but are great for crowd control while the demonic are slower and pack much more of a punch. There are also more firearms Dante will acquire over time (I myself was a big fan of the shotgun). Every weapon has numerous combos and upgrades that can be purchased. Mixing, matching, and experimenting with everything feels rewarding and keeps things fresh and dynamic.
DMC obviously isn't a platformer but traversing through the world is also a big part of the game. This aspect is kept fun and engaging through further use of angle and demon weapons. Dante will use different grapple abilities depending on the situation. One will put him towards a platform while the other pulls it to him. These rules also apply to combat, making you feel more agile and mobile when facing off against enemies.
Speaking of the enemies, they are well-designed and there is good variety in them which constantly challenges you to work on new strategies and style of play. The bosses are a spectacle but ultimately never pose much of a challenge.
This brings us to difficulty. The normal difficulty setting is by no means challenging. I played through the game initially on this setting and had very little trouble. That being said, there are many additional difficulties beyond the first three and they promise to really crank things up and mess around with enemy configuration and game rules.
Other praises I have for this game include the art direction and sound design. DMC looks beautiful. The colors are vibrant and lush, reminding me a lot of a previous Ninja Theory title Enslaved, which also had a very nice look and style. Level design is fairly linear but there are lots of secrets to seek out and collect. Another cool aspect is the fact that the world can also be considered an adversary to Dante. It is constantly breaking apart and making things harder on him. Just sitting back and watching this happen is a sheer spectacle. The soundtrack is also stellar as is the voice acting. I also want to give kudos to the game for never falling into the trap on the overdone mechanic of quick time events. There were so many times I was afraid they were coming but they never did and this is a better game for staying away from them.
What I really want to stress is how much fun this game is. Throughout the 20 missions I never felt bored or non-engaged with what was going on. I enjoyed the story that was told and the strong voice acting helped sell the characters to me. The visuals never ceased to impress me and the score was catchy and awesome. The combat was the star but even my time between those segments was entertaining. With all the secrets, unlockables, and upgrades there is a lot to make you want to keep coming back and the various difficulty settings combined with a persistent, evolving character (new game plus) help cement that. I actually started another playthrough on a higher difficulty almost immediately after completion, something I hardly ever do so soon outside of a Halo game. DMC really surprised me and I think this reboot is a great start to what I hope will be a series of ridiculously fun action games.