DmC: Devil May Cry

                     

DmC: Devil May Cry
Official cover art
Developer(s)	Ninja Theory
Publisher(s)	Capcom
Producer(s)	Motohide Eshiro Alex Jones
Series	Devil May Cry
Engine	Unreal Engine 3
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows PlayStation 3 Xbox 360
Release date(s)	PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360 WW January 15, 2013 JP January 17, 2013 Microsoft Windows January 25, 2013
Genre(s)	Hack and slash, beat 'em up
Mode(s)	Single-player

DmC: Devil May Cry is a hack and slash beat 'em up video game developed by Ninja Theory and published by Capcom for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows.Announced in late 2010 during the Tokyo Game Show, the game is set in an alternate reality in the Devil May Cry series. It focuses on the player character Dante, a young man with supernatural powers who finds himself under attack by a seemingly sentient town known as Limbo City populated by demons.


The reimagination of the Devil May Cry series was requested by Capcom resulting in the game being made from a Western perspective rather in contrast to previous games. Capcom also assisted Ninja Theory in the making of the gameplay in order to be reminiscent to previous games. Initial reaction to the title was widely negative as a result of Dante's redesign although video games publications found such claims exaggerated. Nevertheless, DmC received positive reviews by gaming websites who praised the gameplay and the storyline.

 

Gameplay

See also: Gameplay in the Devil May Cry series

Players take on the role of Dante as he uses his powers and weaponry to fight against enemies and navigate the treacherous Limbo. Like previous games in the series, Dante can perform combos by attacking with his sword, Rebellion, and shooting with his twin pistols, Ebony and Ivory.

New to the series are modifiers to Dante's moveset, known as Angel Mode and Devil Mode, activated by holding down one of the trigger buttons.

When in Angel mode, Dante's sword attacks change to the Osiris, a speedy scythe type weapon, whilst Devil mode uses the slower but more powerful Arbiter. These modes also alter Dante's mobility.

Using Angel mode allows Dante to pull himself towards enemies and various points in each level, whilst Devil mode lets Dante pull enemies and objects towards him. Dante is also able to dash across large gaps in Angel mode.

All of these moves can be used in conjunction with each other to perform massive combos, which are ranked on their style. When enough power has been gathered, Dante can activate Devil Trigger mode, which slows down time around him, allowing him to perform more stylish attacks. Like previous games, Dante can collect various types of souls which can be used to recover health, purchase items and upgrade Dante's moveset.

Plot

See also: List of Devil May Cry characters

The game is set in a parallel universe in the Devil May Cry series.

 It starts with Dante recovering from a hangover when he is attacked by a Hunter demon. Dante learns he is in Limbo City, a dreary city that appears calm at first, but transforms into a twisted parody of itself with demons and other monstrosities who frequently attempt to kill him whenever he is seen by the demons.

 After confronting a demon, Dante meets a girl named Kat who sends him to meet the leader of "The Order", an organization labeled by the press as terrorist. The Order is fighting against Limbo's demons and its leader Vergil expects Dante to join them. Vergil reveals that he and Dante are Nephilim the offspring of the demon, Sparda, and an angel, Eva. During the game, Dante is frequently taunted and stalked by the demon Mundus, who seeks to have Dante killed.

Development

The game was officially announced by Capcom at their press conference during the 2010 Tokyo Game Show in September, confirming an earlier rumor in the May 2010 issue of Game Informer which said that the fifth Devil May Cry game would be developed by Ninja Theory. The Capcom staff first thought that it would be entertaining to have a Devil May Cry reboot in order to revisit its recurring characters. They chose Ninja Theory, impressed with their work on Heavenly Sword which the staff thought would work with a Devil May Cry game. Ninja Theory's creative director Tameem "Pioneer" Antoniades stated that DmC's combat system would contain mechanics that would set him apart from previous Platinum Games' titles with Platinum's Hideki Kamiya being the creator of Devil May Cry. Lead producer Alex Jones stated they still wanted to compete with Platinum in terms of gameplay and storytelling. The idea of a town being alive that wishes to kill the player was added a new element never seen before in the Devil May Cry series. The actions of Limbo Town are inspired by previous Devil May Cry games, where the environments would close whenever Dante was surrounded by enemies. Most of the game was finished as of April 2012 with Capcom aiding Ninja Theory in tweaking few aspects for the final product. Capcom became heavily involved in the combat system to ensure the character's responsive moves and add new air combos never seen before in the franchise. The development team included over ninety members with nearly ten of them being from Capcom. While Capcom's Hideaki Itsuno oversaw the project, Jones and Motohide Eshiro acted as producers. They wanted to aid the Ninja Theory developers in making DmC play more like the previous Devil May Cry games. The release of the PC version was delayed for a faster release of the console iterations. Capcom assigned adaptation duties to QLOC, a Polish studio. However, Ninja Theory is planning to start launching of the PC version shortly afterwards the console version, aiming for the shortest gap possible. This will depend on the time that the PC version finishes development. As a result of speculation regarding Vergil being a playable character, Jones stated that Dante would be the only one controlled by the player.

Dante's original design was originally meant to be similar to the ones from previous games, but Capcom told the Ninja Theory staff it had to be completely different in order to appeal to a younger demographic. While the original Dante was design from a Japanese perspective, the new one was made from a Western perspective, much like what Zilla was to Godzilla. The final model was inspired by Christopher Nolan's film The Dark Knight as Tameem Antoniades from Ninja Theory commented they wished to make the character realistic. In an interview published by Official Xbox Magazine Jones explained that he has received numerous death threats in the form of comic books and a metal song due to the controversial decision to reboot the series. Antoniades responded to criticism stating they would not change the design as the character is supposed to fit within the game's setting. Nevertheless, Antoniades stated that the gameplay would be similar to previous Devil May Cry games.In November 2011, an extended trailer and new concept art was released. In May 2012, Capcom announced they expect the game to sell 2 million copies by the ending of this fiscal year without giving yet a proper release date. The music for the game is being composed by electronic groups Noisia and Combichrist. A playable demo was released on November 20, 2012.

Video

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
Game Rankings	86% (PS3) 86.70% (360)
Review scores
Publication	Score
1UP.com	A
Eurogamer	8/10
Game Informer	9/10
GameSpot	8/10
GameTrailers	9/10
IGN	8.9/10
Joystiq