Nukezilla Review: DmC: Devil May Cry (Xbox 360)

Capcom’s stylish action franchise Devil May Cry gets a rather timely reboot with DmC: Devil May Cry. Along with a new brown haired Dante taking over the demon killing duties, new developer Ninja Theory takes the reins from Capcom’s in-house staff. Do these drastic changes give some new life into the series, or should Dante just dye is hair back to white and go to the retirement home?

Right off the bat it’s clear that Ninja Theory isn’t out to dramatically change the Devil May Cry formula. Dante is still a womanizing smart ass who can deal some serious damage with his sword and guns in a flourish of combos and abilities.

The controls are boiled down to simple command combos that can be chained together with changing weapons and air juggles. In past games players not able to pull off some of the outrageous combos would have a hard time getting through the game. Instead of punishing the button mashers, DmC simply just rewards more stylish play with more item purchasing orbs and ability upgrades.

Dante’s arsenal grows throughout the game almost all the way to the end. Nine distinct weapons are at his disposal by the end of the game, but they strike such a good balance and purpose that you’ll switch them up on the fly for combos and certain situations without much thought.

One of Capcom’s reasons for handing over development to Ninja Theory was to give the game a more western approach and feel. The crazy, over-the-top action cut scenes are still here and great like in previous games, but what Ninja Theory nails that was never in the previous games is the writing. The story isn’t a convoluted mess like the previous games and the writing is genuinely funny.

The game is broken into fairly bite-sized chunks, with some missions only lasting a few minutes and with little action at times. This may break the flow a little bit, but thanks to some clever platforming, well thought-out encounters, and some remarkable boss fights the action never feels repetitive or tedious.

Capcom clearly made the right call with this reboot. The action, writing, and fascinating locals are a great reminder of how remarkable the first Devil May Cry was for the PS2, while making a step in the right direction for the future of the franchise. Every action fan needs to make sure they don’t over look this title.

Disclaimer: Capcom provided Nukezilla a copy of this game for review.