Rounding out the cast is the third playable character named V. While Nico is framed as the comic relief, none of her lines and interactions come off clever enough to make her anything less than grating. This includes the objectification of Lady in one instance, and near the end, undermines an entire thesis of Nero’s character to double down on some old fashion toxic masculinity. Somehow, Nero’s craftswoman partner is one of the primary perpetrators of some of DMC5’s worst tendencies. While she’s not treated the same degrading way, newcomer Nico doesn’t fair much better. This is especially apparent when, around the midpoint of the game, DMC5 sexualizes both characters in consensually problematic ways. Lady and Trish return, and watching these two women, who have been typically portrayed as just as capable and powerful as the men of these games, relegated to damsels in distress with zero agency of their own or chances to shine is more than disappointing, it feels disrespectful. Nero in particular channels reboot Dante’s insufferable attitude at several points, which again makes me wonder why the game leans so hard into him as the primary playable character.īut Dante and Nero aren’t the only ones here. This fractured state extends to the writing, as DMC5 feels caught between two versions of itself, one side that leans into the gothic and darker vibe of the original games and the edge load, angsty side of the reboot. DMC5’s story, on the other hand, is split between three perspectives, and the nonlinear execution of its story makes it feel fractured, and harder to follow and invest in, even as a person who has grown to care about these characters across five games.ĭevil May Cry 5 – Review Images Provided by Capcom
Devil May Cry hasn’t always had the most consistent stories, but its always been good about grounding character motivations in the midst of the chaos. Unlike previous games, by the time DMC5 starts the cataclysmic event that is spawning demons and devils into the real world has already begun, and Nero, whose role in a lot of the story is tangential at best, felt like an outsider of a larger story I had to spend much of the game without any real context or motivation. Dante, (the original, not the younger, black-haired version in Ninja Theory’s 2013 reboot) having not been the primary playable character since 2005’s Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening, takes a back seat once again to Nero, the younger, spunkier of the two demon hunters who debuted in Devil May Cry 4. Some of Devil May Cry 5’s biggest problems start because its refusal to use said main character.
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In a post Bayonetta world, Devil May Cry 5 had a lot to prove to assert itself as a relevant mainstay against its contemporaries, but what’s here feels like a snapshot of when the series was unrivalled in skillful, stylish combat, entertaining set pieces, and a main character that upheld an icon status even when his series was in stasis. Devil May Cry 5 seems to have learned nothing from all the other games that have been rapidly expanding and revitalizing the action genre.