DMC is still stylish as ever in DMC 5! (Review)

Environment

The game is set in London, a London that's ravaged by demons, despite that, the maps still managed to draw my attention from time to time, the city that's completely unrecognizable in places where demonic goo, tentacles and roots, the places do look marvelous and menacing at the same time, truly a fitting map for DMC 5 

Gameplay

The gameplay is going to be separated into 3 parts, the parts that you play as the 3 main characters of the game, Nero, Dante and V, they all have very distinctive playstyles which may affect your experience in the game. 

First let's look at Nero, the first one you get to use, DMC 5 changed Nero to have a slightly more varied playstyle, by equipping him with a plethora of different "Devil Breakers" since his loss of his original demonic arm, the "Devil Bringer". While I do agree that the Devil Breakers are a breath of fresh are for Nero's rather monotonic gameplay back in DMC 4, I do really hate how delicate they are, I mean, they're supposed to be weapons, not toys, yet they break almost constantly, which always gives me a sense of urgency when I am running low on Devil Breakers, but throughout my playthrough in Devil Hunter difficulty, had never run out of Devil Breakers when in a level. 

I rank him 2nd, out of the three protagonists that are in the game. 

Next. V, a new addition, albeit seemingly temporary one, to the DMC franchise. V is a mysterious entity that appeared out of nowhere, recruiting Nero and Dante to help with the demonic outbreak. And he is also one of the playable characters in DMC 5. 

V's combat style is the most special one yet, he summons 3 different familiars to fight for him while he jumps in with his cane sword to do the finishing strikes. The 3 familiars being, Griffon, the wisecracking crow-like demon that spits lightning bolts and thunder strikes. Shadow, the silent but deadly panther-like demon that emerges from the shadows and attacks with claw slashes and spikes. Last but not least, Nightmare, the gigantic golem, V's most powerful familiar that crushes enemies with it's large swings and deadly lazer beams. 

I feel that, while V is the most special character out of the 3, he doesn't really fit for me, his combat style often leave his character out of the fray and only lunging in for the last hit. I didn't feel as if his combat style left enough of an impression for me to like it that much, as all I ever do with him is lay back while the minions do the dirty work.

Definitely a 3rd place out of the 3 characters. 

Last but definitely not least, Dante, the legendary demon hunter himself, gotta say, Dante is definitely an overwhelming character to master for a newbie, he has 4 fully fleshed out "styles", Trickster, Gunslinger, Swordmaster and Royal Guard, each with their own unique quirks and interactions with weapons or movements.

Trickster allows for hugely increased mobility, which is the main style that I went with when I was in the game, as it really hugely increased your chances of making through the boss fights. 

Gunslinger, as the name implies, enhances your arsenal of ranged weapons, giving them new moves. A go to for gun lovers, but I didn't really use this style that much, due to the lower damage output of the ranged weapons. 

Swordmaster, the style that makes your melee combos more stylish and dish out more damage, I frequently swap to this style for an extra chunk of damage. 

Royal Guard, the most difficult style to master of all, but also the most powerful one if you manage to actually master it. It allows you to essentially take no damage if you're able to time your blocks precisely, I tried, I did, but to no avail, haha, you can see here, how powerful this style is, once you master it that is. 

I loved every moment I was playing as Dante, therefore, one of my biggest gripe with the game is that it did not allow me to play as Dante as soon as I'd like, I mean, he only appears like halfway through the game, and he is the one that requires the most amount of practicing to get used to playing.

I rank Dante the BEST of the 3 characters! 

Story

I won't spoiler much of the story, but here's what I think of the story, it's a decent and exciting story AT THE BEGINNING, I was really hooked onto the story line, and was so very eager to find out how it ends, but as the curtains draw to a close, I was close to tears, tears of anger that is, the final few scenes of the game...I just couldn't believe that was how they chose to end it, Nero definitely played too big a part in it. I don't think he deserved the ending, not with how whiny he was the whole time. 

I don't particularly dislike Nero but him getting so hung up on Dante calling him dead-weight, which was actually true, at the beginning of the game, made him seem so petty. So I really don't think he deserved his moment in the spotlight at the conclusion. 

Summary/ Conclusion 

Pros

+Incredible combat

+Beautiful graphics

+Great characters (Dante and V)

Cons

- Story was mediocre, especially the ending

- Platforming (it's not fun)

Graphics: 9/10

Gameplay: 9/10

Overall: 9/10

Story aside, this is still one of the best games I've played so far. Definitely worth every penny. Get it if you really like actions games or hack & slash games.

Get it on Steam here