Devil May Cry 5 Is Coming Out
Devil May Cry 5 was one of the games that were promoted at the recent E3. It wasn’t a total surprise, but it was nonetheless surprising because it will be a continuation of Devil May Cry 4 rather than the Devil May Cry reboot. Still, this isn’t a total surprise either because the Devil May Cry reboot met with what might be called a mixed response, meaning that there were people expecting Capcom to make a hasty retreat for the purpose of putting its best foot forward.
After all, it has been a long time since the Devil May Cry franchise has had a new installment. Never mind the length of time since it has had a good installment, which is something that can see a fair amount of variation depending on the exact person who gets asked about that particular issue. As a result, if Capcom wants Devil May Cry 5 to be a success, it needs to make the best impression possible because coasting on nothing but pure nostalgia isn’t a reliable path to success in either gaming or the other entertainment industries.
Due to this, a continuation of Devil May Cry 4 rather than the Devil May Cry reboot was perhaps inevitable, seeing as how it was less controversial with the Devil May Cry fandom than the other option. Something that matters because Capcom is going to be count on the Devil May Cry fandom for the momentum that it needs to make Devil May Cry 5 an unqualified success.
What Do We Know About Devil May Cry 5?
With that said, we don’t actually know all that much about the upcoming Devil May Cry 5, which is perhaps unsurprising because E3 was our first big look at the game. Still, not much information isn’t the same as no information, particularly since the people behind it have been keen to keep interest high by releasing small tidbits meant to tantalize more than to satisfy.
For instance, it has been revealed that Devil May Cry 5 will be featuring not one, not two, but a total of three playable characters. Given that it is a continuation of Devil May Cry 4, it should come as no surprise to learn that two of these characters will be Dante and Nero. However, there is a fair amount of speculation over the third playable character, who remains unknown for the time being.
For example, there are some people who think that the third playable character might be Vergil. This wouldn’t be impossible, seeing as how Vergil has been a playable character in a number of previous installments in the franchise to various extents. However, if Vergil is indeed the third playable character in Devil May Cry 5, that raises the question of why the people behind the game would keep it a secret instead of being more upfront about it.
For that matter, it is interesting to note that there are some people who are speculating about Vergil being the boss of Devil May Cry 5, which doesn’t necessarily rule out the possibility of him being a playable character but nonetheless contributes to the general consensus that he probably isn’t the mystery character in question in spite of the fact that said character is being called V for the time being.
Meanwhile, other candidates are both numerous and wide-ranging in nature. For example, some people have speculated about Lady’s son, while other people have wondered whether the sort-of new Nicoletta Goldsmith’s technical skills mean that she will be packing fighting skills as well. There are even people who are wondering whether Lucia will be making a return to the franchise, but to be perfectly honest, that one seems really out there. Whatever the case, the mystery character is a great example of how the people behind games can generate interest in an effective and efficient manner.
Besides this, some other pieces of information have been revealed as well. Examples range from the fact that the game music will change depending on the player’s performance to Nero making an appearance with a new robot arm that will be packing everything from grappling enemies from a distance to the rather more unusual power to stop time.
What Can We Hope For From Devil May Cry 5 Innovations?
With that said, one can’t help but wonder whether Devil May Cry 5 will be innovative or not. For that matter, one can’t help but wonder in what direction said game will innovate towards considering what happened the last time around with Devil May Cry.
For instance, one of the complaints about the gameplay of the Devil May Cry reboot is that it was too simplistic, which wasn’t helped by a focus on causing more damage but rather than mixing in a wide range of moves for increased stylishness. As a result, if Devil May Cry 5 could introduce a wider range of moves with no options that can be considered superior in all circumstances, that seems like the sort of innovation that would go a great way to restoring some much-needed complexity to the game.
Fortunately, the statement that there will be three rather than two playable characters does suggest that the people behind the game are planning to add in more content in this regard, though it remains to be seen what the final result will be.
Narrative-wise, Devil May Cry 5 might also help by toning some things down. For example, one of the other complaints about the Devil May Cry reboot was the sheer number of mini cutscenes situated within the game. Theoretically, mini cutscenes can be used well, but the problem is that improper spacing plus the focus of the Devil May Cry franchise on game-play meant that they weren’t particularly well-received, meaning that other narrative options might be better-suited for the new installment.
With that said, what might be more important might be a return to the feel as well as the style of the earlier game, which is very nebulous but nonetheless very important if Capcom wants to be able to make Devil May Cry 5 feel like a proper continuation to the franchise.
Summed up, Capcom is going to have a hard time balancing things so that Devil May Cry 5 feels like Devil May Cry while still incorporating the little innovations that have been made in the action-adventure hack-and-slash genre that have been introduced since the last installments came out so that it won’t feel outdated. However, if it can pull that off, the result promises to be amazing.
