Devil May Cry 4 Pc Review (IGN Style)

Devil May Cry 4 Pc Review (IGN Style)

Ready your keyboards demon hunters! Devil May Cry 4 for PC has arrived.

The landscape of PC games has long been dominated by real-time strategy and FPS games, which makes Capcom’s offering immediately stand out amongst the pack, but is Devil May Cry 4 worth the attention? Depends on your willingness to forgive deficient level design, an unlistenable soundtrack, and mediocre plot for the rewarding combat system. Long time fans will recognize most of the flaws detailed in this review from previous incarnations. If you loved the previous titles then my score should do little to sway you from picking this up. But for PC users interested in taking their first dip in DMC’s crimson stained waters, read on.

Our hero showing his only emotion, angst.

Our story begins with Nero, a graying teen dressed as a Japanese rockstar, on his way to meet up with his Disney-princess-like girlfriend Kyrie at a local church. The cathedral is house to a religious group known as "The Order of the Sword", whom worship the demon Sparda as their patron saint. (Sparda’s legacy has been the DMC series plot focus since the original) Lo and behold this church sermon doesn’t go quite as planned; a devil named Dante crashes the party and vacates the skull of the order's head priest. At the behest of the religious order, Nero pursues the previous franchise hero. Along the way Nero learns that not everything is as it seems, shocking!, rescues a damsel in distress, my hero, and learns to accept yourself as you are, yeah. Obviously DMC4’s plot isn’t its greatest selling point, but it serves a suitable breather amidst the frantic action.

And boy oh boy, what intense action it is. Players will combat the hordes of the demonic realm as either newcomer Nero or mainstay hero Dante. The two dance about the battlefield like ballerinas dealing death and carnage. Foes are sent to the sky with sword swipes, only to be suspended there by your hail of bullets. Even crazier, these pinned opponents can be used as mid-air stepping stones for even greater combos. Physics need not apply here; this is all about fun and most importantly, style.

In the world of Devil May Cry 4 your success is determined by your artistic decimation of the enemy. As you maintain combos without taking a hit from the enemy, you’ll go up in style rank. Of course- the Devil May Cry series wouldn’t be a pillar of the action genre if it was this simple. The rank gauge only fills when the player mixes up their attacks and employs all their side weapons. On screen this system is represented with a range of phrases; the most basic level is “D for Deadly”, but true masters will achieve the coveted “SSS for Smokin’ Sick Style”. Once the player has completed a stage, the game factors in their style rank, completion time, and items used and collected to award the player with Proud Souls. These act as currency to purchase new combos and upgrade the player’s arsenal. A nice feature of the weapon/combo store is the ability to refund any purchased items; allowing players to experiment without the guilt of wasting Proud Souls.

Let’s begin by examining the tools available to the neophyte Nero. Standard of all Devil May Cry characters, Nero possesses both a gun and sword. In the beginning each act as one would expect. The gun Blue Rose is a powerful revolver, and the sword Red queen is part motorcycle and sword. I’ll return to that sword in just a moment, but for now a quick look at the Blue Rose’s capabilities.

Similar to real life revolvers Blue Rose is powerful and slow to sling lead. Different from real six-shooters is the ability to charge the gun. If player's upgrade this ability to its fullest, the charge shot will plant a ticking time bomb inside the opponent’s body. The explosive radius of the bomb is great against swarming attackers.

What constitutes for a motorcycle sword? - Apparently any blade with a hilt that can be revved and spout fire. Red Queen without the rev ability functions like any other sword in an action game. Players press specific string of buttons to perform combos, boring. Add in the rev system, called Exceed, and things become enjoyable complicated. Similar to Blue Rose, the sword can be charged up to three times for stronger attacks. One level filled equals one boosted attack, but if all three are filled, expect a screen alight with flames. Exceed attacks go beyond mere cosmetic and damage changes. The potential of revved strikes is apparent in the move Streak. When used with no gauge, Nero dashes forward and performs a wide-slash. Level three Streak involves Nero dashing forward three times accompanied with attacks, and the flames increase the damage zone. One final element of the Exceed system for hardcore players is Instant-Rev. If the player presses the rev button at the precise moment the Exceed gauge will fill completely.

Burn baby, burn!

Nero has one last weapon up his sleeve. Cursed by an unknown force, Nero’s left arm has been imbued with demonic powers allowing Kung-Fu grip. Titled Devil Bringer, players can grab enemies from near and far to deal out suffering. Combine all three of Nero’s abilities for greater destruction. Change an opponent into a walking bomb with a Blue Rose charge shot, throw this enemy into a swarm of enemies using Devil Bringer, and follow it up with Red Queen’s level three Streak. Perhaps the best feature of Nero is his choice in taunts. Nero joins one of two characters on PC to employ air guitar as a victory pose, a salute to Team Fortress 2’s Pyro as the other. Nero is simple enough for action novices to enjoy, yet suitably complex for DMC enthusiasts.

The only ability shared by both Dante and Nero is Devil Trigger. Since the two have demon blood running in their veins, why not harness this power. This technique grants extra wallop behind their blows and regenerates health until the Devil Trigger runs dry.

The loud-mouthed Dante plays wildly different than Nero; which brings me to my first complaint. Devil May Cry 4 is organized into 20 missions, the latter half of which belong to Dante, excluding the final mission. After hours spent becoming accustomed to Nero’s play style, the developers thrust gamers into the shoes of Dante, without a tutorial. Capcom’s probable assumption is that players will be familiar with Dante’s moveset, as he is a clone of DMC3’s Dante. But, as producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi stated numerous times in interviews prior to the games release, Devil May Cry 4 was intended as a gentle introduction to the series. Even worse, the difficulty ramps up the moment Dante steps into the picture. Gamers unfamiliar with the wise-cracking devil will combat not just the AI, but a general lack of knowledge.

Dante’s repertoire of attacks has grown with each installment of Devil May Cry, and at this point is too vast to dedicate great attention to in one review. As Dante, players are in charge of four melee arms, three guns, and four forms of style. Most of these features were from Devil May Cry 3, but a few are new to the series.

Unique to the fourth installment is the weapon Lucifer; represented on Dante’s shoulders as a pair of skeletal wings dipped in silver. Lucifer summons fourth mystical roses which can attach to the enemy. Another press of the attack button and Dante drops a rose upon the ground, detonating each of the embedded flowers. Lucifer is perfect for players favoring defense. Another new entry in the DMC universe is the transforming attaché case, Pandora. Instead of releasing sin upon the world, players can unleash the simple pleasure of a Gatling gun, or even pilot a floating missile defense platform.

The last integral skill at Dante’s disposal is his Style forms. The four styles add additional moves to the player’s weaponry: Swordsmaster adds melee attacks, Gunslinger provides new functions to the guns, Royal Guard for defense, and Trickster for evasion. The greatest change from Devil May Cry 3 to 4 is the ability to switch between all of these weapons and styles on the fly. The depth provided by Dante is immense, which makes the glaring absence of a tutorial all the more distressing.

But this fault pales in comparison to the other incomprehensible design choices in Devil May Cry 4. Most of which are tag-alongs from previous Devil May Cry's and fans may be forgiving of these faults, but to still be plagued by design issues from 2001 screams laziness. Capcom has yet to find a better way to seal players in a room than a magical barrier, seriously? Does the soundtrack need to be smothered in eight layers of goth? Beyond the boss fights, enemy AI remains as brain dead as ever. The worst offenders though, are specific to the 4th installment of Devil May Cry.

We’ll begin with Dante’s missions. Nero at the start of the game chases Dante through a Venetian city, lush forests, a military compound, and the Order of the Sword castle. When players are handed the reins over Dante, guess where you must travel? That’s right. You must return all the way to the start and for added punishment, face nearly every boss over again! Capcom boasted before DMC4’s release that it would be the longest title in the series to date. I can understand why, they reuse the same levels over twice. This isn’t Castlevania’s Reverse Castle, this is copy and paste. Only exacerbating this issue is that once Dante's missions are over, players will fight the bosses for a third time in Mission 19.

Can you overcome fate?

As terrible as this boss gauntlet may seem, it doesn’t compare to the way Mission 19 is completed. Think back to the Sega Genesis game Gunstar Heroes. Do you recall that awful board game stage? You know the one where a set of dice to determine if you escaped the god-forsaken board game, or were forced to repeat the entire ordeal over. Capcom thought the idea of leaving player progress up to fate was a grand idea. And, as this reviewer can attest, nothing is worse than 30 minutes of progress stolen from you by a dice roll; especially when boss fight squares are on the board. Maybe you’ll luck out and transverse the board in a single roll, but my guess is that your fist will be shaking as mine did.

The developer also deemed that the missions focused on Nero should have puzzle twists. Generally the obstacles are easy to overcome: escort a spinning metal top, dodge lasers, find keys, and so on. Slightly less enjoyable were the platforming segments involving Nero's Devil Bringer; the awkward camera and targeting system make these tasks more difficult than need be. But, the real issue with these puzzles is that they pull you from the action, and any moment away from the action places focus on DMC4's flaws.

Everyone loves Dante's unique brand of insanity!

Hiroyuki Kobayashi's attempt to inject drama into Devil May Cry 4 and achieves only passable results. Certainly the story has the makings of an epic journey. An evil cult's attempt at world domination, the hero’s girl falls prey to said cult, and it’s up to you to set things right. The problem is intrinsic to Nero's personality. Between each mission we watch Nero nonchalantly move forward without any emotional fluctuations. In half of the scenes Nero is yawning at the proceedings, making it difficult not to stifle a yawn yourself. I must admit, that I skipped over a few scenes to return to the action. Dante’s entrance in the story almost saves the boring introduction. With subsequent DMC entries Dante's ego has grown to hilarious proportions. Dante delivers the insanity and spectacle appropriate for an action game. You would think that their diametric personalities would balance the experience, but only one of them is truly necessary in this bombastic series. Nero may be fun to play as, but he should be relegated to second fiddle in later Devil May Cry’s.

Outside of the vocal performances, the audio elements of DMC4 are ostensibly its weakest link. Capcom has hired musical artist Jason “Shyboy” Arnold to once again perform a little audio masochism on gamer's ears. His unique brand of torture is a dense collection of faux-screamo tracks, that plague you nonstop. After you’ve listened to a few of his “masterpieces”, pay a visit to the options menu to mute the awful. Don’t forget PC’s have the wonderful ability to play MP3’s in the background. The sounds of battle serve their function, but they lack the necessary impact to raise your pulse.

Gamers worried that their keyboards will render the action game unplayable needn't worry. The standard key layout works admirably and was how I completed the game. Your QWERTY keyboard won't bar you from achieving those "SSS" ranks. Still, the game was designed for gamepads in mind.

The extra content found in console versions is present, and Capcom even saw fit to add two new features to the PC edition. If players travel to the options menu they'll find a Turbo option selectable. Flip this bad boy on and Devil May Cry hits ludicrous speed. Turbo boosts the games overall speed by 25%, and having played the console versions, I can say in confidence that this is the definitive method of play. Devil May Cry 4 for consoles was a tad slower than previous DMC games and this option matches the speed to DMC3’s standards. Also a new difficulty mode, titled Legendary Dark Knight, increases both the enemies’ health and numbers. We’re talking a jump from previously 4 enemies in a room, to a sea of upwards of 50 demons. If you’d like a taste of real exhilaration, throw yourself into the masses presented in LDK mode.

For those burned by Capcom’s previous ports, Devil May Cry 4 is the first to get it right. You don't need a super computer to run the crazy action in this game. In fact a mid-range rig should easily conquer on screen barrage. If you’re still worried that you computer isn’t quite up to snuff. Let Capcom alleviate your fears by using their benchmark program to measure your performance. The program even describes your quality of play via the DMC's Style ranking system, cute.

Closing Comments
After many failed attempts, Capcom finally brings a competent console port to PC users. Does the game deserve a place in your PC library though? Surrounding Devil May Cry 4’s great combat system is a collection of design choices that are in desperate need of an overhaul. If you’re strictly purchasing DMC4 for its golden combat, than the price of entry is perfect. Otherwise, you’ll find the numerous faults of DMC4 too difficult to swallow. Oh, and in the future Capcom, leave the six-sided dies to yahtzee.

8.3	Presentation Over-the-top cut-scenes make their return, but the 4th entries' attempt at real drama falls flat. One part serious, plus one part silly, equals all parts mediocre. Menu screens are difficult to navigate thanks to DMC4's console roots.
8.5	Graphics Devil May Cry 4 was beautiful on consoles and remains so on PC. Most assets are largely unchanged in the PC edition, but the clarity offered by antialiasing gives everything extra sheen. Runs flawlessly on most mid-range rigs.
7.6	Sound A limit should be placed on the number of throat-choking metal tracks in one game. At least the vocal performances are soft on the ears.
8.5	Gameplay When Devil May Cry 4 focuses on its greatest strength, combat, you’re sure to have a good time: but back-tracking and environmental puzzles drag the entire experience down. This is unfortunate because new-comer Nero alongside veteran Dante is a blast to decimate foes with.
8.7	Lasting Appeal Gamers eager to slay more demons will be pleased by the additional content served after the credits. New difficulty modes, additional costumes, a 101 floor dungeon called Bloody Palace, and artwork are sure to keep DMC fans pleased for quite some time.