Although the PC vs. Consoles flames are usual on Internet forums, there is no doubt that some of the most successful franchises of the gaming industry were released thanks to the consoles. Mario, Final Fantasy, Gran Turismo, God of War…and the Devil May Cry series, which even if it’s not so popular, was still very well received by critics and gamers alike. The first game of the series, released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2, redefined the hack and slash genre on the consoles. But even if the sales were high, Devil May Cry 2 is still considered by many one of the worst sequels in history, with the reasons varying from low difficulty and the bad design of the levels to the sudden change in the main character’s personality. With an almost prophetic name, the third release of the franchise – Dante’s Awakening – was received way better than its predecessor, although the PC version of the game didn’t garner such high praises.
For the newcomers of the DMC universe, it must be said that the main character of the series is Dante, a mercenary dedicated to the extermination of demons, a mission he follows in pursuit of those that killed his mother and corrupted his brother. Ironically, he is the son of Sparda, a demon of great power that rebelled against the Demon Emperor and defeated his army, fact which made him a legend in the eye of humanity. As a result of his demonic heritage, Dante possesses numerous superhuman abilities which he uses in combination with a variety of weapons to accomplish his goals.
DMC always had certain elements that made it stand out of the pack, like the focus on synchronizing hits rather than mindless button mashing, furious boss-fights, as well as endless hordes of monsters that didn’t give you any respite. And DMC 4 has all of the above.
However, any will be surprised to discover that Dante is not the main character in the fourth DMC. His place will be taken by a younger and more arrogant version of him - Nero. The newcomer is part of a secret society that venerates Sparda. During a ceremony, Dante shows up out of nowhere and kills the master of the group, apparently without a reason. Nero tries to fight Dante, but he’s defeated, and that’s why he is sent on a journey to revenge the death of His Holiness. As a “bonus”, along the many twists and turns of the story, Kyrie, Nero’s girlfriend, is kidnapped and of course you have to save her as fast as possible.
The new character comes with a series of new powers and abilities, even if he is less experienced. The most obvious of those powers is extremely useful both in fighting and solving puzzles, as the right arm of the hero is possessed by a demon. Suggestively called Devil Bringer, it can throw, hit or snatch enemies at a distance. Along the offensive uses, Nero can easily reach places impossible otherwise, helped by this arm. The biggest advantage of this ability however is that it can be used in mid-air, with Nero being able to pull off amazing combos. An interesting thing about the Devil Bringer is the fact that it reacts differently depending on the enemy: some will be snatched by it, some will be used as projectiles, and when it comes to big enemies, like bosses, Nero will use the arm to get himself closer to them.
In his arsenal there is also a single-sided blade – named Red Queen – as well as a revolver, named The Blue Rose. And because we are talking about the DMC series, the sword is not an ordinary one, because it introduces a new mechanic, called Exceed. With it, Nero can “throttle” his gas-infused sword, to achieve even more powerful hits. The downside of the Exceed system is that the “throttling” of the sword takes time, making it impossible to charge during a battle.
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