During Microsoft’s press conference at E3, Phil Spencer announced a number of great titles releasing on the platform many fans could look forward to playing the future. One unexpected title came out of this press conference: the return of a numbered Devil May Cry game.
Since the game does have a number at the end of the title says a lot about what to expect from this game. As a result, there’s plenty to digest and break down in not only the trailer but where the game is headed based on where the Devil May Cry 4 entry ended in the series. Let’s go through it together!
When Does It Take Place?
The last numbered entry in the Devil May Cry series released in 2008, and it was Devil May Cry 4. Fans have been hungry for a new entry for the past ten years and now they finally have it.
This game does not pick up immediately following Devil May Cry 4. It takes place several years after the end of the fourth game. By how much, remains unknown. So far, the Capcom team have not announced concrete details and plan to release more information during throughout the year.
Who’s In The Trailer?
The trailer features a young man with short white hair, who dashes around, killing demons with a flashy sword with plenty of attitude. While many who only know about the 2013 reboot DMC: Devil May Cry, those who believe this to be Dante, are incorrect. This is Nero, a character who first showed up as a character in Devil May Cry 4.
How does he fit into the overall story? When he made his debut, he was actively hunting Dante during the first part of Devil May Cry 4 for the Order of the Sword, a cult that worships Sparda, a powerful demon and the father of Dante and Vergil, the latter of the two fell during Devil May Cry 3.
Nero later rebelled against the Order and found himself teaming up with Dante. The two were able to defeat the game’s main antagonist together and then parted ways; Nero also learned and came to terms with the fact he had Sparda’s blood in him. At the time, the game didn’t dive into specific details about how he’s connected to Dante’s family. But he’s certainly a part of it.
Early on in the trailer we’re introduced to a new ally who fights at Nero’s side, Nico. She provides some narrative details to a soldier about how she and Nero know each other. Apparently, between Devil May Cry 4 and this entry, Nero lost his right arm and needed a new one. She possess a unique of skill set to build him a brand new one that comes with plenty of bells and whistles.
The right arm gets shown pointedly throughout the entire trailer, and will definitely make for a unique gameplay mechanic.
The reason Nico had to make that metal arm for Nero was because a shady figure took his right arm from him, which we see in the middle of the trailer. Why does the right arm matter?
It was Nero’s source of demon power, called Devil Bringer. This may serve as a plot point in the game or something we learn about later on as more details about Devil May Cry 5 surface. The importance of Devil Bringer in this story remains unknown, but despite having lost it, it won’t stop Nero from killing an army of demons.
Near the end of the trailer we see the series’ original protagonist himself: Dante. He’s riding a slick motorcycle, sporting a little facial hair, and the same cocky-grin he’s known for. Because he was shown near the end of the trailer, it’s unclear how much he’ll get featured in the story. He may return as a recurring character who actively assists Nero throughout the story, or one that shows up every so often to provide small amounts of fan service. Either way, he’s in it!
What Do We Know Of The Plot So Far?
Only a small amount of details have released so far. We do know this: a demon tree has spawned in the middle of Red Grave City and leads to another demon invasion. This invasion brings our new protagonists, Nero and Nico, to the scene of the crime where they fight hordes and hordes of demons. Nico serves as Nero’s sidekick who can crafty him weapons and upgrades to use during his crusade of purging this demon threat.
While in Red Grave City, the pair are on the search for Dante, for reasons unknown. It’s likely because Nero lost Devil Bringer and wishes to have it returned to him, but that remains speculation.
Dante’s role in this? Again, he’s there, but how he fits into the overall story remains unknown. Regardless, he’s involved and he’ll likely show up plenty of times to serve the fans eager to learn more about what he’s been up to.
Any Gameplay?
There’s a brief amount of gameplay during this trailer, which is always good!
The action starts at 1:13 in the trailer. You can clearly see Nero using his robot arm to shock his foes, along with him utilizing his sword to slash down any demon foolish enough to stand in his way. There’s plenty of quick, adrenaline-pumping action in this trailer, so don’t expect the gameplay to be any different! Nero does quite a bit with his robot arm, such as firing his hand to pull him closer to enemies, grappling his foes, and even slowing down time to make some clean strikes.
Since Nero lost his right arm, Devil Bringer, it’ll be interesting to see how they work in any demon powers at all into the gameplay. Though, the robot arm’s unique characteristics seem to make up for that greatly.
During 1:32 of the trailer, we clearly see these magical cogs wrapped around a demon, slowing them down. How this was done was not disclosed. Was it the technology of the right arm, or some magic Nero can still tap into?
Regardless, the gameplay certainly looks like a Devil May Cry game, and fans should get excited.
What About The DMC Reboot?
Because this is an official entry in the Devil May Cry series, it goes beyond the reboot that launched in 2013 by Ninja Theory. Capcom did not detail if they’re scrapping the reboot. This may depend on the overall reception of Devil May Cry 5. If it does well, they could sweep the reboot under the rug and continue on their path of creating new stories in the main game series. There’s a lot of factors they have to consider.
But this may serve as the nail in the coffin, especially since they released the remastered Devil May Cry collection for PS4, Xbox One, and PC in 2018. This collection features the first three Devil May Cry games.
However, because it’s been five years since the reboot was first released, it’s safe to say it was an attempt on their part, but they won’t continue forward with me. Plus, the massive amount of attention the Devil May Cry 5 announcement is receiving only proves the popularity of the main series with fans.
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The trailer announces the game will release in Spring 2019 for PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox. For information about Devil May Cry 5 and any E3 announcements, keep it here at GameSkinny.
Published: Jun 12, 2018 07:38 pm