Five Years Later, It's Clear Devil May Cry 5 Excels in Far More Than Combat

Highlights

Devil May Cry 5's combat design sets the bar high in the "character action" genre, with rewarding combo power for Nero, Dante, and V. However, there is far more that it does right.
The game's exceptional attention to detail in character and environmental design adds depth and enhances the overall combat experience, while the music makes fighting thrilling every time.
Five years after its release, Devil May Cry 5 continues to impress with its quality, setting a high standard for the future of the series.

It has been five years since Devil May Cry 5 was released, though the title shows little signs of age. Cementing itself as a revival of the DMC franchise and a heavy-hitter for Capcom's sales, the attention to detail shown in the series' fifth mainline entry was, and continues to be, evident in its success. Its robust combat system along with its other design disciplines make for a compelling approach to game design, one that remains worthy of appreciating five years after it debuted.

The DMC series has become synonymous with excellent combat design, and most would consider Devil May Cry 5 to set the bar in the "character action" genre. Boasting three characters with incredibly nuanced movesets, Nero, Dante, and V were equipped with enough combo power to make the title's battle system a rewarding spectacle to dive into. From newcomers to series veterans, the opportunity to tackle chapters from a myriad of difficulties made the title more than worth its replay value, a feature that would only become more pronounced with the addition of its Vergil DLC. Still, despite the immense quality of its combat, Devil May Cry 5 - which released on March 8, 2019 and is celebrating its anniversary today - deserves to have its praises sung for the other facets of its game design as well.

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How Devil May Cry 5's Design Considerations Have Contributed to its Success Over the Years

The Storm That is Approaching

The music of Devil May Cry 5 has been lauded for its quality these past five years, with both its vocal and ambient tracks working to enhance the title's gameplay. As the game oscillates between the solemnity of its backdrops to its more visceral, action-packed moments, its OST takes in each circumstance with aplomb. Moments of reprieve make for an eerie yet beautiful listening, like the haunting quality of the divinity statue theme that sets an otherworldly example. On the opposite end, the high octane slashing of Nero's Red Queen against his upbeat Devil Trigger theme makes for a perfect encapsulation of his character, tying in well with the dynamic nature of Devil May Cry 5's combat.

Composer Casey Edwards' work on Nero's theme is a testament to the strength of his contribution to the soundtrack and the way it is deftly woven into Devil May Cry 5's most pivotal story moments. The feature of Silver Bullet during the clash between Nero and Vergil shows the character's growth throughout the story while tying excellently into the build up of its combat through Nero's newfound DT abilities. The same can be said for Edwards' work on Bury the Light, the nearly ten-minute long track for Vergil's DLC that has amassed over a hundred million plays online. Its in-game use is a fantastic motivator for players to learn the utmost intricacies of Vergil's combat, as performing combos and raising the style meter allows for the vocals to come through and the song to truly shine.

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Devil May Cry 5's Character and Environmental Design Makes its Combat All the More Rewarding

Smokin' Sexy Style

Aiding in its music is Devil May Cry 5's excellent attention to detail when it comes to its character and environmental design. Between Nero, Dante, and V, each character is embedded with personality from the ground up, making their appearances feel wholly unique. Beyond the realism of their physical features and stylish attire, enough to spur on Devil May Cry 5 collectors' editions of their coats with crazy price tags for cosplayers, the ways in which they are presented in the story make for a compelling indication of how they fit into the bigger picture. Dante's overwhelming moveset and powerful arsenal of weaponry sets a high status for his prowess at killing demons, while Nero's gradual mastery of the Devil Breakers shows him growing into his own, though his power lies in much more than them alone.

The considerations made towards these characters' personalities are imbued not only into their combat abilities, but in their taunts as well. Some, like the opportunity for Nero to put on the hood of his coat, manage to be rewarding combat interactions that tie into the fun, more trivial side of Devil May Cry 5's costume design. Because the title maintains a relatively small cast, these same considerations are taken toward the title's supporting characters as well. The trailing smoke of Nico's cigarette against her flashy tattoos and revolving arsenal of Devil Breakers, for example, ties excellently into her character's presentation and status as an inventor as she helps Nero along his journey.

The Streets of Red Grave

Devil May Cry 5's backdrops have stood the test of time in the years since its release, and through them its combat truly shines. The boss arenas of the title manage to be both breathtaking and haunting, drawing from the dilapidated rubble of European architecture to give its enemies both weight and presence. Goliath, for example, destroys the building on which it stands to draw the arena outwards, sending chunks of stone Nero's way while inadvertently making it easier to dodge the demon's attacks. In Artemis' boss fight, the light cascading on the pillars of a dome-shaped library draws attention upwards, a fitting backdrop for the agile demon that flits around the air with speed.

Traversing around Red Grave, and later, the demon infested Qliphoth, is as harrowing as it is intriguing, where a city in ruin feels all the more compelling to save. As enemies grow stronger and more frequent, the abilities of Nero, Dante, and V work in tandem with the severity of the environment; while the player learns and becomes more competent at Devil May Cry 5's combat mechanics, they are driven away from the remaining humanity of Red Grave City and into the literal lion's den. It's a clever way that the title ups the stakes and sets its goal up front, as the battle against Urizen is not one that can be won on the first try (unless, of course, Devil May Cry 5's secret ending is achieved).

Standing the Test of Time, Five Years Later

In 2024, the merits of Devil May Cry 5 continue to hold weight, cementing the game's success as well-earned. Though its combat is largely considered the title's defining feature, the ways in which DMC5's other disciplines work towards its gameplay loop help to make its battle system all the more rewarding. The level of quality and polish that was evident in the title's release continues to hold a high standard for the future of the series, and wherever Devil May Cry 6 takes things next, the lessons that it can take from its predecessor should not be cast aside.