Back in mid-September, fans of the Devil May Cry series were surprised at the PlayStation 5 showcase with the news that Devil May Cry 5 was receiving a Special Edition, which includes a wealth of new features such as Turbo mode, a Legendary Dark Knight difficulty mode, and increased visual fidelity on both the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles. However, there is another addition in Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition that made it even more exciting for fans of the franchise.
Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition finally gave players the ability to play as Dante's power-hungry twin brother, Vergil. He has long been a fan favorite in the Devil May Cry series ever since he first truly appeared in Devil May Cry 3 as one of the game's main antagonists. The calm, cool, and collected katana-wielding brother went on to seemingly set the standard in character action games for what a good rival character could look like.
While this all seems like great news for Devil May Cry fans, Capcom faced backlash for a series of clarifications it had to make after the special edition was announced. Unlike most games that were releasing an enhanced version of previous-gen games, Capcom didn't offer a free upgrade path to the updated game, charging players $40 to play. Players on PC were also understandably upset as Devil May Cry 5 would not be receiving ray tracing in the PC version, with Capcom citing that the special edition had been designed with next-gen consoles in mind.
Players that had no intention on upgrading to a PS5 or Xbox Series X anytime soon also seemed to draw one of the short sticks in this announcement. While those playing on PS4 and Xbox One were likely not expecting any sort of visual improvement to the game, they were also informed that they would have to wait longer to play as Vergil. To be more specific, players looking to play as Vergil on PC, PS4, and Xbox One will have to wait until December 15 and then purchase him as DLC for $5, just over a month after he has been readily available on PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Despite all of these concerns, Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition has been well received on next-gen consoles, with many outlets stating that the improved load times are incredibly fast. And while this package may be seen as the definitive way to experience Devil May Cry 5, it is still missing one highly requested feature.
Devil May Cry: Trish and Lady
Both Trish and Lady have been mainstays of the Devil May Cry series for several entries now, with Trish first appearing in the original Devil May Cry and Lady debuting in Devil May Cry 3. While these badass ladies have typically taken a supporting role in previous games, they are fully playable for both the campaign as well as the Bloody Palace mode in Devil May Cry 4. They each have completely unique move sets with Lady wielding the Kalina Ann as both a melee weapon and a rocket launcher, and Trish wielding the legendary devil sword Sparda.
While players seemed to enjoy playing as both Trish and Lady in Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition, Capcom has chosen to leave them out as playable characters in Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition. Characters added to a Devil May Cry game don't normally get a ton of additional content, typically only being playable through the standard campaign with little to no new cutscenes and fighting through the Bloody Palace. And while this may not be a big deal to some players, it seems to contradict what Capcom set up at the end of Devil May Cry 5's story.
In one of Devil May Cry 5's post credits scene, players find Lady and Trish hanging out back at Devil May Cry. While they talk about how it seems that Dante is really gone for good this time, Morrison walks in and tells the ladies that he has a new job for the two of them before they move off scene. To many players, this seemed to imply that special story DLC was coming that would star Lady and Trish. However, with the announcement of the game's special edition, it seems that this dream has been dashed.
The release of Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition may have been the perfect time to release Lady and Trish DLC, but that doesn't necessarily mean all hope is lost. Devil May Cry 5 took on some business practices that were different than previous entries, such as the ability to engage in microtransactions to purchase Red Orbs. While this is likely not ideal for most players, it could mean that Capcom may be looking at bringing more DLC to the special edition later in the future. But until then, players will likely have to stick with modding the game to include The Walking Arsenal and The Fiendish Femme Fatale.
Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition is available now on PS5 and Xbox Series X.
