Let the records show that I still don’t like the way the new Dante looks. He looks like a kid and looks silly in comparison the the Dante we knew and love. Also, his hoodie looks too big for him to wear. And yes, he gets his iconic white hair when he Devil Triggers, but for most of the game, you stare at this kid that has a serious case of backpfeifengesicht. That’s a real word, that means a face in need of a fist.
Character design aside, the game looks and feels great and we are excited to get our hands on the final product.
The demo starts out with Dante and a hooded witch looking girl walking through a scenic and gothic European-styled city when suddenly CCTV cams started to sprout out eyeballs watching Dante. The demons then transport Dante into an evil version of the real world, somewhat like Bayonetta. When the world distorts, you can see the seething evil leak from the architecture. You can sense the hatred it has from Dante, you hear demonic whispers and burning words like, “KILL DANTE” will sprawl across the walls.
Those familiar to the series will feel right at home. You can make Dante deftly dance around the enemies while he cuts them into pieces and fills them with bullets. Like Nero from Devil May Cry 4, Dante can pull enemies or pull himself towards them to string combos. Also like Devil May Cry 4’s title character, you use this ability to navigate through platforms. These skills are very useful when the actual world will warp and try to kill you, which looks awesome.
In a post-Bayonetta world, the Devil May Cry series really needs to up its game. Going down the same path after the lackluster Devil May Cry 4 will slowly kill the series. Ninja Theory’s reboot is the kick the franchise needs to keep Dante fresh. Heavenly Sword and Enslaved were both excellent games with fantastic art direction. The work they’ve done to one of Capcom’s flagship franchises looks promising.
We are excited to get our hands on the full product. From what we’ve played, it doesn’t look like it will disappoint. It will feel good in your hands, and besides, crazy shirtless Dante is just as silly as emo punk kid Dante.
You’ll be able to get your hands on DmC: Devil May Cry when it comes out in January.