Devil May Cry 5

I put roughly fifteen hours into Devil May Cry 5 expecting a competent action game and came out the other side furiously replaying missions to chase a higher grade. That is the real hook Capcom built here: the campaign itself is a warm-up lap. The actual game starts once you understand that the scoring system rewards variety above almost everything else, and that every combo you repeat is a combo the meter is quietly penalising you for. The structure splits playtime across three characters - Nero, V, and Dante - each one feeling distinct enough that they could headline separate games. Nero leads with his Devil Breakers, a rotating set of prosthetic arms built by wisecracking mechanic Nico. Each arm has its own special: one fires a self-guided rocket fist, another locks down time briefly, another blasts a wide electric discharge. The catch is they shatter under pressure, which forces constant adaptation mid-combo and creates a spontaneous tension that works far better than it sounds. V is the curveball: rather than attacking directly, he commands three demon familiars - Shadow, Griffon, and the absolutely enormous Nightmare - while staying out of range and finishing weakened enemies himself. It plays closer to a positioning puzzle than a brawler, and it is a genuinely refreshing change of pace sandwiched between Nero's aggression and what Dante brings later. Dante arrives around the midpoint of the campaign loaded with 12 weapons and four swappable combat styles (Gunslinger, Trickster, Swordmaster, Royal Guard), all switchable mid-combo. The ceiling on Dante is genuinely high, and some players will not see the full depth of it in a single playthrough because the game distributes its missions across all three characters rather than letting you sink deep into any one of them before credits roll. That diffuse focus is the game's most legitimate criticism. Your upgrade currency (red orbs) gets split three ways, and reaching the upper skill ceiling with any character often takes a full New Game Plus run. The flip side: the breadth of what is here means replaying missions feels fresh in a way that most action games cannot sustain. Difficulty options range from a 'Human' mode with an optional auto-combo assist that handles complex inputs for you, making this accessible to newcomers who just want to feel cool, up through difficulty levels that will test even series veterans. The RE Engine visuals still hold up well, the boss fights are among the best the franchise has produced, and the soundtrack actively layers in extra instrumentation as your style rank climbs - a small touch that makes hitting SSS feel genuinely earned rather than arbitrary. Minor complaints: level layouts are mostly linear corridors, the story leans hard into series lore and can feel rushed near the end for newcomers, and the optional purchase of red orbs with real money caused some early controversy, though it never affects the designed progression in a meaningful way. For solo play on PC with a controller, this is one of the tightest-feeling character-action games available. No split-screen, no local co-op - the multiplayer tag refers to a ghost-system that renders other players' combat runs faintly visible in the background of shared mission sections, which is a neat touch but not a reason to buy if you specifically want couch co-op.

Riley · Scout Team

Sports & racing

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