Retro Review: Devil May Cry PS4 Port

There’s a lot in terms of variety when discussing hack n’ slash titles. From Metal Gear Rising: Revengance to Ninja Gaiden, the genre seems to have a little something for everyone. That being said, it would be a different story if it weren’t for games such Devil May Cry paving the way for newcomers.

Now, after having received a semi-recent port for the PS4, it’s a great opportunity to see if Devil May Cry still holds up after all these years.

Story:

The story of Devil May Cry is a somewhat complicated one when analyzed in full. The plot of the game revolves around Dante who runs a business by the name of Devil May Cry. The story beings when a female hunter named Trish attempts to enlist the help of Dante. She crashes a motorcycle into his store and stabs him. After Dante agrees to lend his skills, the pair travel to Mallet Island. They hope to destroy the Prince of Darkness, Mundus. All in all, in retrospect, the story of Devil May Cry is still as good as it needs to be. A dude goes to an island to kill a big demon, done.

Gameplay:

The gameplay for this title has aged like a fine wine. One might suspect that seventeen years later it might leave a few rusty hinges, but this is not the case. Everything still flows nicely and the combat is complex enough to be engaging. Yet, it’s not so complex that it becomes convoluted. The combo system is also as fun as ever, racking up hits in order to increase one’s ranking just never seems to get old.

Visuals:

I suspect this is why the PS3/PS4 versions of the game had occurred in the first place, other than, you know, publishers just being greedy. Although, if one were to look back on the original entry to the franchise, it’s not hard to see that time has not been kind to Devil May Cry. This is to be expected for an older title, however, as the muddy graphics and darker tone of the game didn’t exactly make for the best visual style. With that in mind, a much-needed upgrade goes a long way when remastering visuals, but it won’t earn any points here.

Characterization:

Where Devil May Cry does earn points is in its characterization, specifically that of the main character, Dante.  Dante is one suave individual that puts so much care into not caring. Throughout the game, Dante is shown as being cocky, brash, and ultimately disinterested towards those he has to fight. However, there are times when Dante starts showing more emotional qualities rather than defaulting to his usual passive nature. It is through these brief glimpses that one can see Dante as a more complex character than originally thought. His style may come off as ‘devil-may-care’, but those playing begin to realize that it’s simply a vale.

Replayability:

The last thing I’d like to mention about Devil May Cry‘s is its level of replayability. This game is chalked to the brim with hidden levels and interesting easter eggs. The time one individual could spend finding all there is to find is certainly a plus in regards to, not only replayability but also the sheer amount of variety. Basically, the more things there are for players to achieve, the more time they’ll spend trying to achieve them.

All in all, I still think that Devil May Cry holds up for the PS2. With everything taken into account, one can see that the characterization, the gameplay, and the story are still strong pillars that hold up the foundation of this amazing title. The only real negative is that the visuals may not hold up as well, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter in terms of lastability. So, if you haven’t already, check out Devil May Cry on the PS2.