Devil May Cry 5 achieves something the others in the game series haven't been able to do. Now, instead of picking a character and going at it, there's some level of branching to the story, based on your choice, and most importantly, there's a story.
Sadly, it is much the same story as before.
Boy meets sword. Sword meets demon. Blood, guts, and stylish action ensue.
All the regulars of the series are here - Dante, Trish, Lady, and of course Nero. There's a good balance of playing Dante and Nero, and there's some new segments where you get to play the enigmatic V, who can summon a bird, and a panther to fight along thier side.
The visuals in Devil May Cry are extraordinarily well delivered, with character models in particular displaying a high level of polish and detail. Textures are of an adequate resolution for environments, and monsters move so quickly that details are pronounced where they need to be.
Audio is much improved over the previous entry in the series as well, but it all feels a bit short. Devil May Cry games have never delivered an engrossing story, but rather one that just has enough material to give you an excuse to fight a whole bunch of demons.
Sadly, the setting and pacing is about on par with a manga or anime, there's no reality to reference back to, and this game in particular unfolds around a giant, living, demonic tree that threatens to drain the lifeblood out of every human.
There's roots galore, still beating hearts of tree bits, and lots of action. Speaking of action, you get to literally use a motorcycle as a weapon in this game, eschewing the cut-scene exclusivity of this in prior games.
Sadly, however, the combat (after playing six Devil May Cry games in a row) is pretty much exactly the same in each title, with each character forced to relearn the same moves they mastered in the last game. This means there's not much new tactical depth, outside a few new weapons.
It doesn't make it any less fun, though.
This game has tons of eye-candy, and it isn't just all monsters and swords. Weapons are modelled beautiful, and the three femme-fatales the game features are exquisitely detailed.
If you enjoy the Devil May Cry series, you'll be right at home in the fifth instalment. It just doesn't do enough to make a long-serving franchise feel refreshed and new - it is a safe sequel in a series of otherwise mindless, time consuming games.