Republished on Wednesday, January 11, 2023: I will be reviving this review from the archives after the announcement. PS Plus lineup for January 2023The original text is below.
If you’re the kind of player who spent hours figuring out ridiculously cool combos in Devil May Cry 5, then this expanded re-release is for you. Likewise, if you’re brand new to Capcom’s bombastic action title, this is the best version of an already exceptional game (you can read the original Devil May Cry 5 PS4 review here). In short, Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition is the best.
Start fresh. Vergil, Dante’s katana-wielding twin brother, was added as his fourth playable character, and he’s yet another masterclass in terms of gameplay his design. Vergil is absurdly fun and probably the most stylish fighter on the roster. “I have a meter.
Casually rushing towards the enemy? it’s a few meters. As last as possible he dodges attacks in a second and provokes an incompetent opponent?That’s a lot of meters. However, running around or swinging your weapon in the air will take your focus away. It’s a mechanism that encapsulates Vergil as a character. To get the most out of him, you’ll need to run with all the effortless flair and anger-inducing smugness we’ve come to expect from the series’ foes.
It’s a shame that Vergil doesn’t get his own story though. is not. Vergil’s gameplay is clearly the star of the show, so it’s not a big deal, but it still feels a little cheap. Even some new cutscenes to help contextualize things would have made a real difference.
Luckily, the Special Edition comes with a true game changer, the Legendary Dark Knight Mode. Available from the start, this all-new difficulty mode puts your skills to the test by hurling hordes of demons. Instead of fighting a small number of enemies in each area, you’ll encounter a large number of creatures. It’s a brutal but brilliant addition, and while not necessarily recommended for newcomers, it provides a great reason to start over with the campaign.
Impressively, the Special Edition barely drops a frame, even when surrounded by countless monsters and the screen is completely covered with all sorts of visual effects. Performance on the PS5 is solid, and the title looks phenomenal overall, except for some slightly grainy environments. You can experiment with several graphics options, such as the 30 frames per second mode that maximizes resolution and ray tracing.
To be honest, the Special Edition’s ray tracing is nothing to write home about. If you have a display that supports 120 frames per second, there is also an option to allow 120 frames per second, but it is far from locked and will degrade noticeably when busy. It’s nice to have, but Devil May Cry 5 is best played smooth and sharp.
But hey, what about those load times? In the special edition they are basically non-existent. The game still has loading screens featuring written gameplay hints, but they disappear after a few seconds. Entering The Void (practice mode accessed from the character customization menu) takes only a fraction of a second. It all equates to a seamless experience that lets you jump right into the action when you’re ready. Just next generation.
Conclusion
Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition is the definitive version of an already outstanding action title. When it comes to gameplay, Vergil is one of the best designed characters the genre has ever seen, and his inclusion alone makes him grin from ear to ear. is enough. Devil May Cry 5 is still a lot of fun to play and is his one of the best action games to grace the PlayStation.
