Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition Review: Unlocked And Ready To Rock

Capcom has done it again. On the heels of the recently released DMC: Devil May Cry Definitive Edition, the famed publisher has now polished up 2008’s Devil May Cry 4 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and released it as a special edition. Now, while not as “definitive” as the aforementioned DMC was, Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition brings a lot to the table, mainly in the fact that everything is unlocked from the beginning, so players can choose to play between four different characters, new costumes, choose different game modes, and even tackle an insanely difficult version right from the start.

Dante, the hero of the previous three Devil May Cry games takes a back seat to Nero (though they look similar). Dante is here and playable, but Nero is the featured player and is absolutely stocked with powerful weapons, such as the Red Queen sword, his trusty pistols, and the Devil Bringer, which is a his demon-infected hand that can grab enemies and slam them, among other uses. Devil Bringer makes for some incredible action since Nero has the ability to reach higher places using the new skill. This also comes into play on boss battles, where all three offensive skills are needed to take down these ridiculously large creatures of evil intent.

Combos and style-points come to play, as every demonic takedown is rated from D to SSS, with SSS being the absolute best ranking. Being able to combo all three attacks, along with some nifty moves, will get those ranks higher, earning more orbs that can be used to upgrade weapons and skills. There is also an option to manually input combo moves while fighting, or have the game automatically initiate the moves when the various attack buttons are pressed. This gives Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition a pick-up-and-play mentality, so even new players can grab a controller and quickly feel like they’ve been with the series since its start on the PS2.

While Nero is the “featured character,” Dante and Vergil and Lady and Trish (Nero/Dante count as one) are playable from the start, and each bring new skill sets to the game. Vergil is still the fastest character, and Dante is still the coolest, but each has their own pros and cons, and the ability to choose them from the start makes this edition special.

Devil May 4 Cry Special Edition also includes a whole new mode, simply called Legendary Dark Knight (no, not that Dark Knight), which makes the game game — which feels a little on the short side, even at 20 chapters — much more challenging. Turbo mode also makes an appearance here, after turning DMC: Devil May Cry Definitive Edition is a hack ‘n slash speed fest, and playing the game at a much higher speed makes for some incredibly bad ass visuals, but should only really be attempted after playing through the 20 chapters of the story a few times. Unless you like insane challenges.

In terms of graphics, Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition looks good, but isn’t a full-on remaster. Some of the environments look bland, and the character models lack the finite detail that new gen users have some to expect, even at 1080p and 60fps. But, when the action ramps up and Nero and company are tearing through enemy after enemy, nobody stops to look at the thread patterns on the clothing.

Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition works to bring the last of the numbered DMC games to new gen systems, and hopefully is a precursor to the addition of an HD package of the first three games in the series making it to the powerful Playstation 4 and Xbox One consoles in the near future. For fans who may have been turned off by the DMC reboot, and who still enjoy this version of Dante and friends, Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition is for you.

Lastly, Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition is a download-only title for the PS4 and Xbox One (and PC), and is economically priced at $24.99, which makes it an absolute steal.

Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition is available now in the PlayStation and Xbox Live Stores. This review is based off a Playstation 4 code provided by the publisher.