What is old is new again. This is the feeling that comes to the forefront when playing Devil May Cry 5 on Nintendo Switch 2. Published by Capcom, and running on the RE Engine, the same engine as the recent Resident Evil Requiem, Devil May Cry once again proves that Capcom knows what it is doing in porting games to the Nintendo console. The version of the game being reviewed here is Devil May Cry 5: Devil Hunter Edition, which comes with all downloadable content included, so it comes with all the high intensity, action packed content of the original game and all extra content released later on. From Devil Breakers, 4 playable characters in total, to combos and combat galore, this game has got a bit of everything for someone who loves hack and slash action adventure. What’s even better, it shines on Nintendo Switch 2, without the blurry textures and low framerate some recent games have had.
For those familiar with Devil May Cry’s usual protagonist, Dante, this game does not follow him for the entire time. Due to this, a lot of the game is played out as the other two protagonists, Nero and V. This helps the storytelling a lot because it allows the developers to provide different perspectives to tell the same story from. This form of storytelling feels a lot more like a movie or a tv show’s storytelling.
The game is set in a city inspired by London called Red Grave City. World designers that worked on the title did an amazing job of capturing the look and feel of a London like city, from the red double decker buses to the highly detailed and beautiful architecture that is reminiscent of the Victorian and Gothic styles that are present throughout the city today. The inclusion of this type of architecture and art style lends itself well to the overall aesthetic of Devil May Cry and works really well for the large combat arenas of some of the bosses, such especially ones that are held in gothic style cathedrals. In addition to fitting the aesthetic, the world makes for some very epic and cinematic backdrops for each of the missions.
Even though the game is told in a more movie-like way, Devil May Cry 5 still feels very game-like in its mission structure. Each mission starts out with fighting enemies of increasing difficulty, culminating in a final boss that will challenge the player to think creatively with combos, fight quickly, and strategically defend themselves. In between missions, players have the opportunity to spend Red Orbs in an upgrade menu on upgrades, new combos to use in combat, and revive orbs called gold orbs. Orbs are collected during missions in the form of red crystals scattered around the levels. In addition to red crystals, there are green crystals that can be smashed for restoring health taken by enemies.
Combat in Devil May Cry 5 varies quite a bit from previous entries in the series and this installment’s combat shifts between the different playable characters in the story. Nero’s combat on the surface is very similar to Dante’s in that both characters use a blade for melee combat and a gun for ranged attacks. However, a new feature in this entry is the inclusion of the devil breakers, which are bionic hands given to Nero by Nico Goldstein, a woman that comes up with new inventions and upgrades for you. Each one provides a different combat use and has a stronger function upon breaking. For example, one of them releases electric bursts, while another gives small bursts of healing. Some are more for comedic effect, like the monkey arm, which spins bananas to fight enemies.
There are some inclusions from other Capcom games like Mega Man’s blaster. Dante’s combat is about switching between styles focused on range, melee, and defense, but he also has his devil triggers included, which allow him to transform into a stronger demon form to fight enemies. Lastly, V’s combat is where gameplay is most different from previous entries in the series. His combat is much more focused on strategy and using his 3 companions to different effect. Griffon, his bird companion, is used to attack enemies from a distance, Shadow, a panther companion that changes form to spikes and other sharp shapes to fight, is used for melee attacks, and Nightmare, a massive golem companion, is an ultimate that only comes out when the devil trigger gauge is activated fully.
One of the best parts of Devil May Cry 5 is how it motivates you to upgrade your characters combos. Other games have combos, but in Devil May Cry 5, it feels nice to be able to do more and more cool moves as you customize. Where this game excels is in the inclusion of a grading system for each mission and a point system. The more varied and high speed you work the combat in each mission, it will raise your points and grade higher. After the mission a grade will be displayed from D to SSS, with SSS being the highest. This is a great motivator to keep using all of your different unlocked combos at a fast pace during combat.
In addition to looking cool, the game sounds cool, too. Its soundtrack does a nice job of matching the tempo of the high speed combat. It never feels like the sounds of the game do not match what is happening on screen at any point. The soundtrack includes a mixture of electronic, vocal, and even a good amount of metal. This mixture fits the gothic industrial feel of many of the areas of Devil May Cry 5.
One piece that is especially important to mention, as this is a review for the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game, is the performance. Devil May Cry 5’s framerate targets 60 fps in both handheld and docked modes. It does a great job maintaining that frame rate and even has a mode that allows up to 120 fps in when in docked mode. This mode tends to sit closer to 90 fps on average most of the time, but the fact that the console has the mode included is a nice addition.
Overall, Devil May Cry 5: Devil Hunter Edition is a great game to have included on Nintendo Switch 2 and developers did an excellent job of porting to the console without compromising the experience all all. The beautiful gothic aesthetic in art style, environments, and soundtrack convey the developers message perfectly. Split time between 3 different protagonists makes for a more interesting experience both as far as the story and in combat. This game is a must play, especially if you have not played it before on other platforms or only play on Nintendo consoles.
Nintendojo was provided a copy of this game for review by a third party, though that does not affect our recommendation. For every review, Nintendojo uses a standard criteria.