Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition Review

The Last Classic Capcom Game?

Devil May Cry 4 – first released back in 2008 – might not be the obvious choice for a next-gen rerelease. The seven year old title exists in a strange limbo, too young to be considered a classic but definitely not recent enough to simply be getting a next-gen, game-of-the-year port. As  such, one might accuse Capcom of trading on barely-formed nostalgia and making a quick buck, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition might be one of the most worthwhile remasters I’ve played yet.

Full disclosure: Devil May Cry 4 was one of my favourite games of the last generation, and for multiple reasons it holds a very special place in my heart. I can say without bias, however, that DMC4 might be the last classic Capcom game. I’m talking developed in house, designed with old-school sensibilities and with traditional Capcom direction. Fixed cameras, a focus on demanding and  unforgiving gameplay and just the right amount of flashy, game-interrupting cut scenes make DMC4 the end of an era of game design, but one that Capcom is very capable of iterating upon, as this rerelease proves.

Storyline:

Angels, Demons and an angsty teen, it’s all here in the special edition and – for the most part – just the way you remember it. DMC4’s storyline didn’t blow me away the first time round but it’s nevertheless a fun little romp in the world Dante and his pals inhabit. With memorable bad guys acting especially evilly and our white haired rogue refusing to stop upping the ante with his stylish (and wholly unnecessary) showboating, DMC4 is a popcorn fest when in its extended cinematics. Considering you may be playing the title countless times, however, feel free to start feverishly skipping them if you’ve heard this all before.

In the Special Edition, however, three new characters become available to play through the lengthy campaign with, and as such a few new scenes have been whipped up especially for this package. They’re the briefest of things but appreciated nevertheless, and make sure the player knows these characters haven’t simply been thrown into the title with no regard to lore or story.

Gameplay:

It is the inclusion of Vergil, Trish and Lady as fully playable combatants that really gives DMC4SE an edge on its competition (within the realm of remasters). All three are well thought out and complex characters that behave nothing like the pre-existing counterparts of Nero and Dante. Having blitzed the campaign upwards of ten times back in 2008 I was thrilled to tackle the same levels with the slow and purposeful Lady, or the lightning fast Vergil. It doesn’t just give new life to the game, it often feels like it’s reinvented it.

Also new to the SE is ‘Legendary Dark Knight mode’, a brutal new difficulty that will test even the best players with unholy amounts of enemies and boss health bars that seem unfairly chunky. Unless you were blasting through Dante must Die mode (or the somewhat more infuriating Hell or Hell) back when the game first hit, you probably won’t get much play out of this new addition, but the masochistic mode is welcome regardless.