The Devil may cry (DMC) series is one of the greatest hack-n-slash series in all of gaming & produced some of the defining titles in the genre. Devil May Cry 3 was a Masterpiece & till this day, holds the benchmark of a great hack-n-slash game. And while DMC 4 wasn't quite as great as it's predecessor but playing as Dante was still a blast----changing styles on the fly while combo-ing, Royal Blocking...it's all great stuff. When I first saw the new DMC trailer back in 2010 & the decision made by Capcom to reboot the series, I was obviously skeptical. Of course, Dante's new design was questionable but above all did the DMC series really need a reboot at all?
The
decision to reinvent the DMC universe & it's characters that gamers have
become so familiar with for more than a decade, just to attract more
audiences and generating even more sales didn't really seem well to me. DMC already has a fully established fanbase around the world and a lot of untapped potential for even farther
expansion which can be faithful to both the characters and the players. Ultimately it's the players who have consistently supported the whole franchise with an enormous amount of love and reverence over the years which was the one of the reasons that CAPCOM was able to do a 4th entry in
the series. Abandoning all of that for just generating a wider mass appeal & to
crack the "Western audience" doesn't seem to do justice to any of it and seems to defeat it's own purpose.
Fast forward to over 2 years and after much trailers, screenshots, developer interviews & gameplay videos----DmC: Devil May Cry was released. The reviews rolled in & the majority was very positive. After playing the game myself, I can delightfully say that NT & CAPCOM delivered a fantastic hack-n-slash title that wiped out many woes I had regarding the game. I can even go as far as to say that this title can rightfully be seen as the second best game in the series. That's a huge feat NT pulled off considering how negative the initial reactions of this game was.
Firstly, I really liked the story and the universe NT has created. It has compelling themes based on modern society & culture that's makes sense and retains the over-the top styles that is a staple of the series. Dante, Vergil, Mundus are all fully fleshed character unlike any other previous DMC title. The narrative is intelligent & finely crafted for a hack-n-slash game. No complaints on this side.
One of the biggest improvements in DmC over the earlier titles is the Level design. The level design of Limbo city is one of the finest & over the top I've seen in a hack-n-slash game. Also, there is no backtracking, like in earlier DMC's. I enjoyed the platforming too & I think it's the best in the series.
 |
| The level design is incredible |
Okay, Now the gameplay part. How did NT fared at the grandest stage of them all? Well, the gameplay is pretty enjoyable, fluid & has an easy to get, not hard to master feel, though a bit too easy. The combat is leaps & bounds from Nero in DMC4 and is closer to DMC3 in terms of available weapons & combos. Combos are easily chained between multiple weapons and freely adjustable between different moves. However, the absence of Lock-on, weapon specific enemies & poor boss battles distract from what could've been a truly fantastic & more challenging experience. My complaints regarding the gameplay is that it's just too easy & has little depth compared to the previous titles. I found myself getting SSS ranks easily even on DMD mode. Boss battles are one of the weakest points of the game. Most of the bosses fill large part of the screen & has only a few moves that they keep repeating. Little to no strategy is required, just remembering patterns. These issues aside, the gameplay in DmC is largely enjoyable & will certainly appeal to newcomers of the series. That said, the gameplay cannot really hold a candle to other titles in the series. It just hasn't enough depth. The style meter is severely flawed. Really, any newcomer with moderate practice can earn SSS ranks. In previous titles, watching the meter go from D to S was truly satisfying & had a sense of achievement. But in DmC, it's just too easy.
 |
| a little too easy |
Finally, the characterization of Dante. Dante starts off as a foul-mouthed unlikable punk but over the course of the game, he gradually grows his conscience & towards the end, becomes a somewhat likable character who takes a stand for what he believes. I liked the character development of Dante & the various interactions with other characters. Though, some scenes in the game felt really unnecessary like the "Not in a million years" white hair scene which seemed like a middle finger to the fans of the previous DMC's. Overall, the character development in DmC is mostly done right, for a hack-n-slash title.
Still here? OK. It's evident that DmC is a damn good game in it's own right & fared well critically. But the game is a commercial failure. DmC is currently the worst selling game in the series. It received moderate number of sales in UK but fell on it's face in pretty much everywhere else.
There are several reasons of this. Firstly, like I said earlier, DMC didn't really need a reboot. Sure it was showing some age but a few fresh elements would've filled new blood in the franchise. The fact that CAPCOM rebooted DMC when the series was at it's peak commercially didn't help either. There was many directions CAPCOM could've taken in the previous universe where it would've been exciting and appreciated by both hack-n-slash gamers and the DMC fanbase, at least for a while.
Secondly, the stance of NT & Capcom towards this reboot and attacks on the fanbase. The previous Dante was not only a heroic character, he was a revered gaming icon who playfully toyed with his foes rather than engaging in verbal abuse. Saying things like he was not cool anymore, outdated & mocking the character disappointed a lot of the dedicated DMC fanbase who felt betrayed after seeing the new angsty, foul mouthed dante. The new Dante is in name only. His character is as far away as possible from the previous Dante. The previously mentioned "Not in a million years scene" disappointed many fans of the previous Dante and it seems, CAPCOM & NT didn't care much either.
Thirdly & most importantly, This was a DMC game in name only. Although the characters are there, the different tone, setting and everything else pointed to this as a very different game altogether. Previous DMC games was grounded in a fantasy setting where everything seemed cool & nothing seemed out of place. Attempting to grab a wider casual audience, CAPCOM & NT failed to create a cohesive bridge that would attract fans of previous DMC games into the grittier, realistic world of this game. Instead the fans felt this was just an action game with the name Devil may cry slapped onto it. It also seems that the wider casual audience of hack-n-slash games really doesn't exist. Cause if they did, the game would've sold much higher. The audience of hack-n-slash games is pretty limited as it is in this day, and the DMC series already enjoys a dedicated fanbase which CAPCOM didn't care for it seems.
If you stayed this long, from here it gets more interesting, I promise. Now we actually come to the point of this article. Where can the franchise go from here? CAPCOM needs to change a lot of things to get the franchise back on it's feet. I hope CAPCOM sees this game as a learning experience. Right now there are several directions CAPCOM can take with the Devil May Cry series. I would like to postulate some of these possible (imaginary) future directions & it's possible consequences among the DMC fanbase in detail:
1. DmC 2: A second chance ---- CAPCOM chooses to stay in the present direction. Gives NT development duties for another DmC game. NT has already learned from the mistakes of the previous game. After the events of DmC, Dante is a more likable character & Vergil is a full time antagonist as established from the Vergil's Downfall DLC. DmC 2 will combine the best elements of DmC 1, with much better & more challenging gameplay and truly spectacular boss fights that requires skill than just remembering patterns.
But the people who hated the first one won't buy this one----obviously. Considering the non-existent "casual fanbase" that CAPCOM hoped does, the game will fail commercially like or even more than it's predecessor. DmC2 might be much better than DmC in every way, but very few other than the critics will care & the series will be dead officially. This is a dead end for the franchise. R.I.P Devil may Cry, you will not be missed.
 |
| They're back, but for how long? |
However, the same weaknesses that scarred DMC4 will find it's way here----the series will get even more stale. Although the characters will be in their top form & fury, even hardcore fans will see that the game has become a bit "been there, done that" type. Everything has been dealt with before in some form. The game, although fantastic as it will be, will be accused of iteration rather than innovation in many of it's parts by the critics & players except for the most hardened DMC fan. The game will be more of a fan service than a step forward. This direction can make CAPCOM some quick bucks for sure, but it really doesn't have a long term future. A reboot wasn't really seemed necessary after DMC4 but after DMC5, a reboot will be truly required. CAPCOM will have trouble making DMC6 in the same universe. So what would they do next? Announce & make DmC 2? Not likely either.
These 2 directions though much different, have one thing in common, they neither have a true future. CAPCOM may decide to end the franchise officially after DMC5. But let's be a little more optimistic now, shall we? So read on.
3. DmC2: Welcome aboard, Platinum games----In this (imaginary) scenario, CAPCOM chooses to stay on the present direction BUT assigns development duties to Platinum games, who I believe is the only developer out there who can get the DMC series back on it's feet. Maybe CAPCOM can hire Ninja Theory to create a story but give the full gameplay department to Platinum games, the makers of the highly acclaimed hack-n-slash game Bayonetta & Metal gear rising. Make no mistake, CAPCOM & NT got a lot of the things right with DmC, especially with the plot & narrative. They should keep those things consistent with future titles. Bringing NT on board means keeping those elements in the series. Assigning Platinum Games to design the gameplay should put aside a vast majority of woes regarding the combat, which is the soul of Devil may cry. Bringing Platinum games on board means great things for the series since they have a record of excellence in making great hack-n-slash games & few of the key developers of the first DMC game are working for them.
In this direction, the fans will be pulled by the fact that Platinum games is involved, as they hold a high regard among the fans of hack-n-slash genre. Also, anyone who has played the rebooted DmC will agree that the storytelling is better than it has been in the series for the most part. The story would continue from the aftermath of DmC with a heroic Dante with the same quality of narrative & the same great gameplay the series is known for.
This direction allows Capcom to put to use all the things they learned from DmC & make a much better experience that sort of combines the best of both worlds----story designed by NT & gameplay perfected by Platinum Games. All this should provide more than enough reasons to appeal to both hardcore fans & the casual, wider audience. This seems one of the best directions Capcom can take as it allows them to move forward without compromising the key elements that got them this far.
 |
| Adios, Dante |
4. A Brave new World: This will be the boldest move in the franchise----A Devil may cry game without Dante, really. Dante has been featured as the protagonist in 5 games in the series. The DMC series does not solely rely on a single protagonist, nor does any franchise should. It's acceptable that the DMC games featuring Dante has run it's course. Some of the flaws of the reboot was centered around the portrayal of Dante. NT couldn't design a character that was faithful to the original & Capcom couldn't keep the original Dante because they felt the character was getting jaded over so many games. They had a point. DMC needs a new protagonist, even Capcom themselves tried this with DMC4, with a kind of passing-the-torch to Nero. Since Nero was far from suitable to be a successor to Dante & a much less interesting character, it didn't work. The new incarnation of Dante didn't do much to keep his legacy continuing, that's okay. It seems it's about time Capcom leaves the legacy of Dante alone.
Dante should always remain the same way that DMC3 & 4 portrayed. He should be remembered as a classic revered gaming icon who recited Shakespeare to his foes. Rather than redesigning this classic character to cater to the new, wider gaming audience, Capcom should focus to create a new character from scratch who can be just as powerful & charismatic as Dante. Here Capcom has total creative liberty to do whatever they want with the character. No boundaries, no fan pressures. But they need to bring Platinum games on board & have them design the gameplay so it has the soul of a DMC game. Creating a new character also needs designing a whole new universe for the series, which will be perfect to keep the series going forward. New protagonist, new villains, new supporting characters, fully fleshed out narrative----this could be the most complete future direction for the series without any form of fan backlash.
It was obvious after playing DmC: Devil may cry that the new Dante was aimed at a whole different demographic of gamers. Dante doesn't need to be modified to be represented to a newer audience which seemed to relate to the angsty, verbally abusing teen that was presented at DmC. Dante should always remain as an icon to a different, more proud era of gaming. An era of challenging games where getting to the next level required persistent use of skill, strategy & perseverance and beating a single boss was a more satisfying experience than the whole playtime of the annually released franchises that dominate the industry today.
 |
| It's a long way from here for CAPCOM |
These are some of the directions that I could come up with that Capcom can take with the franchise. I really hope that Capcom has better idea than these four. As you can see, it's really hard at this point to please everyone. But one thing is for sure from the above explained future possibilities, they need to bring Platinum games on board for the gameplay because it's evident that NT really isn't the most capable developer in this area. They could design the story, however, as their strength lies more in that territory. Capcom needs to change a lot of things to get the DMC series back on it's feet again & that will definitely take some time. That's okay, they can take as much time as needed. Right now, all I know is that the next game in the franchise, whoever makes it, whenever it's released, with or without Dante, needs to be an absolute killer to get the series back where it belongs. Until then, here's hoping it will.
what's your take on all this? Shoot away at the comments section.
Comments
Post a Comment