I am not good at Devil May Cry. The overwhelming offensive focus coupled with the expectations of flawlessness in execution this game demands makes it very discouraging for people unacquainted with the series. I never felt like I could break through the threshold that the absolute killers inhabit. Devil May Cry 5 is the first time I felt like it was possible.
You could argue that it is just me becoming more familiar with the series, and the genre as a whole, but I've been playing character action games for years now, so why does it click now? I don't think I have a definitive answer but I have some ideas.
The way a character moves is very important obviously, and these games have already mastered the flow of combat for your characters, but the enemies seem like they are beholden to the same momentum and inertia as the player. This makes encounters as readable as possible, and it does this without sacrificing any difficulty. Even enemies who move around quickly can be countered, given you are aware of the space around you, and this game gives you complete control of that space. The control of the camera is tight, and was never anything I had to fight with. The way characters are made to fly across the screen seems like it would be a recipe for tracking issues, but the camera followed with ease. It might seem like an insignificant thing to praise, but over the course of the game I started recognizing situations where in another game my vision would be zoomed, causing me to lose my concentration. It just never happened. And that is important.
When I was introduced to a new character or mechanic, I was always initially worried as to how I could realistically manage all of these elements. You have an arena to test out new abilities in, and that is absolutely necessary. My compulsion to just wing it was quickly beaten out of me. But the real worry came from implementing my ever growing move list into boss fights, which were entirely unpredictable. While most bosses ground me into mulch, they were the highlights of the game for me. The way the music pops off just makes you want to power through whatever is thrown at you, and that drive is what forces you to adapt. I had the least trouble when a track I really liked kicked in. It was a motivator, and this game lives through motivation. Playing alongside players who are consistently getting S ranks was discouraging at first, but I craved those moments for myself, and on occasion I was rewarded for that effort.
I am still not good at Devil May Cry 5, but I think one day I will be.
You could argue that it is just me becoming more familiar with the series, and the genre as a whole, but I've been playing character action games for years now, so why does it click now? I don't think I have a definitive answer but I have some ideas.
The way a character moves is very important obviously, and these games have already mastered the flow of combat for your characters, but the enemies seem like they are beholden to the same momentum and inertia as the player. This makes encounters as readable as possible, and it does this without sacrificing any difficulty. Even enemies who move around quickly can be countered, given you are aware of the space around you, and this game gives you complete control of that space. The control of the camera is tight, and was never anything I had to fight with. The way characters are made to fly across the screen seems like it would be a recipe for tracking issues, but the camera followed with ease. It might seem like an insignificant thing to praise, but over the course of the game I started recognizing situations where in another game my vision would be zoomed, causing me to lose my concentration. It just never happened. And that is important.
When I was introduced to a new character or mechanic, I was always initially worried as to how I could realistically manage all of these elements. You have an arena to test out new abilities in, and that is absolutely necessary. My compulsion to just wing it was quickly beaten out of me. But the real worry came from implementing my ever growing move list into boss fights, which were entirely unpredictable. While most bosses ground me into mulch, they were the highlights of the game for me. The way the music pops off just makes you want to power through whatever is thrown at you, and that drive is what forces you to adapt. I had the least trouble when a track I really liked kicked in. It was a motivator, and this game lives through motivation. Playing alongside players who are consistently getting S ranks was discouraging at first, but I craved those moments for myself, and on occasion I was rewarded for that effort.
I am still not good at Devil May Cry 5, but I think one day I will be.