Hopefully you won’t be as rusty as I was when starting
Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition. We join Nero, the young buck from the Order of the Sword, as he comes into his demon heritage and his journey to find Dante, as well as figure out what his precious Order is up to.
DMC 4: Special Edition plays similar to the original, and with the rebalanced combat system, you’ll be able to jump right in to the party. Nero and Dante still boast their incredibly satisfying sword and gunplay, leaving devastation in their wake. I really enjoyed picking up a costume and making the playthrough with a different set of clothes. Every playable character receives an alternate change and they stick in cut scenes as well. A small detail, but strangely satisfying nonetheless. Players can also decide if they’d like to pick up DLC for the game, such as some Blue and Red Orbs or alternate costumes. You can even unlock all the game modes, but keep in mind all this DLC comes at a price, so it’s up to you if you want to buy it and get rolling or just unlock it.
So, I mentioned the words "every" and "playable character" just a moment ago for a good reason. In addition to Nero and Dante, players also have the chance to bring out Vergil, Lady and Trish for a little fun. Each character has a unique playstyle and brings something different for players to try out. When selecting a character, the missions will basically be the same mission except you’ll be using the different character. As a nice little bonus, the characters do have a little intro video to give some background or motive as to why they’re doing what they’re doing. Naturally, the gameplay for each character is radically different or else it’d be kind of pointless to change characters other than for aesthetic purposes.
Vergil proves he’s a force to be reckoned with, whether it be with his sword Yamato or the Beowulf gauntlets, and even throws in his sword summons to boot. He also features a Concentration gauge which increases his power the more the gauge is filled. The gauge is filled by attacking, not getting attacked, dodging successfully and not running. The gauge will fill from 0, to level 1 and then to max level. Each level gives Vergil a certain amount of power, with his max level giving him a large power boost and an increased attack range. Some of his attacks require max level to perform, so players should fill the gauge and attack efficiently to keep a full gauge and access to Vergil’s strongest moves. Like Nero and Dante, Vergil also boasts his own Devil Trigger Mode, but his Devil Trigger will vary based on the weapon he is using. His standard Devil Trigger features the Yamato and gives Vergil an increase in power, speed and also features health recovery, while his Beowulf Devil Trigger features close quarters combat from favoring his Beowulf weapon with the stat increases as well. Super Vergil is also present and boasts a constant Devil Trigger along with a maxed out Concentration gauge, but remember that you get reduced style points for using the Super forms of any character. Vergil’s strong and master players will have a blast using his combos to the fullest effect.
I swear Lady is misnamed because she doesn’t act like one at all. She’s all about devastating gunplay and brings in a whole arsenal of toys to satisfy players. She has a gun for about every range and executing masterful combos will require players to know what weapon to use at what range. I thought a character who used only guns would be kind of boring, but then I got my hands on the Kalina Ann. Blowing up hordes of enemies is more fun than you might think, trust me. For close range, Lady whips out a shotgun to blast enemies out of her face. The shotgun doesn’t shoot too fast, but it does a ton of damage and has great knockback. The spread on the gun is pretty big though, so using it beyond close range may not yield the expected results. For enemies at longer ranges, Lady can pull out two handguns and stop them in their tracks with quick, sustained fire. Players can also maneuver as much as they want with the handguns to reposition while keeping demons in check. Finally, we get to the Kalina Ann. For large groups of enemies at range, or just for a bit of self-indulgence, Lady can pull out the Kalina Ann, a large rocket launcher with a bayonet. This thing will blow everything to pieces, but it’s fire rate is pretty slow and the weight makes sure Lady won’t be bouncing around the battlefield too much. Keep in mind that Lady is only playable during Nero’s missions, but that’s more than enough time to wreak some havoc.
Trish returns as a playable character and wields the mighty Sword of Sparda. Unlike the other characters, Trish cannot switch from the Sparda, but it doesn’t slow her down at all. She boasts plenty of quick, devastating combos which are simple, yet also very satisfying to pull off. She does use other weapons in some of her combos, such as the Pandora. The key to Trish is stringing together her quick moves to rack up some devastating combos on hordes of enemies. She’s easy to pick up and play, but master players will turn her into a lethal force capable of decimating anything in their path. Trish is only playable during Dante’s missions and I’m sure the demons are thankful for that. Anything more, and they might have to be put on the endangered species list.
