Juggling has never been cooler.
by Cam Shea, IGN AU
Australia, June 4, 2007 - We'll be honest with you. Devil May Cry 4 (DMC4) is not the bastion of progressive game design. It's not trying to reinvent the wheel, nor is it trying to compete with the likes of God of War. Nope, with the fourth instalment the series is going along its merry - and very Japanese - way, and honestly, that's okay with us. The series just has an infectious vitality that we find hard to resist, and DMC4 continues that tradition, with tight, juggle-intensive combat mechanics, gorgeous environments and a lead character with a sword that's bigger than he is.
Speaking of the lead character; gamers, meet Nero. Nero, gamers. Dante's taking a rest at the moment, but fear not because he'll be back and playable at some point in the final game. And by 'rest', we of course mean 'bungee jumping from a zeppelin while firing twin pistols at giant marauding demon bees'. Or something along those lines. For now though, it's all about newcomer Nero. And boy, talk about a radical design shift. These two guys are as different as night and, erm
later that night.
Despite the similar looks, there are a few core differences between the two. For starters, Nero doesn't wield twin pistols like Dante. Instead, he just has the one massive revolver - Blue Rose, while his other arm (you can't miss it - it's the glowing demonic one) wields - say it with me - the DEVIL BRINGER! Sorry, that's just such a cool name I can't help but capitalise it. Devil Bringer is essentially a ghostly arm that adds spice to combat and movement. Assigned to the circle button, Nero can use it to uppercut enemies, reach out and grab them from a distance, pick them up and swing them around, and even to grapple between designated points. It's a cool inclusion that mixes in well with the gunplay and swordplay to keep the combat fast-paced and interesting.
Indeed, the combat in this series has always been a glorious marriage of tight mechanics and stylish theatrics, and within moments of picking up the controller in DMC4 you'll be in the thick of it once again. One moment you're jumping, whipping an enemy up into the air, holding it there for several seconds as you unleash slashes and uppercuts before slamming it back down to the ground shouting "slam dunk" (not you you, that is, your character you), the next you're reeling an enemy in, then sending it flying before following up with a devastating dashing slash. Combat is as intuitive as you'd expect, with only the vagaries of the camera occasionally fighting against you, and experimentation is usually rewarded with something cool.
In fact, you'll probably come across the new Exceed system before the game tells you about it. You'll tap the L2 trigger to see if it does anything, and notice that Nero literally revs the handle of his sword - like a motorbike handle - as it's slung over his shoulder. Test it some more and you'll discover that by holding and releasing a few times you can build up a metre above the health bar which then saves up to three charges. By the time you've maxed it out your sword (which, incidentally, is known as the Red Queen) is glowing red. No prizes for guessing that your next attack will be an uber one. It's a bit of a strange inclusion, but brings some strategy if you want to use it - Nero moves slowly while you're revving so do you try and do it in the middle of combat? Or do you pre-charge it in anticipation of the next fight?
The majority of enemies we've gone up against so far are what we've termed "Stitchlings" (in honour of Clive Barker's Abarat series of books) - ugly creatures that look to have been cobbled together from mismatched pieces of material and other bits and bobs. They cackle and they lurch, but they also play fair and rarely attack in packs of more than a few at a time. These then, are the grunts, and while they come in a few different forms - some larger than others, some with a peg for one leg and a massive arced blade for the other, they don't present much of a problem. Thankfully, we also went up against some tougher foes. Namely, Frost Demons - resurrected from the first game and much more menacing this time around, these beasts attack in pairs, firing ice shards at Nero, defending using ice shields and dashing across the ground on a bed of ice rimmed with jagged shards. It's an ice thing. With some judicious evading (R1 to lock on, then X in different directions to dodge) however, even these abominations became merely red orb fuel for Nero.
Last but not least was the final boss in our code - Berial. Wow. The battle takes place in what appears to be a mining town, comprised of rows of identical lodgings. Berial is one hell of a beast - absolutely massive and cloaked in flames, he looks like a cross between a dragon and a Balrog, and carries a sword at least three times the size of Nero. Still, our Nero is nothing if not cocky, and the battle is an entertaining one. The beast makes mighty sweeps with his flaming sword and unleashes devastating area-of-effect attacks, but once you get into the rhythm of the fight you'll spend most of it in the air - grapple towards his head using Devil Bringer then attack and air jump to get clear of any attacks. It's even cooler when you reach critical points in the fight and are able to use Devil Bringer to pick the beast up and pound it into the ground. Oh, and at the end the entire town has been levelled. (Just as it should be). If this is an indication of the boss battles to come, colour us excited.
So, combat = awesome, just as you'd expect. But let's come back to the statement I made earlier about the game design not being progressive. What I meant was - and this is admittedly based on very limited play - DMC4's levels follow very rigid, linear paths. You move along a corridor, it opens out into a room or courtyard, you fight, you move on along another corridor or linear path. There's no real sense of exploration here - although we don't doubt that Nero's ability to wall-jump will come into play in the full game, as will 'puzzles'. Even the Grim Grip grapple mechanic, which whisks Nero between buildings, across gaps and up onto ledges, is essentially just another form of linear corridor; albeit a more stylish one. While combat will take this game a long way, after the brilliant level and puzzle designs in God of War 2 we can't help but see all the areas that Capcom could give the player true agility, rather than just the appearance of agility.
Still, we've only seen a small slice of the game, so who knows, and hey, at least it looks brilliant while doing it. Capcom's artists have gone to town in DMC4, delivering a range of stunningly pretty environments on top of some great combat animation for Nero (we're less sold on his 'running through treacle' run animation though). In the course of play we battled through a number of environments, each of which looked thoroughly lived in, whether it was the docks, with its rusted hulks bobbing in the water and dilapidated buildings with grimy opaque windows, or the majestic Opera House environment, with its detailed architecture littered with towers, archways and balustrades, and rich green roofs trimmed with gold. In fact, the use of colour to set the tone of each area was almost as impressive as the architecture.
One of the most jaw dropping scenes, however, came towards the end of our playtime. Nero was trudging through a snowstorm (which, funnily enough, made his running animation look much more appropriate), moving along a narrow mountain ledge. As we rounded a corner, the almost claustrophobic embrace of the snow simply fell away as the countless spires of a sprawling gothic castle pierced the night sky in the distance. The scene was set so perfectly - clouds swept along behind the fortress, and the moon hung low and massive in the sky just overhead. Gorgeous. So, nicely done, Capcom. (Although proper real-time lighting wouldn't go astray).
Another standout element in DMC4 is the soundtrack. In a word, brilliant. It sets the mood perfectly and fully utilises the surround channels if you have a home theatre rig. Best of all, it combines the expected adrenaline pumping Capcom-rock during battles with genuinely moody soundscapes at other times. Standing in the church for instance, an ethereal choir and pipe organ would rise up in the mix for a minute or two before fading, all the while with atmospheric effects sweeping in and out, seemingly reverberating throughout the space.
Devil May Cry 4 is really starting to come together, and despite its seemingly restrained ambitions in some areas, in others it's nothing short of first class. We can't wait to see more.
