Devil May Cry 5 (for Xbox One) Preview

The Devil May Cry series is one of the most iconic franchises in the action genre.

The freeform action encourages improvisation, and the ranking system pushes players to learn how to evade enemies, while creatively maintaining their combos.

The $59.99 Devil May Cry 5, the upcoming series entry, streamlines beloved elements from previous games and adds new mechanics to master.

We played Devil May Cry 5 on Xbox One, but Capcom is also releasing it as a PC game.

It's looking really good.

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Capcom has been carefully trickling out information about DMC5's protagonists and their abilities.

Nero has had most of the spotlight so far; the young demon hunter makes a bombastic return after his introduction in Devil May Cry 4 ($22.49 at Green Man Gaming US) and has plenty of new tricks up his sleeve this time around.

Series veteran Dante has gotten some attention lately, with new videos and event showcases revealing how his abilities work and the new weapons he'll wield.

Capcom has deliberately sidestepped showing any gameplay mechanics from the mysterious new playable character, a person simply known as V, but that is likely to change in the months before the game's release in early 2019.

A Friendly Face

Nero is the center of attention in most Devil May Cry demos so far, and for good reason.

He is an all-around balanced character that marries many of Dante's classic abilities into one easy-to-use package.

Nero has great melee potential, with plenty of moves that can easily control a crowd of rowdy demons.

His aerial game is not shabby, either; he possesses solid air-based combos and special moves.

Nero's defense is limited to a dodge, but DMC5's streamlined and intuitive dodging system makes evading feel far more exciting and enjoyable.

As in previous games, DMC5 lets you press jump while tapping left or right on the movement stick to roll under attacks.

In DMC5, however, the evasive animation changes depending on whether you're shooting or melee attacking.

As a result, Nero stylishly sidesteps under attacks if he is mid-combo.

Of course, Nero retains his sword-revving mechanic from Devil May Cry 4.

In DMC4, Nero's sword, Red Queen, featured a ridiculous fire-spewing engine that enhanced all of his attacks.

Pulling the trigger button in sync with your sword swings radically boosted Nero's attack, and even changed his animations and special moves.

This system makes its return in DMC5, giving you access to all of Nero's crazy attacks from the previous game.

The revving timing feels a bit more lenient when compared to DMC4, but the mechanic still feels tight and responsive.

I am excited to see it return.

Nero's revolver, Blue Rose, also returns, with a few streamlined features.

You can fire the gun to stay on the offensive at range or charge your shots to deal significantly more damage.

DMC5's charged shots are easier and faster to power than in DMC4.

When the gun's charged, you'll see three cartridges light up under Nero's health meter.

The next three shots Nero takes will be charged, so you don't need to hold the button down for an uncomfortable amount of time as you did in DMC4.

I quite like this new system, as the older function was overly cumbersome, to the point where I remapped the control completely.

Busting (Demons) Makes Me Feel Good

Nero's most unique ability is his versatile grapple and counter moves, which carry over from the previous game.

In DMC4, Nero carried a demonic arm that he used to throw enemies or snatch them towards him from long range.

Those techniques made him an extremely easy-to-use character in that game, as his snatching hand could be used to pull apart enemy mobs or take demons in the air with him for extended aerial combos.

The grapple, on the other hand, dealt extremely high damage, and in many cases, could be used against attacking enemies and bosses as a makeshift guard or counter.

In DMC5, however, this grapple function is expanded to eight entirely different abilities, each of which is extremely useful in combat.

Nero loses his demon arm early in the game, but replaces it with a potent and highly volatile robotic arm called the Devil Breaker.

Nico, Nero's business partner, builds eight unique arms for him to use against demonkind.

Of course, Nero's beloved grapple ability makes its return as the Buster arm, which works similarly to how it did in DMC4.

Gerbera, on the other hand, fires a shockwave that sends Nero flying in whatever direction you choose.

This shock also carries any nearby demons with Nero, so it is just as effective as a launcher, as it is an evasive tool.

Overture unleashes a massive electrical explosion directly in front of Nero that is great for dealing damage.

Punchline is a rocket-fist that Nero can shoot to juggle enemies into the air.

Once this arm is fired, Nero can jump on it and surf through the air, giving him access to sick aerial tricks and attacks.

Nero cannot easily swap between arms, which is a notable deviation from previous Devil May Cry games.

Nero finds arms strewn throughout levels, and can equip up to four of them at any given time.

These are loaded, magazine-style, in the order he collects them.

In order to switch to the next arm, Nero must first break his current one by deliberately destroying it in an offensive explosion called Breakage, taking damage, or using the arm's special ability.

Every Devil Breaker has a special attack that can be used by holding the Breaker button instead of charging it.

For example, when using Overture, Nero jams the arm into an enemy and kicks the foe away.

The embedded arm explodes after a certain amount of time or when it makes contact with the targeted demon.

With Gerbera, Nero concentrates the arm's energy into an intense energy beam that immolates any demon caught in the blast.

These changes to Nero's arm are by far the most significant new gameplay additions, and while I was apprehensive to learn that Nero couldn't swap between Devil Breakers on the fly, I adjusted to the system after some hands-on time with the game.

There is a distinctly arcade-like feel to acquiring arms throughout a level, much like discovering power-ups in old-school beat-'em-up games, which is a nice nostalgia trip.

I also appreciate the strategy this system requires, as it forces you to commit to a Breaker or destroy it and move on to another.

It is a wholly unique way to play Devil May Cry, as consumable weapons have never been a gameplay convention in the series to date.

The system adds a level of customizability and improvisation that I am eager to experience in the completed game.

Demon Hunt on the Horizon

Devil May Cry 5 is shaping up to be an outstanding action game.

Scheduled for a March 2019 release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, it is poised to deliver an overdose of hard combat and sexy, stylish action.

On top of that, DMC5 will also deliver the next highly anticipated chapter of the series' narrative.

With three playable characters, all new gameplay mechanics, and the prospect of online cooperative multiplayer, there is a lot to look forward to when the game finally drops.