Devil May Cry 5 hands-on preview: Dante's inferno

Back in the long, long ago during PAX West 2018 we got our first look at Nero and his super robot arms in action in the highly anticipated Devil May Cry 5. However, Nero isn’t the only one with a bag of new tricks up his literal sleeve. In DMC5 players will also get the opportunity to beat up demon spawn as the one and only Dante. I got some hands-on time with the white-haired hero on an Xbox One build of the game during TGS 2018 and there’s definitely a lot of variety to his playing style.

At first glance, one might think that not much has changed for Dante from a fighting combat perspective. He’s still got a big-ass sword and his dual pistols that he can combo his way through the game with, but his arsenal is actually much more diverse this time. Along with Dante’s dual pistols, Ebony and Ivory, I also got a chance to swap in a shotgun for more close-impact damage. As for melee combat, not only does Dante have access to his traditional sword, but he’ll also be able to swap in other weapons like a set of gauntlets for up-close hand-to-hand combat brawling. On the more esoteric side Dante can also bust out a motorcycle that starts out split into two pieces as Dante swings it around, then he can end the combo with him doing donuts on it as an air juggle move.

While I’m sure Dante will have even more of an arsenal up his proverbial sleeve once the final version hits the streets, the combat customization doesn’t end with weaponry. Along with all the bullets and blades available to maim the hordes of the damned Dante will have four separate fighting styles that he can switch between on the fly. Depending on the situation or a player’s personal style, they’ll be able to go for more of a gunslinger mode if they prefer to keep a distance between themselves and their opponents. Or, maybe they prefer to keep their guard up and time their strikes with precision.

While players will be able to play in whatever style with whichever weapons they choose, the real challenge will be in learning how to use them all in tandem for optimum efficiency. Devil May Cry has always been about insane combo building and the tools that Capcom is giving players in 5 look like they’ll take that feature beyond anything we’ve seen in previous iterations.

Devil May Cry 5 is set to launch on Xbox One, PS4, and PC on March 8, 2019.

Blake Morse

Events Coordinator

Blake has been writing and making videos about pop-culture and games for over 10 years now. Although he'd probably prefer you thought of him as a musician and listened to his band, www.cartoonviolencemusic.com. If you see him on the street, buy him a taco or something. Follow him on twitter @ProfRobot