Devil May Cry 5 Devil Hunter Edition Review

Some games age gracefully. Others become harder to recommend as time passes. Devil May Cry 5 belongs firmly in the first category. When Capcom brought the series back in 2019 after an eleven-year gap between numbered entries, there was a lot riding on it. Fans had waited years to see what would happen next in the story of Dante, Nero, and the rest of the cast.

More importantly, there was a question hanging over the franchise: could Devil May Cry still stand at the top of the action genre after so long away? The answer was a resounding yes. Now, Devil May Cry 5 Devil Hunter Edition packages everything together in one release.

Alongside the main campaign, you get the Vergil content, extra costumes, bonus music tracks, alternate voices, additional Devil Breakers, and various extras released over the years. There isn't any major new story content here, but what you're getting is the complete version of one of Capcom's strongest action games.

More importantly, the core experience hasn't lost any of its impact.

Years later, Devil May Cry 5 still feels like a benchmark for character-action games. The story kicks off in Red Grave City, where a giant demonic tree called the Qliphoth has burst out from under the streets and is wreaking havoc and destruction. There are three very different characters standing in its way: Nero, Dante and the new kid on the block, V.

One of the campaign’s greatest strengths is that it frequently switches between these three viewpoints, and this allows the story to slowly but surely reveal what is really happening behind the scenes from a variety of angles. Nero remains the emotional anchor of the narrative.

His journey feels personal from the opening moments, especially after losing the demonic arm that played such a major role in Devil May Cry 4. Dante, meanwhile, continues to steal scenes whenever he appears. He's older and rougher around the edges, but still manages to turn even the most ridiculous situations into entertaining moments.

Then there's V, who enters the story surrounded by questions. His role in the plot is one of the game's most interesting elements, and discovering how he fits into everything is part of what keeps the narrative moving forward. The story isn't subtle, and it doesn't try to be. Family drama, ancient rivalries, giant demons, impossible action sequences, and moments that are completely absurd all exist side by side.

Somehow it works. Devil Hunter Edition knows exactly what kind of world it's creating and fully commits to it. Newcomers can follow the main story thanks to the built-in series recap, but many of the biggest moments carry far more weight if you've played the previous games. Longtime fans will definitely get the most out of what happens here.

If the story gives you a reason to keep playing, the combat is what makes it difficult to stop. Most missions follow a straightforward structure. You move through environments, fight groups of enemies, discover occasional secrets, tackle platforming sections, and eventually face a boss.

The level design rarely gets complicated, which allows the game to focus on what it does best. Each playable character brings a completely different approach to combat. Nero is probably the easiest character to understand at first. He combines sword attacks, gunplay, and a collection of interchangeable Devil Breakers.

These mechanical arms aren't just gimmicks. Some increase mobility, some control crowds and some deal devastating damage.

Changing the combinations constantly alters the flow of combat. Dante sits at the opposite end of the spectrum. His toolkit is enormous. Multiple weapons, multiple combat styles, ranged options, aerial attacks, transformations, and advanced techniques all combine to create a character with an incredibly high skill ceiling.

You can spend an entire playthrough learning the basics and still feel like there's more to discover. V offers something completely different. Instead of fighting himself, he uses demonic familiars to do his fighting for him. Griffin is the ranged fighter, and Shadow is the melee.

Building enough energy eventually allows V to summon Nightmare, a towering monster capable of clearing entire battlefields. Some players never fully warmed to V's gameplay style, but it deserves credit for trying something different. It breaks up the pacing and gives the campaign a unique rhythm whenever his missions appear.

Vergil rounds out the package as an additional playable character. His campaign skips much of the story presentation and focuses almost entirely on combat. That's perfectly fine because Vergil's move set is built for players who simply want to dive into battles and chase stylish combos.

This is where Devil May Cry 5 separates itself from most action games. The goal isn't simply defeating enemies. The goal is defeating them with style. Every fight is built around variety. Repeating the same attacks over and over won't get you far if you're chasing high ranks.

The game constantly encourages you to mix up moves, launch enemies into the air, switch weapons, dodge at the last second, and chain together attacks in creative ways. At first, combat can feel chaotic. There are so many systems working at once that it's easy to fall back on button mashing.

The beauty of Devil May Cry 5 is that it gradually teaches you to play better without forcing you through endless tutorials.As your confidence grows, so does the satisfaction. A well-timed dodge turns into a counterattack. A counterattack turns into an aerial combo. That combo leads into a weapon switch, and suddenly you're pulling off moves that looked impossible a few hours earlier.

The controls are responsive enough that mistakes almost always feel like your own.

When a combo breaks, you know exactly why. When everything comes together, the game makes you feel unstoppable. Progression revolves around collecting Red Orbs. These are earned through combat, exploration, secret missions, and general play. New abilities, movement upgrades, combo extensions and character-specific skills can then be spent on Red Orbs.

The system strikes a nice balance. There are new skills often enough to keep things interesting without making progression a grind. Every upgrade makes a noticeable difference, encouraging you to revisit old techniques and build new combinations around them. Outside of the main campaign, Bloody Palace is one of the game’s biggest highlights.

This survival mode throws you through 101 floors of increasingly difficult encounters and is the ultimate test of everything you've learned. Replayability is another big strength. Multiple difficulty levels, hidden collectibles, secret missions, challenge rankings, and character-specific mastery give you plenty of reasons to come back long after the story ends.

Even years later, Devil May Cry 5 remains a great-looking game. Capcom's RE Engine continues to impress with detailed character models, strong lighting, expressive facial animations, and excellent visual effects during combat. The main cast looks fantastic, and the larger boss encounters still deliver plenty of spectacle.

The visual presentation shines brightest when the screen is packed with action. Swords clash, explosions erupt, demons transform, and special attacks light up entire arenas without becoming difficult to follow. Not every environment is equally memorable. Large portions of the Qliphoth can start to blend together visually, and some locations lack the personality found in earlier areas. '

Enemy designs are generally strong, though repetition becomes noticeable during longer play sessions. Even so, the overall presentation holds up remarkably well for a game originally released in 2019.

The soundtrack deserves a lot of credit for why combat feels so satisfying.

Instead of simply playing in the background, the music reacts to your performance. As your style rank climbs, tracks become more energetic and intense. It's a clever system that makes successful combat feel even better. Several themes remain instantly recognizable years later, and the soundtrack consistently matches the game's over-the-top personality.

Voice acting is more hit-and-miss. Dante remains a standout thanks to his charisma, while some other performances can feel exaggerated or uneven depending on your taste. Fortunately, the cast's enthusiasm helps sell even the most ridiculous moments.

Sound effects are excellent across the board. Every sword strike, gunshot, explosion, and demonic ability lands with enough impact to keep combat feeling powerful throughout the campaign.

Devil May Cry 5 Devil Hunter Edition doesn't reinvent the game. It doesn't need to. What you're getting is the complete version of one of the best action games Capcom has ever made. The combat remains incredibly satisfying, the characters are memorable, and the amount of content packed into the package gives you plenty of reasons to keep coming back.

A few rough edges still exist. Some environments become repetitive, certain enemy encounters can feel familiar by the end, and parts of the story work better if you're already invested in the series. None of those issues are significant enough to overshadow what Devil Hunter Edition does exceptionally well.

Few action games make improvement feel as rewarding as Devil May Cry 5. The better you get, the more fun it becomes. Every battle turns into an opportunity to experiment, show off, and discover something new. Years after release, it remains one of the strongest examples of the character-action genre and a reminder of why Devil May Cry continues to hold such a special place among action game fans.