Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition is technically a new release at the launch of the new consoles. Yet, Devil May Cry 5 is now a year old and every fan’s either played it and beat it a few times over. With actual software on new consoles still slim pickings just in time for launch, it’s a good time for the super fans and those who haven’t tried the game to take a look at what’s new.

With four mainline games and a reboot, the title is no slouch in creating that fast paced action game that’s a bit of a break from the dark and brooding mainline titles of this year. Capcom has pulled out all the stops to give the game a second look, featuring fan favorite Vergil, the Legendary Knight Edition, and of course ray tracing to keep up with the times. From what I could gather from playing the game, it looks damn sweet, enough to make you want to play it all over again.

All About The Visuals

Ray tracing was the very first thing to be shown as one of the main selling points of the game, but if you’re a sucker for 4K visuals, you have to switch the ray tracing off. The PS5 is built to handle the various modes that the special edition has, and there are a number of choices. It always boils down to visuals versus performance, but for a fast paced game such as this, hitting frames north of 60fps is the best way to go.

Our personal choice? 4K 60fps with raytracing off. The fast and frantic action that defines a Devil May Cry game is here and is front and center, and with all the hacking and slashing going on, I’m pretty sure that you’ll have absolutely no time to feast your eyes on reflections.

Here are the modes that you can play around with in the Special Edition:

• 4K 30fps with Raytracing on
• 1080p 60fps with Raytracing on
• 4K 60fps with Raytracing off
• Up to 120fps, Raytracing off

Note that the ray tracing is switched off for Legendary Dark Knight and Turbo mode. So you could play Vergil Mode and the regular mode in the full power of the PS5. However, there are subtle differences between performance and graphics mode in ray tracing that the untrained eye won’t be able to notice much. However, compared to the PS4, it is definitely a graphical advantage.

Apart from all the talk of resolution and frames, one more thing that the special edition has going for it because of the new hardware is the loading times, which are almost non-existent in the game. On the PS4, you’ll have time in between levels to grab a beer and eat some chips, but you’ll be wanting to find that time again in the special edition, because you’ll be in and out of levels in the blink of an eye.

Vergil Mode

Having intermittently played played the game throughout its PS2 and early PS3 releases, I’ve caught on with bits of the lore and gameplay of Devil May Cry throughout the years. A fan favorite title would be Devil May Cry 3 when Vergil finally made a playable appearance and his cool look and demeanor easily made him into a fan favorite.

If you’re used to Dante and Nero’s style of playing, one thing that confused me off the bat was Vergil’s Mirage Edge, where I expected an animation of gunplay. However, it’s different with Vergil visually, but the concept is the same. Set up for an air combo and then chip away with the quick attack and build your combo with all the creeps that you meet.

Vergil has three versions of his main attack: his main blade Yamato, Beowulf – his fists, and the Mirage Blade. Each one has a variation of attacks, with Yamato being the fastest compared to the Mirage Blade being a little slow but makes up for in power. I prefer the Yamato for myself as I tend to go with speed over precision.

Once you build up your devil trigger at level 3, you can unleash your Doppelganger to increase your combo damage. You also have a Sin Devil Trigger gauge that you can charge down to transfer power from the Devil Trigger gauge. While on, you get heightened damage, speed, and enhanced techniques. He can also summon V who deals a bit more damage to the average boss.

Vergil, despite being the calm and calculated one, doesn’t shy away from the cool factor and the style points they’ve put into the level design and it extends to his brother. Instead of the cocky, hot blooded style that Dante and Nero embodies, Vergil is definitely the polar opposite.

Story-wise, it follows the same trajectory as Dante/Nero/V mode and for newcomers, it would be recommended to play the original story mode to understand what’s going on. They are quite short in length, about five to ten minutes apiece and it’ll be cool to return to Vergil’s once in a while.

It’s a pretty good treat for fans of Vergil to be able to play this mode and is quite possibly the biggest selling point of the game besides getting to play in a heightened graphical state.

Legendary Dark Knight and Turbo Mode

Legendary Dark Knight mode is what was advertised – a special difficulty level for the most skilled of players – and it wasn’t overselling at all. When I restarted the Prologue mode for Vergil, I was greeted by a swarm of Empusa on the first fight of the prologue. Every damage taken is about a quarter of your life bar, and that’s from the Empusa alone. The much bigger and badder bugs deal about at least 30-35% for their standard attacks.

After about a few minutes of skirmish, the next batch was a much larger swarm and it didn’t get at all even when I activated the Sin Devil Trigger. Plus much more advanced enemies from later levels made an appearance and I must say this must be a joy for those who are looking for a challenge. Because it killed me a few times over. The good news is the amount of red orbs received is quadrupled, so the higher the risk, the much greater the reward. It isn’t something I’d recommend to first-timers for obvious reasons, but could be something for the hardest of hardcore fans.

Turbo mode can be taken at face value. Combos and enemy speed has been heightened, enabled quicker combos and quicker charge up of the Devil Trigger. This mode was exclusive for the PAL version of the game, so it’s another mode that’s up for grabs for NTSC Devil May Cry fans. Just for science, I switched both modes on simultaneously to see how fast I could die.

What We Liked:

• Ray tracing and high frame rate mode brings the Devil May Cry coolness to life.
• Loads of fun to be had combining Legendary Dark Knight and Turbo Mode.
• Photo Mode with on highest graphics settings.

What We Didn’t Like:

• Previous Devil May Cry 5 owners to rebuy it for the PS5.
• Vergil will come out on the PS4 version as well, reducing the reasons for picking up this game.

Verdict: Wait For It

It is obviously a draw for Devil May Cry 5 fans who would want the game for the PS5 as the features that are present for it are catered for the enthusiast who wants more out of their package. It is priced fairly at $39.99 USD, compared to the base version of the game that retail at $29.99 USD and $34.99 USD for the deluxe version.

The regular Devil May Cry 5 will not have a PS5 upgrade at the very least, so this is your chance for a bit of hardware upgrade and a chance to play as Vergil, have graphical upgrades, and also a shot at the extra modes missing from the original content. If you haven’t picked up the game yet and have acquired a PS5, it’s definitely something to look into, if only to play the game at a steady 60fps.

The irony of the matter is that Vergil will be released on previous gen consoles anyway on December 15, so if you already own a PS4 and Xbox One, you’ll get a chance to play as him if you don’t mind the loading times. Otherwise, wait for a sale as the regular Devil May Cry 5 for the PS4 is currently on special at $19.99 USD and the deluxe edition at $24.99 USD.

*Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition was reviewed on a PS5 via a review code provided by the publishers.