Devil May Cry 5: Hunter’s Edition Review (Switch 2)

Gameplay

Graphics

Audio

Narrative

Summary: A spectacular Switch 2 port of one of the best action games ever made.

4.1

Gouge Away

Devil May Cry 5: Hunters Edition is another rock-solid Switch 2 port of arguably the best game in the venerated action series.

If you don’t fancy replaying the previous entries in the venerable hack-and-slash saga, or are starting to confuse the timeline with the Netflix series, or DmC, there is a handy story-so-far video that will leave you just as confused as before you watched it. Though it is nice to know that the makers of Devil May Cry 5 hold DMC 2 in as high regard as the fans. It’s a thing that may have happened, and we don’t want to talk about.

The basic gist of the story, though, is the same as every other Devil May Cry: there is a big nasty demon set on taking over the earth, it’s up to Dante and co. to put a stop to their plans, and Vergil turns up at some point.

This time, Dante, Nero, and the mysterious V team up to stop Urizen. The new big, nasty king of the demons, who has decided to invade an odd facsimile of London, as is tradition in Capcom titles, is only referred to as somewhere in Europe. That place is the one with the red telephone boxes that looks distinctly like London. As with every entry in the series, it’s an over-the-top rollercoaster packed full of high-octane set pieces, plenty of melodrama, and some absolutely superb boss fights.

If you’re even vaguely familiar with the series, you’ll know exactly what to expect: hack, slash and blast your way through dozens of demons, with points awarded for how stylishly you dispatch the horde of nasties, with extra points earned for changing up attacks and avoiding damage – the more points at the end of the skirmish, the higher your overall rank.

Each protagonist has their own way of dispatching demons, and their own kickass battle music while they’re doing it. Nero’s basic move set is similar to Dante’s but heavier, using a combination of sword and revolver attacks. Where Nero differs, though, is in this ability to equip a bevy of powerful but incredibly fragile prosthetic arms called Devil Breakers.

Each Devil Breaker has a different ability, from attacking foes with powerful blasts of electricity, launching Nero barrelling into enemies, firing volleys of homing missiles, slowing down time, and many others besides. Though my favourite is probably the Mega Buster, which looks and acts precisely like a Mega Man fan would hope. Rawhide is a close second; it sends out a volley of bullwhips, and I’m a sucker for a clever reference.

You can carry several Devil Breakers, useful considering they’ll break if you use a charged shot or if Nero gets hit while using it. Interestingly, though, you can’t choose which Breaker is equipped at any time. This encourages players to adapt to each battle with what is literally at hand and experiment with how they approach each fight. Luckily, there are plenty of Devil Breakers littering each level so you’ll never find yourself empty-handed.

Next up is V, who has a very different fighting style from either Dante or Nero, summoning Demons to do the fighting for him before teleporting into the heart of the action to finish them off with a swift stab with his cane.

V has three demonic pets to control from afar: Griffon, a bird that uses a combination of rapid ranged attacks and rains lightning down on enemies. Shadow, a panther-like beast that morphs its body into spikes and blades to lay into foes with powerful melee strikes. Finally, there’s Nightmare, who can be summoned once V’s Devil Trigger meter is full, a hulking great golem that fights completely independently and decimates demons with a combination of explosive laser attacks and huge pounding fists.

The only issue is that you don’t get to use him all that often. V simply doesn’t have that many levels compared to Dante and Nero. He does act as a nice palate cleanser, changing up the gameplay in a fun and unique way since he feels so different from Dante and Nero, who have a similar feel during fights, even if their styles differ a little.

Finally, there’s Dante, whose style is basically throwing everything, including a motorbike at enemies and seeing what hits.

Playing similarly to how he did in Devil May Cry 3 and 4, Dante has four styles that you can switch up on the fly that favour movement, defence, swordfighting and gunslinging. Each of these styles gives Dante a different action that changes up how he handles. Knowing when to use each is vital for successfully mastering Dante’s style of play, and flowing from one to the other, while tearing your foes to pieces is incredibly satisfying.

Dante also comes with an expanding armoury of guns and melee weapons, including the Demon Sword Sparda and his trusty handguns Ebony and Ivory. These can be changed out for other weapons with the push of a button, giving you the ability to juggle one monster with your handguns before keeping another back with a blast of your shotgun before rushing in and slicing up the first beastie before they hit the floor.

Like previous entries, attacking enemies fills up Dante’s Devil Trigger meter, which, once full, lets Dante turn into his demonic form that boosts his attacks and regenerates his health for a short period of time, and is a great way to turn the tables when you’re low on health and the mob is drawing in.

Though you might think Hunters Edition is a port of Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition that came out on PS5 and Xbox Series consoles a few years ago, it’s actually closer to the PC version since it is missing turbo mode, ray tracing options, and Legendary Knight Mode, which dramatically increases the number of enemies on the screen at one time. I assume this is missing because the Switch 2 simply can’t handle that many monsters on screen while maintaining anything close to a stable frame rate, and not the very smooth 60fps it usually runs at.

It also still looks absolutely lush. Even without the optional graphical bells and whistles of the Special Edition, it’s still a great-looking game and runs flawlessly on the Switch 2 regardless of whether you’re in Docked or Handheld mode.

Like the PC version, it does include the ability to play as Vergil, though, and thankfully he’s not DLC (possibly to make up for the lack of Legendary Knight Mode). He’s as devastatingly powerful as he ever was, and much like every other game he’s featured in, you’re better off waiting ’til you’ve finished the main story before you crack through it again with him.

Final Thoughts

Devil May Cry 5: Hunter’s Edition is another superb Switch 2 port from Capcom.

It might not quite be the definitive version of DMC5 since it lacks some of the bells and whistles of the Special Edition, including Legendary Knight mode, which is a shame, but understandable considering the Switch 2’s hardware constraints, and a decent trade-off for being able to play it on your lap. Even if it’s not quite up there with the PS5/Series X version, it still looks phenomenal on Nintendo’s latest handheld and runs at a silky smooth 60fps, which is just what you want from its high-octane hack-and-slash gameplay.

Regardless of the hardware, though, Devil May Cry 5 remains an absolute blast and one of the finest action games on any platform, and a must-have for any Switch 2 collection. (Or PlayStation, Xbox, or PC for that matter).

About the Author

Gareth Newnham

Devil May Cry 5: Hunter’s Edition Review (Switch 2)