Devil May Cry 4 Progress Report

May 1, 2007

It's been six months since we received any details about Devil May Cry 4, Capcom's latest installment in the fast paced action franchise. We learned at TGS that a new character named Nero was taking the lead role of the title instead of Dante, and that his abilities will be somewhat different than the legendary Son of Sparda. However, the build that was shown then was still very early, and while it featured some slowdown and hints of large boss characters, we were teased without a lot of information about the upcoming title. Well, at their recent Gamer's Day, Capcom finally revealed the latest details about the game as well as a new playable demo of the title.

Hiroyuki Kobayashi, the producer of the title, was on hand to fill in more details about the upcoming game, which sounds like it will be much larger than any of the previous titles in the series. He started by introducing Nero once again, a young man from the town of Fortuna who belongs to a group of devil hunters known as the Order of the Sword. Nero is a unique member of the organization thanks to his weaponry and abilities. Instead of packing twin pistols like Dante, Nero's sidearm is a double barreled pistol known as the Blue Rose, which packs a serious punch. His sword is just as dangerous. Known as the Red Queen, it's a massive blade with a motorcycle handle in the hilt which Nero can rev up to inflict even more damage on his target.

After informing us about these subtle differences between the two well known characters of the series, Kobayashi then showed off some of the lush visuals of the demo, while providing commentary on what we were observing. The demo started off at the Opera House Plaza, the impressively detailed open air area with the massive fountain that players have seen in previously released trailers. This section, as well as other sweeping camera angles in later sections, served to highlight the incredible detail and scale of the title, and it was apparent that everything that was being shown was a location that you would be able to fight your way through. In fact, shortly after stepping into the courtyard, a group of enemies teleported in, and the battle began.

Like previous DMC titles, Nero's battle prowess at chaining combos together was judged around the number and variety of moves that were used to dispatch his enemies. The higher the combo that you pulled off, the larger the number of red orbs that were released when an opponent was killed. However, Nero had another way to vary his attacks instead of simply slashing with the Red Queen or blasting away with the Blue Rose. Nero could use his right arm, known as the Devil Bringer, to project an energy encased phantom limb that would throw demons around in a move known as Snatch. Nero could also use the Devil Bringer to juggle these enemies by performing an uppercut followed by a pistol or sword attack, or leaping strike, further weakening them and chaining significant blows together.

The Devil Bringer wasn't simply for offensive purposes, however. With the acquisition of a magical skull item known as the Evil Legacy, Nero could perform a move known as Hellbound, which allowed him to grab items through bars and other barriers that he couldn't otherwise reach. It also allowed him to perform something known as the Grim Grip, which he could use to rappel from one highlighted portal area to another or propel him across a landscape. While there are certain areas where you'll be forced to use these portals to proceed, there are numerous sections within DMC4 that will feature multiple pathways, so players should have some flexibility in deciding whether they want to charge headfirst into some battles, or take a stealthier way around and ambush your enemies. In some instances, performing the latter during the Opera House was an easy way to quickly move through the patchwork marionette like monsters that wielded large blades and spiked legs. While they attacked Nero with large numbers, they didn't seem to exhibit a lot of intelligence, making them easy targets for nimble maneuvers.

The demo didn't solely contain the Opera House stage. After dropping a drawbridge and fighting our way through various areas, we were quickly taken to the snowy mountainside outside of Fortuna's castle gates. This landscape was immediately noticeable as the location from two years ago at E3. However, this was a much more interactive area than it was in the teaser trailers. As Nero ran through the snowstorm towards the castle's bridge, a cutscene took over that showed a massive tower that crashed right behind him, taking out the bridge and plunging him to the ground below. Unfortunately, Nero was not alone, and the Frost Demons from the original DMC appeared to try to ice our hero's advances.

Much faster, much larger and more agile than the original beasts, the frosts performed a number of striking attacks, including massive ice shields to deflect incoming attacks and dashes that quickly propelled them across the stage in razor sharp shards of ice. Kobayashi took the opportunity during the demonstration to point out the augmented speed of the demons, as well as a battle tactic that would be key within the game: depending on the monster, Nero's Devil Bringer could be used to perform various actions. In the case of the Frost Demons, Nero could pick them up and spin them around before hurling them into their fellow monsters. With that information, the Frosts were quickly dispatched and the demo continued.

The last section of the demo picked up the scene from last year's TGS in a place called Ferrum Hills, which resembled a Wild West frontier town. This was where a massive stone monument was melted from the heat of a gigantic Balrog-like demon in the last footage shown of the game. However, instead of popping up a "Coming Soon" teaser, we witnessed a showdown with the monster whose name, we learned during the cutscene, was Berial. This beast was at least three times taller than Nero, and his massive glowing ember sword shattered the buildings of the town, leaving fires in its wake as his steps shook the earth. While he seemed impossible to take down, continual sword slashes and shots from the Blue Rose weakened Berial enough to where he could be grabbed by the Devil Bringer and pile driven into the earth a couple of times.

Following the incredible demo, which lasted about 25 minutes, Kobayashi revealed another secret: Dante would indeed be playable within Devil May Cry 4, and he would have his standard weapons available to him. He'd also have access to some of the styles that he had available to him in DMC 3, and we were shown how the Sword Master and Gunslinger styles translated over to the PS3. Apparently, switching between styles will be as easy as pressing a button, and while Kobayashi didn't mention how many styles would be available to Dante, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume that the ones from the previous title would most likely carry over to DMC 4. Kobayashi also alluded to an aspect of the story, in that Dante appears to be an enemy of Nero's at first, but there's a specific story as to why he takes those actions. Of course, he didn't elaborate on that point, leaving the mystery for us to ponder, but he did allow us to check out the demo that he'd just shown.

Nero was extremely easy to control: if you were even slightly familiar with the moves from previous DMC titles, you could easily pull off big combos that would kill most enemies in a matter of seconds. It was also easier to get behind the idea of playing this character: Nero appears to be a much more sarcastic hero than Dante, with numerous quips readily on the tip of his tongue for any situation, including various battle taunts. There was a downside to playing the demo: after smashing our way through various creatures and making them beg for mercy, it made us want to play more. Unfortunately, there still isn't a set release date for DMC 4, so we'll just have to let that little taste of the game tide us over until our next opportunity to pick up the Red Queen and the Blue Rose. We'll have more on Devil May Cry 4 as soon as it becomes available.