PixlBit

People will remember the caterpillar boss you have a swearing match with.

Dante's next outing hopes to impress you with fast paced gameplay, fluid mechanics and memorable bosses. If you look at the game itself and past the controversial design change of Dante, you'll find an action romp not unlike the last four in the series but with changing environments, cleaner graphics and top-notch presentation.

DmC: Devil May Cry serves as a prequel to the original series and Dante is much younger in this game. His complexion is softer, his quips are more juvenile and crude, but you can see how he becomes the Dante from the previous games. The story tells the tale of a man with no country, an outcast from society. Being the child of a demon and an angel, he has no place among humans or demons. However, a mysterious organization called The Order wants to recruit Dante to help them wipe demons from the human world. The backstory is promised to be a gripping narrative that explores Dante's personality and teaches him that although it may be hard to be the spawn of Sparta, it has its benefits.

Immediately noticeable in the game are Dante's Angel and Demon powers. These two abilities, as well as his human form, can be switched on the fly. Adding to this duality, his blade can be transformed from a standard blade to a scythe. Dante also has his dual pistols to aid him and a whip of some kind to help him pull up to ledges, swing over crevices and pull enemies in closer, comparable to Nero's Devil Bringer in Devil May Cry 4. Devil Trigger mode in this game casts a black overshadow on the environment, turn Dante's hair white, and increases Dante's strength and defense for several seconds.

From the look of various gameplay videos and demos, Dante moves and attacks more fluidly than ever. The use of the controller trigger buttons to enable new attack commands instantly diversifies the gameplay as well as keeping it seamless and easy at the same time. The combo system rewards you for mixing up your abilities and you'll get bonuses for doing certain combinations. Dante's movements look similar to that of the series in the past but the animations look less stunted. This all makes for an extremely cohesive package that seems like it would control well.

If the bosses in the game are anything similar to the "caterpillar" fight of the demo, then DmC aims to include not only great but memorable boss fights. This boss fight involves you slashing away at the enemy while swinging to different platforms as it pukes acid at your feet. Towards the end, after "defeating" him, the tables turn and you now have the upper hand as he swipes at you while attempting to not get sucked into a spinning fan. The highlight however is the banter between Dante and "Caterpillar" man. Prom quips, mom jokes and f-bombs galore. This sets the tone for the humor in the game, which is cheap, sure, but entertaining.

Of course, while you're doing all this, the carnage will all look pretty, as well as stylish. The game has a very clean aesthetic to it. Not to say that this game tames down the violence but characters and buildings have clean textures and many objects seem to have a soft light on them. It makes for a interesting art style that contrasts against the action onscreen and looks beautiful doing so. It may not please everyone but I don't mind it; the way its all presented to you is sublime. Developer Ninja Theory has done an incredible job providing brilliant cinematography to complement the graphic style as well as the fast paced combat. Also, since nothing is done with pre-rendered backgrounds, the levels will dynamically change and buildings will crumble and roads will crack as you go. Everything displays well without hitch and keeps you engaged.

Members of the team that developed the previous Devil May Cry games have been overlooking DmC: Devil May Cry to make sure it maintains its core and stays true to the series. Ninja Theory has managed to do just that, while improving on the original design. This new title is high-octane fun that the naysayers should give a chance when it is release early next year on January 15, 2013 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Keep it here on PixlBit for more in-depth previews and E3 coverage.