Devil May Cry 5 update comes with new game mode, controversy

Jonah Schuhart, Contributing Writer

It has been over a month since Devil May Cry 5 released and displayed another example of how creative action games can be. Plenty has happened in the DMC community, including major updates, controversy and leaked information. So strap in for another dose of SSS action.

The Bloody Palace Update

Bloody Palace is a game mode with a comfortable spot in every DMC title since the first sequel. It was mysteriously absent in the fifth game, until the game mode dropped on us like Nightmare in a free update on April 1.

This game mode differs from the story and training modes in that it’s a gauntlet. The player chooses their preferred character and embarks on a 101-stage journey in which they must survive wave after wave of story-mode enemies and bosses. It’s a fantastic addition that extends the game’s replayability by presenting a new array of enemy combinations that always challenges the player’s skill in some capacity. Even if those beginning stages are weak, they get harder as the player advances so even skilled players will eventually have a tough time.

If stylishly fighting through 101 stages of tough enemies and every single boss in the game weren’t hard enough, players have to do so before the clock runs out. Otherwise, it’s an instant failure. Luckily, the clock gains time after every stage and awards more time based on better performance. It’s also a great way to get red orbs for upgrades. One or two attempts can earn the player hundreds of thousands of the precious currency to be used for Nico’s shop or Dante’s hat.

Controversy

Call it silly, but the DMC community has been in the throes of controversy for the past week or so. DMC is a very technical series, so when gameplay is changed between iterations, fans love to make a fuss over it. This particular riff-raff was over a technique that was called “reversals” in DMC4. It allowed players to input moves so that they would come out in the opposite direction of the enemy the player was targeting. It has very situational uses, but advanced players live and breath for niche techniques to expand their stylish repertoire. So, when reversals were removed they wanted to know why.

Series producer Matt Walker explained on a Capcom UK livestream that Capcom saw it as a bug that might interfere with players’ intended executions of moves, so the feature was removed. Plenty of fans didn’t buy this explanation, as it can be a difficult technique to perform accidentally. Some even see it as a method of “dumbing down” the game, as developers also removed similar techniques in 5, such as “royal guard flying,” which was a major part of DMC4’s advanced gameplay.

Leaks and Miscellaneous

Previous DMC games have not shied away from making rereleases and DLC that add new playable characters into the mix. In past games, these additions usually just added Dante’s brother, Vergil, to the game. This time around, we are seeing data-miners find hints at multiple possible playable characters as DLC for DMC5. The most anticipated is obviously Vergil, and because of his inclusion in past entries, fans see his inclusion in this one is seen as more of a given than anything else. He’s been added to the last three major DMC games, and modders have already jerry-rigged a way to make him playable since he is already in the game as a boss. On top of that, there might be a special “Ladies Night” DLC that adds three of the series’ major heroines: Lady, Trish and Lucia. This is exciting news since fans generally enjoyed Lady’s and Trish’s inclusion in DMC4 Special Edition, and see Lucia as one of the very few good things to come from DMC2. If any of these leaks are true, then it seems as though DMC5 has a bright future full of new content for fans to enjoy.