Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition
Remastered version of Devil May Cry 4 with new characters.
Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition is a 2015 action-adventure game from Capcom, which both developed and published it. This remastered version of Capcom's 2008 title Devil May Cry 4 launched on PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. It adds new playable characters, fresh cutscenes, tighter gameplay, upgraded visuals, and extra costumes. In the Japanese release, players can also toggle between English and Japanese voice tracks.
Director Hideaki Itsuno conceived the project after working on the action role-playing game Dragon's Dogma (2012) and the reboot DmC: Devil May Cry (2013). Critics generally praised the Special Edition for its new content, additional characters, and overall improvements, but faulted it for not fixing the original game's issues and for repeating the same stages when playing as a new character.
The plot retains the original 2008 story: Nero, a teenager with demonic powers, is ordered by the Order of the Sword to capture a man named Dante. As the story unfolds, Nero discovers the dark intentions of the Order's followers, who want to use both Nero and Dante because they are descendants of the legendary dark knight Sparda. Nero and Dante eventually become allies. While the original game only features Nero and Dante as playable characters, the Special Edition adds Vergil, Lady, and Trish, each with new opening and ending movies.
The Special Edition also explains how the Order of the Sword was formed before the events of the third game. Vergil, Dante's older brother and the original owner of the Yamato, investigates traces left by their father, Sparda. He arrives on Fortuna Island, where the Order is under construction. After killing scarecrow demons in a slum, Vergil grows suspicious of the Order's true motives for worshipping Sparda. As he heads to the Order's church, he passes a group of pedestrians, and a woman in a scarlet dress notices him. After finishing his investigation, Vergil leaves Fortuna, wondering if the Order is misguided, but vows it will one day know the true power of Sparda's son.
Gameplay-wise, the movesets for Vergil, Trish, and Lady draw inspiration from DmC: Devil May Cry and other fighting games. First-print physical copies and pre-orders for downloadable versions include bonus costumes for Trish and Lady. The game also offers bonus costumes and EX-colors for Nero, Dante, Vergil, Lady, and Trish.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition
- Developer
- CapcomAdditional work done by Access Games
- Publisher
- Capcom
- Director
- Hideaki Itsuno
- Producer
- Takashi Fujii · Yoshiaki Hirabayashi
- Designer
- Junya Kumabe · Takuya Tanada · Yoshinosuke Nakagawa
- Programmer
- Shimoyama Sasuke · Kodama Yoichi
- Artist
- Atsushi Nishibori
- Writer
- Bingo Morihashi
- Composer
- Miwako Chinone · Akihiko Narita
- Series
- Devil May Cry
- Engine
- MT Framework
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition was conceived by director Hideaki Itsuno after working on Dragon's Dogma (2012) and DmC: Devil May Cry (2013). The development took a year and a half. Itsuno was inspired by fighting games to expand the moves of the characters. Vergil was added, and autosaves were introduced for accessibility. Lady was originally planned as an alternative skin but was made a full playable character due to fear of negative response. Some bosses on her campaign were redesigned. Capcom wanted Trish's gameplay to be unique.
The Special Edition includes the original plot from Devil May Cry 4, where Nero is ordered by the Order of the Sword to capture Dante. The Special Edition adds new opening and ending movies for Vergil, Lady, and Trish. It explains how the Order of the Sword was formed prior to the third game's events, with Vergil investigating the island of Fortuna and becoming suspicious of the Order's worship of Sparda.
Gameplay features movesets for Vergil, Lady, and Trish inspired by DmC: Devil May Cry and other fighting games. Vergil retains moves from Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition and adds a Concentration mechanic. Lady relies on firearms and a grappling mechanic. Trish uses electrokinetic spells and controls the Sword of Sparda. The game includes Legendary Dark Knight mode, a Turbo setting, and re-tuned in-game economy.
Reader's Guide
Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition received generally positive reviews, with praise for the addition of new content, new playable characters, and general improvements. It was criticized for not fixing problems of the original game and repeating stages when a new character is selected. The PS4 and Xbox One versions met favorable reviews on Metacritic, while the PC version got average reviews. The inclusion of Vergil, Lady, and Trish was positively received, with their individual fighting styles complemented. Vergil's inclusion was described as one of the title's greatest strengths due to his unique fighting style. Trish's inclusion also received a positive response. Some journalists lamented that backtracking issues were not fixed, and puzzles were criticized for interrupting combat. The game was seen as a more complete package than the 2008 original, with visuals and combat that had aged well. Itsuno noted that fans had been wanting to play as Vergil again due to his popularity for multiple combat combinations.
Did You Know?
- The limited edition of Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition was packaged in a pizza box.
- The game is the first in the series to include Japanese-language audio, exclusive to the Japanese release.
- Nero was voiced in Japanese by Kaito Ishikawa, who had no previous experience with the series before working on Special Edition.
- The game includes Legendary Dark Knight mode and a Turbo setting, previously exclusive to the PC version of the original release.
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