Devil May Cry 4 Review Summary

Impressive graphics, deep combat, charismatic characters and cool cutscenes make it highly replayable despite excessive backtracking, reused levels and a weak, rushed story.

Impressive graphics still hold up: Players consistently praise the graphics as excellent for their release era and note they still look good years later. The colorful art style and optimization contribute to a visually polished experience.

Deep and dynamic combat system: Combat is described as great, intuitive, satisfying, and rewarding, with a depth that keeps players engaged. The mechanics work well and flow smoothly during encounters.

Charismatic characters and cool cutscenes: Cutscenes are frequently described as impressive, beautiful, and spectacular, with charismatic characters enhancing the experience. Nero in particular is seen as likable, memorable, and relatable.

High replayability and challenge modes: Reviewers highlight extensive replay value through multiple playthroughs, harder difficulties, and score challenges. New difficulty modes and Turbo Mode further extend longevity.

Excellent soundtrack and audio: The soundtrack is repeatedly called amazing and top-notch, with audio and music quality praised across multiple reviews. It remains a standout element of the experience.

Excessive backtracking and reused levels: The second half forces Dante to replay Nero's levels in reverse, which many players found repetitive and a clear sign of padding. This backtracking severely hurts pacing and makes the campaign feel artificially lengthened.

Weak and rushed story: Many reviewers found the narrative simplistic, predictable, and poorly connected to the rest of the series. The plot is often described as sappy and underdeveloped, with key content cut due to rushed development.

Keyboard and mouse controls poor: The game lacks proper mouse support, is nearly unplayable without a gamepad, and has control issues such as the interact button remaining when rebound. Combos are hard to perform on keyboard.

Camera issues: The camera is often problematic, especially during platforming sections, and can hinder gameplay. It has been called far from perfect and sometimes really bad.

Dante underutilized: Dante is playable very little, and the game focuses more on Nero, which disappointed many fans. His campaign is also less charismatic than in DMC3.

Dante's dynamic style switching: Dante can switch between four combat styles and all weapons on the fly, enabling complex combos and varied playstyles. This feature is frequently praised for its depth and flexibility.

Boss fights present: Boss fights are a key part of the game, requiring specific approaches and providing memorable challenges. They appear throughout the campaign.

Nero's Devil Bringer arm: Nero's demonic arm allows him to grapple enemies, pull them close, or push them away, adding a unique mechanic to combat. It is a defining ability for the character.

Two playable characters: There are two playable protagonists, Nero and Dante, with distinct movesets and design philosophies. This dual-character approach enhances replayability.

Multiple difficulty levels: The game offers seven difficulty levels, with two available at the start and others unlocked. This provides varied challenges for players.

Excellent performance on low-end PCs: Many reviewers highlight that the game runs smoothly even on very old or low-end hardware, often citing specific systems and high frame rates. This is the most frequent praise, spanning multiple clusters.

Runs well on very low-end hardware: Reviewers emphasize that the game can run on extremely low-end hardware, such as Intel integrated graphics or old laptops, with some hyperbolic comparisons. This reinforces the game's accessibility.

Original DMC4 outperforms Special Edition: Several reviewers state that the original version runs better than the Special Edition, especially on low-end PCs. This suggests the Special Edition may have performance regressions.

Smooth and fluid gameplay: The game is described as having hyper-fluid gameplay and running smoothly, contributing to a positive experience. This is likely tied to good performance.

Special Edition crashes on launch: Some users report that the Special Edition crashes on launch or no longer works on their current computer, indicating stability issues specific to that version.

Strongly recommended overall: Numerous reviewers openly and highly recommend this game. It is considered a must-play for series fans and newcomers alike.

Great for hack-and-slash fans: The game is highly recommended for fans of hack-and-slash and character action games. It is considered essential for action game enthusiasts and fans of stylish combat.

Controller highly recommended: Multiple reviewers strongly advise playing with a gamepad, particularly an Xbox 360 controller. A wired Xbox controller is suggested, though a gamepad is not strictly mandatory.

Worth the price: Reviewers consider the game worth buying at full price, and even better during Steam sales. It was the most successful purchase during a sale for one reviewer.

Best version for PC: Several reviewers recommend getting this version if you want to play the game on PC. It is considered the best DMC game on Steam currently and is highly recommended over other brawlers.

Community fair range: $5.00 - $20.00.

Game completion: 13.0h.

Story completion: 7.2h.

Combat is accessible and has depth, but the clearest progression cue is that it opens up substantially in the Dante missions; repetition and backtracking are the main drags. No explicit timing is given for that shift.

Friction: Repetitive boss fights and campaign; Backtracking that kills pacing; Campaign padding and weak story; Tediously slow move upgrades; No mouse support; Getting lost in rough level design.

Unlock drivers: Dante missions open up the combat; Automatic mode makes combat accessible to inexperienced players; Combat depth offsets the short, repetitive campaign.

Stylish-Action Newcomer: Plays on standard difficulty with a controller, leaning on Nero's accessible moveset while learning the basics and making casual mistakes. Motivation: To enter Devil May Cry's stylish action with an accessible character and a manageable first playthrough. Stance: buy.

High-Difficulty Combo Seeker: Replays on Dante Must Die, Bloody Palace, and other advanced modes, chases better scores, and experiments with Dante or Vergil's deeper combat options. Motivation: To master demanding combat through hard modes, stylish combo expression, and replay challenges. Stance: buy.

Version-Savvy PC Bargain Hunter: Plays on PC with attention to controller support, mod compatibility, and edition differences; waits for or seeks the Special Edition on sale. Motivation: To get the best-value, most functional PC version while avoiding DRM, mod restrictions, and port usability problems. Stance: sale.

Special Edition recommended over original: Multiple reviewers recommend the Special Edition over this original version due to added content and features. The Special Edition is a separate product with bonus content.

Better performance on lower-end hardware: Compared to the Special Edition, this version runs better on lower-end hardware and has lower system requirements. It also takes up less space.

Favorable comparison to DMC3 and DmC: Reviewers compare the game favorably to DMC3 in terms of combat refinement and consider it better than the DmC reboot. The classic Dante is seen as the real one.

Original version delisted from Steam: The original version has been delisted from Steam and is no longer purchasable. Reviewers criticize Capcom for removing older versions from sale.

Favorable comparison to DMC3 port: Reviewers compare this game favorably to the PC port of DMC3, which is described as a terrible port. This version is considered better optimized and more stable.