Devil May Cry 4 arrived in 2008 as the fourth entry in Capcom’s action series and the first to launch on multiple consoles at once. It was directed by Hideaki Itsuno and written by Bingo Morihashi, and it put a new lead in front of players while keeping the old one close. The result sold over three million units worldwide, making it the series’ best-selling title before its sequel arrived.
Trailer, via GAME.
Nero and the Devil Bringer
The biggest change is Nero, a young demon hunter on the isolated island of Fortuna. He belongs to the Order of the Sword, a religious sect of knights who worship the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda as a god. Nero fights with demonic powers and a unique mechanic, his “Devil Bringer” arm, which lets him unleash incredible attacks and non-stop combos.
The story kicks off when Dante arrives and murders the Order’s leader, the High Priest Sanctus, in front of the congregation. A demon army invades the city at the same time, putting Nero’s love interest Kyrie in danger. Kyrie’s brother Credo, Captain of the Holy Knights, tasks Nero with stopping Dante.
Dante, Credo and the Yamato
The player takes control of both Nero and Dante across the campaign. That split is the game’s sharpest structural idea and its biggest problem. Nero’s journey leads him to discover he is a descendant of Sparda, and that Dante is not his enemy. Under Sanctus’ orders, Agnus has been siphoning the power of the lost Devil Arm Yamato, the sword of Dante’s brother Vergil, to build a demonic army.
The shattering Yamato restores itself in Nero’s presence and flies to his aid. Sanctus returns, captures Nero to power the Savior’s core, and Dante arrives with Trish to keep a promise to the dying Credo.
The Style System, Graded
Combat is the point. Stylish play means unbroken combos of varied attacks while avoiding damage, which usually means memorizing enemy attack patterns. Missions are graded from “D” to “A,” then “S,” “SS,” and “SSS.” Each grade carries a tag-word:
- “Deadly” (D)
- “Carnage” (C)
- “Brutal” (B)
- “Atomic” (A)
- “Smokin'” (S)
- “Smokin’ Style” (SS)
- “Smokin’ Sick Style” (SSS)
Taunting without being hit rewards a slight increase in Style Points and Devil Trigger energy. The Devil Trigger is a temporary powered-up state that changes attack animations, raises damage and adds steady health regeneration.
Proud Souls and Red Orbs
Devil May Cry 4 splits its currency. Proud Souls buy new abilities, while Red Orbs buy consumable items and some upgrades. It is a small change to the shop system, and it works. The Devil Trigger gauge fills, the button press lands, and the fight keeps moving.
Where the Camera Fails
Reception in 2008 was positive, and the praise landed where it should: challenging difficulty, strong visuals, and Nero as a new protagonist. The criticism landed too. Dante’s stages lean on backtracking, and the camera causes trouble at the worst moments.
The Score
Devil May Cry 4 is a confident handoff that never fully commits to its new lead. Nero’s Devil Bringer and the style grading are the best things here, and the simultaneous multi-console release gave the series its widest reach yet. The backtracking is real, but the combat is what carries it.
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