Entry 2
A few days ago I picked up and began playing the very irreverent hack & slash Devil May Cry 5. Devil May Cry follows the hellish story of main characters V, Nero, and Dante on their quest to destroy a blood leeching tree brought to a now dark and tainted earth by a powerful demon named Urizen. All the while there is discourse and homicidal tension between V and Dante. I am typically not one for hack and slash games, but I have always loved fluid combat with combo systems.
During my time playing Devil May Cry 5 it became increasingly apparent that the game as a whole is one big brainstorming session realized. There is a plethora of unrelated and nonsensical elements that contribute nothing to the plot or develop characters in any way, they simply exist because they’re cool. Examples being a sword that sounds like a motorcycle when charged, and an old RV owned by a redneck woman that magically busts through walls to appear wherever the player is and serve as the shop. Quite honestly, the “exists just because it looks cool” can be said for just about everything in this game. The focus is very much on fun, and visually stimulating combat, perpetuated by a vague and dull story.
When it comes to mechanics, there is no shortage of variety. Each character has their own unique play style and skill moves that can be unlocked in the shop with an in game currency (red orbs) found in abundance throughout the world. V can not attack and rather relies on 2 demons he controls to deal damage for him. His demon panther can shape-shift into a giant spinning blade or shoot spikes/blades out of his body to deal damage to enemies. His demon bird uses a wide array of electrical type damaging abilities, and can also briefly carry V in the air to help avoid damage. If the demons are killed, they have a roughly 30 second regeneration cool-down in which V is vulnerable to attack. Nero by default has a sword and pistol, in addition to 3 slots for prosthetic arm weapons. Different arms can be bought in the store, each with their own set of special moves ranging from a razor whip to pull enemies close, to an orb that encases you and your enemies in a time slowed bubble, allowing for more devastating combos to be chained with little resistance. Then there’s Dante. Dante is a very up close and personal fighter, relying on a shotgun, 2 pistols, and his own boxing skills to pummel enemies. He also has the ability to build up rage and activate his demon form, empowering his abilities.
The problem I’ve run into is that there are so many different skills with characters like V and Nero that it can often become very difficult to chain mid fight, as some skills will require precise joystick inputs to execute. Overall though, I was very impressed by the diversity and level of entertainment with each character’s play style.
After reading chapter 3 I was reminded of the name of my favorite type of gameplay, Unilateral Competition. Unilateral competition is the motivation for the hyper-realistic VR/AR games I hope to make in the future, and the dynamic I’m attempting to better understand and utilize in my own projects. The idea that players have the agency to choose whether they will launch all out attacks against each other, coordinate secretly with one another, form alliances, and just organically create very human drama is an incredibly attractive concept to me. I believe that enabling players to change the narrative of a game based on their actions in relation to other players will in turn give the player a heightened sense of investment. Pulling the game closer to reality and minimizing rules allows for players to create their own world for however brief where they have very real human interaction in a very much artificial environment. At the deepest level, I feel that there is no better way to keep replay-ability alive in a game than to introduce more human involvement. At the end of the day, games are all about engagement, and nothing keeps people more engaged than an artificially entertaining environment with very real interpersonal dynamics.