Devil May Cry 5
Okay, so you’ve had enough of the darn RPG stuff (even though FFXVI is very light on that front). FFXVI’s often exhilarating, can’t-put-it-down combat is the work of the game’s combat director, Ryota Suzuki. And while, yes, he did describe FFXVI’s combat as his “personal masterpiece,” I still think his work on Devil May Cry 5 is just a little bit better. It’s more blood-pumping and features a cast of three different characters with unique abilities that reward effort spent learning them—seriously, once I finally got the hang of DMC5’s V, that was a good time like little else out there.
Devil May Cry 5 doesn’t garner much praise for its story, and that’s largely a testament to how centered and good the combat is. But, honestly, if you’re familiar with the Devil May Cry universe, the narrative in DMC5 does some cool stuff. Watch a synopsis of the preceding games if you’re not familiar (or consider playing Devil May Cry 3 as a refresher—the first and fourth games are also decent, but avoid Devil May Cry 2 like the Crystal’s Curse).
Get yourself a good set of speakers, turn them all the way the hell up, and just zone out to a joyfully good time beating the absolute hell out of demons.
