Devil May Cry 4 - hands-on

Of course, the regular enemies are fine enough to slice and dice - and though Itsuno promises "The artificial intelligence for the enemies and the way they respond to you... we really focused on and tried hard to get right as far as this game," we didn't really find any evidence of that in the version we played (which is, we'll warn you, months away from being finished.) However, right now, we don't care - because, like us, when you start the game and begin to get the hang of the Devil Bringer, you won't be worried about how clever your foes are.

The boss battles are particularly intense. As you can see in our latestexclusive video,the battle isintense and rewarding. Using the Devil Bringer, you can hoistenemies above your head and throw them crashing to the ground; manyopponentsare so agile that just keeping up with them makes the game fun.

Of course, the regular enemies are fine enough to slice and dice - and though Itsuno promises "The artificial intelligence for the enemies and the way they respond to you... we really focused on and tried hard to get right as far as this game," we didn't really find any evidence of that in the version we played (which is, we'll warn you, months away from being finished.) However, right now, we don't care - because, like us, when you start the game and begin to get the hang of the Devil Bringer, you won't be worried about how clever your foes are.

The boss battles are particularly intense. As you can see in our latestexclusive video,the battle isintense and rewarding. Using the Devil Bringer, you can hoistenemies above your head and throw them crashing to the ground; manyopponentsare so agile that just keeping up with them makes the game fun.

Even more enjoyable is the battle against Berial (sic), a massive demonic centaur-beast with a huge sword, protected by gouts of lava. After some petty insults, he launches an all-out attack on Nero, and plowing through his defenses was most enjoyable. The Devil Bringer is so powerful that you can actually use it to grab and toss an enemy that's taller than the buildings he's rampaging through, and we have to respect that kind of power. This boss battle was challenging - so challenging it took us a few tries. So challenging, in fact, that Itsuno and the game's producer, Hiroyuki Kobayashi polled the journalists around the dinner table later that night as to exactly how many tries it had taken each of us to take defeat Berial, and our thoughts on the challenge. As we intimated at the time, it's the kind of boss fight where defeat only drives you to try again, determined to win.

Even more enjoyable is the battle against Berial (sic), a massive demonic centaur-beast with a huge sword, protected by gouts of lava. After some petty insults, he launches an all-out attack on Nero, and plowing through his defenses was most enjoyable. The Devil Bringer is so powerful that you can actually use it to grab and toss an enemy that's taller than the buildings he's rampaging through, and we have to respect that kind of power. This boss battle was challenging - so challenging it took us a few tries. So challenging, in fact, that Itsuno and the game's producer, Hiroyuki Kobayashi polled the journalists around the dinner table later that night as to exactly how many tries it had taken each of us to take defeat Berial, and our thoughts on the challenge. As we intimated at the time, it's the kind of boss fight where defeat only drives you to try again, determined to win.

Latest in Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry HD Collection
After 30 years of work on Capcom's Devil May Cry and Dragon's Dogma games, director Hideaki Itsuno has already started his "new project"
Devil May Cry HD Collection
Devil May Cry and Dragon's Dogma director Hideaki Itsuno is leaving Capcom after 30 years to make a "new game in a new environment"
Devil May Cry HD Collection
This Devil May Cry 5 43-inch statue of Dante costs $4300
PS5 vs Xbox Series X
Microsoft is investigating Xbox Series X being outperformed by PS5 on third-party games
Devil May Cry 5
Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition won't support ray tracing on the Xbox Series S
Devil May Cry 3 is getting style changing for its Switch release
Latest in Features
Monster Hunter Wilds characters share a meal
Oh no, Monster Hunter Wilds is so good that I'm already counting the days until its inevitable Master Rank expansion
Kai and Giatta battle Xaurip in Avowed
I get why Obsidian doesn't like The Elder Scrolls comparisons, but Avowed is the first RPG to have its hooks in me this deep since Skyrim took over my life 14 years ago
Photo taken by writer Rosalie Newcombe of the Tears of the Kingdom OLED Nintendo Switch handheld, with the Super Mario Nendoroid figure standing in front of it.
My PC is screaming for an update, but the Switch 2 will be taking all my money this year
GoDice in their RPG case beside Pixels dice
I put two electronic d20s head-to-head and the bad news for your wallet is the discount D&D dice failed its saving throw
Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread in play
This board game TRPG hybrid delivers something D&D hasn't quite managed to capture for me
Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again killing off a fan-favorite character is controversial, but it might prove to be the right choice for the new Marvel show