Devil May Cry 5

Devil May Cry 5 is a hack-and-slash video game. Developed and published by Capcom, this game is the fifth instalment in the Devil May Cry series.

Gameplay
Devil May Cry 5 is a hack-and-slash game largely similar in gameplay to its predecessors.

Replacing the Devil Bringer from the previous title are the "Devil Breakers", advanced prosthetic arms which provide a variety of options.

In addition to Dante and Nero, Devil May Cry includes a third playable character known as "V". V's gameplay style is largely unique: he controls three demons to weaken enemies to a critical state, allowing him to finish them off (V generally cannot attack enemies otherwise, and his demons cannot kill enemies on their own).

Plot

 * Note: The game involves a slight change in the series' canon. Devil May Cry 2 was originally placed at the end of the Devil May Cry timeline. In the game's opening, Devil May Cry 2 is stated as occurring before Devil May Cry 4.

The game begins five years after the events of Devil May Cry 4. Nero has opened up his own branch of Devil May Cry alongside Nicoletta "Nico" Goldstein, a sassy Southern engineer. On April 30, Nero is attacked by a mysterious hooded figure, who rips off his Devil Bringer arm and takes the Yamato sword with it before disappearing. Two days later, Dante is visited by a new client named "V", who tells him of a powerful demon, whom he refers to as "Urizen" on the verge of resurrection, labeling him as Dante's "reason for fighting" and the one responsible for taking Nero's arm. On May 16, he brings Dante, along with the latter's allies Lady and Trish, to a demonic tree growing in Red Grave City, before heading off to retrieve a recovering Nero to help. Despite their efforts, none of the demon hunters are a match for Urizen. Nero and V are forced to leave Dante and the others behind, retreating on Dante's orders as Urizen destroys Dante's sword Rebellion. As they leave, roots from the tree begin attacking civilians.

One month later, Nero returns with Nico to Red Grave, which has ceased to function as a result of the demonic invasion caused by the tree. Now equipped with the "Devil Breaker" prosthetic arms, designed by Nico to replace the Devil Breaker, Nero heads into the city to find V. V arrives Nero is fighting off a massive demon named Goliath, finishing off the demon himself. He explains to Nero that the tree is called a "Qliphoth", and gains nourishing by harvesting human blood. Knowing that Urizen has been using the Qliphoth to gain power, V suggests that he and Nero split up and get rid of some of the Qliphoth's roots before heading to the demon.

The two work their way through the city. Nero finds an unconscious Lady in the body of a demon named Artemis, while V overhears Urizen's servant Malphas ordering an unknown demon to find and destroy the Devil Sword Sparda. The two meet up and head to the Qliphoth together, but V heads off on his own to find the Sparda. He finds the sword in the nearby, along with a comatase Dante, who was ejected from the Qliphoth after Nero and V retreated. V manages to revive Dante, warning him that Nero has gone to fight Urizen and likely will be no match. As Dante begins to head off with the Sparda, V suddenly stumbles, his flesh beginning to crumble.

Dante traverses the ruins of Red Grave to get to Urizen and eventually encounters the unknown demon, sensing that is in fact Trish trapped in a demonic state like Lady was before. After freeing Trish and gaining a new weapon from the remains of the demon's flesh, Dante leaves her with a deteriorating V. Once Trish awakens, she demands answers from V. V reveals that he and Urizen are the halves of Dante's brother Vergil: near death, Vergil used the Yamato he took from Nero to separate the human and demon halves of himself. Urizen came from Vergil's demonic half, while his discarded humanity manifested as V, who is slowly falling apart as the demonic power keeping him together runs out. Meanwhile, Dante returns to the ruins of his childhood home, and deduces that rather than separate man from demon like Yamato, the Rebellion can combine them. He stabs himself with the remains of the Rebellion, causing him to absorb the Sparda and unlock both a new sword and new demonic form.

Back in the Qliphoth, Nero is once again defeated by Urizen, but is saved from death by Dante's arrival. With his new power, Dante manages to defeat Urizen, but is stopped when the Qliphoth reaches its final stage of growth, allowing Urizen to retreat. The demon hunters reconvene, and Trish explains that the Qliphoth has now produced a fruit at its lowest level, which will provide unparalleled power to whoever consumes it. Dante, Nero, and V head down to stop Urizen, each going their own separate ways. Nero and V rejoin, with the former saving the latter from Urizen's servant Malphas. Despite Nero's protests, V insists on reaching Urizen, and Nero reluctantly agrees to carry him. Dante reaches Urizen first, and while he is too late to stop Urizen from eating the fruit, he manages to defeat Urizen in his enhanced state. However, before Dante can finish him off, V climbs atop the weakened Urizen and stabs him with his cane, causing the two to merge back into Vergil.

Alternate Ending
This ending can be gained by Nero defeating Urizen in either of the two boss fights.

Reception
The game has received generally positive reception from critics.