Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition

Overview

Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition is a remaster of the original version of Devil May Cry 4 for new consoles and PC, running in 1080p and 60fps. In addition to running better than the original PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 release, the new version adds three new playable characters; Vergil, who is playable in both Nero and Dante's levels, Trish, who is playable in Dante's, and Lady, who is playable in Nero's. The story campaigns for these new characters each feature new intro and ending cutscenes.

The game also includes new costumes for the characters which are visible both in gameplay and cutscenes, the Turbo modifier and Legendary Dark Knight difficulty which were both previously PC exclusive, and a handful of balance and graphical tweaks. Additionally the Japanese version also includes an all-new optional Japanese dub, making it the first release in the series to not exclusively feature English voicework.

New Characters

Vergil

Returning from Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition, Vergil retains all of the same attacks and abilities as he had for his original playable appearance.

What's new is a gauge that steadily increases Vergil's attack power. It will rise by continually attacking enemies, though will also increase simply by having Vergil stand still. Though if he is hit by an attack the gauge will reset.

He has access to three weapons, being his Yamato katana, Beowulf gauntlets & boots, and the Force Edge sword to which he uses in combination with his Yamato sheath. Such difference between DMC3: SE and DMC4: SE Vergil include his Beowulf attacks can now be individually charged up to increase their damage output. Furthermore, his Yamato attacks have been further expanded with longer combo-chains, and a backward swipe that also now sends Vergil into the air with the enemy.

Still without any firearms, Vergil's ranged attack is once again governed by magical swords he can summon into existence. Though while their fire rate is much slower than the handguns of the game, Vergil can at least retain his usual walking speed while firing them and can summon them regardless of what Vergil is otherwise doing - even attacking. He can also use his summoned swords to immediately teleport to an enemy, and they are used so Vergil can pull himself along the blue grapple points situated during Nero's portion of the game.

Vergil has access to his Devil Trigger form from the outset, which makes all of his attacks more powerful--and in some cases even extends the attack altogether--reduces damage taken, makes him invulnerable to flinching, transforms his evasive rolls into teleports, and increases the firing speed & power of his Summoned Swords. There is also a purchasable attack that can only be performed whilst in his DT form.

While by default he is depicted in his DMC3 attire, Vergil also has available his Corrupted outfit from the outset. When wearing this costume Vergil's DT will then have him take the appearance of his Devil May Cry Nelo Angelo form. His EX Color is based on Dante's colors, as well as his own appearance as a boss when playing Vergil's campaign in Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition.

Lady

Making her playable debut for the series, Lady is all about her guns, and many of her attacks are reminiscent of Dante's 'Gunslinger' style. She uses her custom rocket launcher, called Kalina Ann after her mother, as both a ranged and melee weapon -- in fact the Kalina Ann is Lady's only melee weapon. The Kalina Ann's bayonet can be used to perform a few slow but powerful melee attacks, while pushing Down with the melee attack button will have Lady throw a number of grenades in front her while simultaneously taking a leap backwards.

Her rocket launcher can also of course be used as a ranged weapon, and while the relatively slow projectile can make hitting the intended target a little trickier than with other guns, its damage output is high. She can also use her launcher to fire a stream of rockets from her position, making for her most powerful attack but also leaving her vulnerable as she prepares to unleash the rocket stockade. Her rocket is what provides her double-jump, to which she fires at the ground to launch herself higher, and can even deal damage if shot above an enemy.

Lady's other firearms includes a pair of pistols and a shotgun. The pistols function similarly to Dante's Ebony & Ivory, only their fire rate is significantly slower. Their overall damage is greater to make up for that, however. They can be used to perform a flurry of shots at a single enemy before finishing with a powerful fire bullet. Alternatively, they have an attack that can first shoot an enemy into the air before being suspended with powerful gunfire; players can also keep one enemy stuck with gunfire with one pistol while aiming the other left, right, or behind to fire at another, though the enemy won't be stunlocked like the other.

Her shotgun is extremely powerful at close range but it is greatly reduced the further away she is from her target. Her Up attack has Lady charge forward with her shotgun and firing it point black at an enemy, which beyond doing a sizable amount of damage is her single means of closing the gap between her and her enemies. Her Down attack has Lady rapidly fire and flip her shotgun around herself akin to a nunchuck; the longer she fires it the faster and more powerful the shots become until steam quite literally begins to form around her and the attack finally comes to an end. All three of her firearms can be charged up to deal a significant amount of damage, with up to three different levels of charge available. However they must each first be purchased.

Lady has access to a grappling hook, however it cannot be used to bring enemies closer nor bring Lady closer to them; instead it will hurl enemies into the air, and upon using it again (or if the enemy is already in midair) will pull them back to the ground dealing moderate damage.

Lady doesn't have access to any form of Devil Trigger, but will instead hurl a number of grenades - Lady is also invulnerable during the animation for the attack. She still requires at least three DT points to perform the attack, though the more additional points available the more grenades she will throw.

Lady by default wears her DMC4 attire, though for preordering the game can be switched to wear her DMC3 outfit instead. The outfit can alternatively be bought as DLC. Her EX Color is based on Trish's appearance.

Trish

Trish plays somewhat akin to Dante. She has available two weapons, being the Sparda sword and her own hands & feet. Trish also doesn't switch between the two and has access to them simultaneously; her fists & feet are tied to Triangle/Y, and Sparda is tied to Circle/B. Her melee attacks resemble a mix of Dante's Gilgamesh and Vergil's Beowulf attacks, however they are much faster and each attack leaves behind a small charge of lightning on the enemy, which continue to deal even more damage after Trish has finished the attack. Her mid-air downward kick attack will create a line of electricity (of which multiple can be made) that will persist and potentially damage any encroaching enemies for a short while.

Her Sparda sword shares the same regular three-hit combo as Dante's Rebellion, only the attack animations are slightly slower. Its Up attack has Trish throw the sword towards an enemy, which will then stick to the enemy for a short while dealing continuous damage. Though what's especially notable is that Trish gains new melee attacks, some of which can be charged, during the period that the Sparda sword is out of her hands.

Trish has access to two pistols just like Dante, to which share the same fire rate and power. Though she also has access to the Pandora Box, with three different variants. Two of which are accessed when holding Up or Down when firing her pistols, and the third is accessed by pressing Up then Down in quick succession. The first two are essentially rocket launchers, with the Down variant firing a spread of three rockets as opposed to the single that's shot with the Up variant. The third, however, is an extremely powerful laserbeam that will continually fire for a few seconds. Though for as powerful as it is Trish is also locked into place while firing it, leaving her open to attack from enemies to her back or side.

Trish's Devil Trigger variant is largely the same as both Vergil and Dante's, as it will make her attacks faster, more powerful, as she too gains increased defense and invulnerability to flinching. Cosmetically Trish largely looks the same beyond adding a pair of shades to her appearance, and is also shown to be covered in yellow lightning that courses all over her body.

Like with Lady, preordering the game gifts players an alternate costume for Trish, being the 'Gloria' disguise she wears during Nero's portion of the story. It can otherwise be purchased as DLC. Her EX Color is based on Lady's appearance.

Other Differences

In addition to the three new playable characters, Special Edition features a handful of gameplay and graphical tweaks.

• Like the new characters, Nero and Dante both also recieve new costumes. Nero's costume is based on one of his scrapped pre-production designs, while Dante has an alternate costume that dresses him up as his father, the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda, complete with his DT taking the form of his father's true, demon appearance. Both also have EX Colors, with Nero's pallet swap being based on Vergil's colors while Dante's is based on his own redesigned appearance in Ninja Theory's DmC Devil May Cry.
• The Turbo Modifier speeds gameplay up by 20%, and the Legendary Dark Knight difficulty fills each area with a massive number of enemies.
• The acquisition rates of both Red Orbs and Proud Souls have been increased.
• The sprint ability kicks in much faster than it did in the original versions.
• Secret Missions now only show up in levels while playing as a character who can actually complete them.
• The game now auto-saves between levels, rather than the player having to manually save between each mission.
• In addition to running in 1080p for the first time on consoles, all versions of Special Edition also include added motion blur, higher resolution textures, improved water & improved lighting effects.

Trivia

• The 'Special Edition' subtitle is a reference to Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition, which included similar such additions to its original release such as Vergil being playable and a Turbo modifier.
• By entering a special command at the title screen while "PRESS ANY BUTTON" is displayed, players can switch to the balance found in the original Devil May Cry 4 while still being able to play with the new characters, costumes and modes. This code will only work if the player hasn't already created a Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition save file, any previous save data must be deleted in order to use the code. If entered correctly the logo will change colors, and these swapped colors will appear in any screenshots taken in the PS4 version.
  • On PlayStation 4, hold L1 and R2, and turn the left stick clockwise twice, then turn the right stick clockwise twice, then press R3 and L3 together to bring up the settings confirmation window.
  • On Xbox One, hold LB and RT, and turn the left stick clockwise twice, then turn the right stick clockwise twice, then press the left and right stick buttons together to bring up the settings confirmation window.

  • On PC, type in "devilmaycry" using the keyboard to bring up the settings confirmation window.

PC System Requirements

Minimum

• OS: Windows 7, Windows 8.1
• Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo 2.4GHz, AMD Athlon(TM) X2 2.8 GHz
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) 8800 GTS, AMD Radeon(TM) HD 3850 with 512MB RAM
• DirectX: Version 10
• Hard Drive: 27 GB available space
• Sound Card: DirectSound Support (DirectX® 9.0c)

Recommended

• OS: Windows 7, Windows 8.1
• Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i3 3.0GHz, AMD FX-4100 3.6 GHz
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) GTX 570, AMD Radeon(TM) HD 7790
• DirectX: Version 10
• Hard Drive: 27 GB available space
• Sound Card: DirectSound Support (DirectX® 9.0c)