A good action game fighting its own camera

Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition has enough strong action to make its biggest frustration particularly annoying. I want to enjoy the combat, read the encounter and make decisions based on what the enemies are doing. Too often, the camera decides that the worst possible angle is the one I should be using. That sounds like a small complaint until it repeatedly interferes with a game whose appeal depends on control and awareness.

My score is 7/10. There is a good game here, and the Special Edition has plenty of reasons to attract someone who enjoys this series. I just cannot separate the quality of its combat from the way the presentation sometimes makes that combat more awkward than it needs to be.

The combat still has personality

The foundation is strong. Nero brings a particular rhythm to the action, and the contrast with Dante gives the game an identity beyond being another collection of stylish battles. Their different approaches help the adventure feel like it has something of its own to contribute to Devil May Cry.

I like that a fight can become more enjoyable as the player understands the available tools. A good action game should reward attention with possibilities, rather than merely asking for a longer version of the same basic sequence. Devil May Cry 4 has that appeal. There is a reason to learn, experiment and become more deliberate about how an encounter is handled.

The Special Edition's additional playable characters also make sense within that kind of design. Vergil, Lady and Trish provide other ways to engage with the action. They do not magically replace the structure underneath, but they broaden the reasons to return to a game built around learning different styles of combat.

When the camera takes away the pleasure

My central problem is how frequently the camera makes an otherwise straightforward situation irritating. A fixed viewpoint can support atmosphere and composition, but it has to respect what the player needs to see. In an action game, an attractive angle is not enough if it makes movement and enemy awareness less comfortable.

There is a difference between a demanding enemy and an encounter that becomes awkward because the view is working against the player. I enjoy being challenged by the game. I enjoy it much less when I am thinking about the camera instead of the fight. That interruption can drain the energy from a system that otherwise gives the player plenty to appreciate.

This is not a demand for every game to use an identical over-the-shoulder perspective. It is a demand for readable action. The camera should support the identity of the combat, and here I too often felt the two were pulling in different directions.

Good additions, familiar limitations

The wider adventure is also uneven enough that the camera does not exist in isolation. Repeated spaces and the way the campaign revisits material can make its structure feel less fresh than its best combat moments suggest. The additional characters create variety, but they do not entirely change that underlying feeling.

That is why I do not think of Special Edition as an automatic solution to every criticism of Devil May Cry 4. It expands the action in worthwhile ways, while remaining attached to the strengths and weaknesses of the original framework. Whether that is enough depends heavily on how much the player values replaying and mastering the combat.

For me, there is enough to recommend. I do not finish thinking it has no value or that its systems are uninteresting. I finish wishing the surrounding experience were as confident and enjoyable as the moments when the fighting is allowed to work at its best.

Final verdict

Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition is a good action game with a frustrating camera that repeatedly gets in the way of its strongest qualities. The combat and additional characters deserve appreciation, but the awkward viewpoints and uneven structure keep the experience from reaching the level it could have achieved. There is a lot to enjoy, and a lot I wish had received more attention. 7/10.

Final score: 7/10.

Reviewed on PC by Andrew Louis. No review key or complimentary access was provided.