Don’t cry, Dante fans. After 10 lengthy missions of Capcom’s hack-and-slash revival DmC: Devil May Cry, we’re confident that it has the chops to do right by the series’ long legacy.

With a new developer at the helm, fans were initially worried that Ninja Theory (Enslaved, Heavenly Sword) would betray the series’ story or mess up the refined combat that defined previous Devil May Cry games. Good news, then, that they’ve set out in an entirely new direction in this parallel universe tale. While previous Devil May Cry titles were defined by gothic locales and creepy enemies, DmC colors outside the lines with great effect. Sure, some places like Dante’s childhood home and enemies like the Ice Demon wouldn’t have looked out of place in the recent HD Collection, but we’re glad that DmC mixes things up with stages set at a Santa Monica-esque pier; a trippy, morphing nightclub; and inside a news channel’s graphic as you travel to fight the disembodied electronic head of its evil neocon host. Along the way, Dante’s quippy and aggressive, flipping off the aforementioned anchor while saying “Put a spin on this!”, or asking a pair of bulky Tyrants “Who wants to be Limbo’s Biggest Loser?”, and matching the vulgar Succubus profanity for profanity.

The “Ghost” has a barrier she can transfer to other enemies, making for some crazy battles.

Combat is where DmC will live or die, and we’re glad it’s been adeptly updated. Each of the weapons we came across (see sidebar) were a treat to wield and easy to switch between, making battles more dynamic (to say nothing of environmental attacks like uppercutting enemies into an upside-down Limbo train). Meanwhile, Dante’s hookshot offers evolved actions from Devil May Cry 4’s Devil Bringer, like yanking away shields and plucking projectiles.

Time will tell if cinematics ultimately overpower the final running time, or if platforming will end up more frustrating than enthralling, but the two biggest changes presented in DmC aren’t scaring us, and that’s a good thing.

Dante will encounter both Ice and Fire Demons who are weak against his Angel and Demon-infused weapon, respectively.

PUBLISHER: Capcom • DEVELOPER: Ninja Theory • MULTIPLAYER: No • RELEASE DATE: January 15, 2013 • FOR FANS OF: Odd bosses, inventive stages, crazy combat