Three Great In-Universe Sing-Songs (Films/Anime)

Songs are a very powerful medium. Depending on the composition, a state of mind or emotion can be bestowed upon the listener within the first few seconds of an intro. Lyric-less music used in games, films and TV shows can imbue a scene with the right emotional oomph and elevate a good scene to a captivating experience. Hans Zimmer and Danny Elfman are names that carry weight to them. At times these names have been in the opening credits of a film and for good reason! Their work has enchanted audiences for decades now and their involvement in a project is met with excitement among the film scene, similar to that of a main actor being cast. But today I don’t want to talk about the score of a film or show but an in-universe piece. This is different to songs in films such as Disney, which are usually characters thoughts and emotions expressed through rhyme or a musical which again is usually the same thing. An in-universe song is a component of the world established in its fictional setting. If I were to belt out YMCA, that is an in-universe song as opposed to me delighting the world with a tale of how I stubbed my toe and how the pain is currently killing me. And so here are a few ditties that have delighted me over the years and my thoughts on them.

For the Dancing and the Dreaming – How to Train Your Dragon 2

This one is a very guilty pleasure of mine and quite personal to me. I’m half Scottish and my Dad’s side are very Scottish sounding. Growing up in England and currently living in Wales, a good couple of hours away from any of my family, hearing a Scottish melody or voice just gives me a comforting feeling. I don’t have a Scottish accent and so in England whenever I heard a Scottish accent it was generally around my family. Now I live a fair distance away, I hear it less, as I see them less. I’ve been finding myself coming back to this song a lot over the past few months but that doesn’t detract from this song. This short performance not only mends a fractured relationship, but gives a whole new dimension of Stoic, the…..well stoic viking. A strong, sturdy man who is more in tune with his strength than he is with his feelings. These next few minutes reveal a lot about the man whilst also establishing a bond that we never saw in the previous film. To give some context, mild spoilers following: Stoic and his son have recently discovered that their wife/mum is alive after being previously thought to have been eaten by a dragon.  Valka was taken away but gained the role of protector of a colony of dragons. She didn’t return to her husband as he believed that all dragons should be killed. This is Stoic trying to mend a damaged past. 

First of…. Stoic sings! Can you believe that?! A boulder of a man in his build and his fortitude. But he had a son, I suppose whenever I pictured Hiccup’s mum I always thought of Stoic but with less beard. Not someone as compassionate as Valka and more Hiccup-like. The song itself though is a beautiful Gaelic-esque rendition of a love song. Whistling at the beginning or end of a song is like number one on a cheat sheet into my heart. I’m a sucker for the pursing of lips followed by a good exhale, I must admit.  And I have to give major credit to Gerard Butler for his performance as Stoic here. Amazing job! You can tell how tentative and unsure Stoic is at the start of the song. He wants to mend the damage and bridge the gap between them but he’s an emotionally clumsy man. But he remembers a part of him that won her over decades ago. His sigh he gives is such a monumental moment in this song. That sigh is as close to his heart breaking as it could possibly get. But then Valka swoops in and raises him back to the strong willed man that he is. And then the song just takes off! As Stoic and Valka jump in to sing their role, the music is accompanied by more instruments and an increased tempo until both singers combine in unison to finish this delightfully romantic confession.  They start as fractured partners, move onto being duelling lyricists and then finish as a reunited tour de force. Those three minutes, I feel, do a better job at mending their relationship, than any dialogue could do that same time frame and makes it fun to watch and listen to in the process. My favourite scene of How to Train your Dragon 2 and probably the entire series (I haven’t seen 3 yet).

Blunt the Knives – The Hobbit

I’d be hard pressed not to include this on the list. I’ll admit that I’m not a big Hobbit trilogy fan. I love the Lord of the Rings trilogy but The Hobbit films just didn’t do it for me, as I’m sure a lot will agree on that. I didn’t care for the 3rd film much, I thought Smaug was excellent and the only real part of 2 that I enjoyed. And I enjoyed the first half of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. This scene exemplifies what I would have wanted out of the trilogy. When Legolas among other characters started taking more screen time, the hobbit’s themselves just took a back seat in their own films. Lindsey Ellis does a great three part look at why The Hobbit trilogy stumbled in its execution, which I highly recommend checking out on Youtube. This scene never fails to make me smile but it also irks me that the potential was there for a great trilogy and we get a fantastic glimpse of it in this scene.

Although we only get a minor look at each individual characters traits here, with Balin’s calm smirk as he watches his younger dwarves enjoying themselves and Bombur’s ‘cleaning’ of the plates, being my favourites. But what this does give us a great look at, is the camaraderie among the dwarves. As individual’s, that they not be the most talented but when they combine their skills, strengths and trust, they excel as a unit. It also gives us a great look into their lifestyle. Similar to how in Snow White, the dwarves sing Heigh Ho during their work to boost moral but also to form a working rhythm among the team, The Hobbit’s dwarves do the same. In fact, their talent at clearing the table and doing the dishes, shows that they have had many a meal around the table together and performed this very same routine probably daily in their previous situations. Their bond as a unit, is unrivalled in the Hobbit/LOTR established film universe and should have been at the forefront of the trilogy. Granted I haven’t read the books, but I imagine this behaviour was a key component of the book and ne’er a sight of Legolas CGI-ing on falling debris. Great song, great scene but a wasted potential unfortunately.

Bink’s Sake – One Piece

Oh, One Piece! How I binged you so, back when I had lots of free time. I stopped watching One Piece many years ago around the episode 450 mark. It currently is at *Googles the latest episode* 899?! OK, well that works out well then. Basically I was half way through One Piece. And while I remember a lot of the arcs and big moments, Brook’s introduction and past will forever remain one of my main memories of the anime. A musically talented skeleton with an afro. In most things that wouldn’t work but One Piece’s world is one where that kind of bonkers can exist. I have to give some context for this song as I do think the song benefits from knowing the driving force and character of Brook.

So Brook was one of the Rumbar Pirates. I group of musician’s who would sail the seas playing music as they went and would play for anyone who wanted to listen. They were pirates but that was more of a vehicle for which to spread their music with people across the world. Now, in One Piece, there are things called Devil Fruit which is fruit that grant you an ability when you eat it but also make it so that you can’t swim, you just sink. In most universes, that wouldn’t be a huge deal but this is One Piece we’re talking about. It’s 90% pirate shenanigans. Brook ate a fruit that with return his spirit to his body upon death. A kind of, second chance. Brook’s ship was attacked by pirates who used poisoned blades. The enemies boarded the ship, cut everyone and then sailed away. I think their intention was to return when every one was dead. Again, not watched in years and this is from memory. As the Rumbar crew were dying they decided to play their favourite song, one last time. Brook is playing on piano, he didn’t know the fruit would revive him. As they play, they all start falling, one by one. It’s a very emotional scene. Unfortunately for Brook, when they were attacked, they were in a thick fog that covered a huge area. When Brook’s spirit tried to return to his body, he couldn’t find the ship. His spirit searched for years until he happened to find it. By that point, his body had decayed away to just bones. Brook entered his bony remains and was revived as a skeleton.  Don’t question it too much. This following version of the song is the English dub which I didn’t originally watch but I think it does a good job of translating the song. At this point in the story, Brook has been welcomed in to the main cast of characters as a part of their family. He starts playing this tune and we are treated to a sing song with his new friends, as well as flashbacks to his old adventures, the Rumbar pirates befriending a baby whale and the demise of the Rumbar Pirates. You will hear thudding sounds towards the end of the song, around the 3 minute mark, which is his old crew falling over as the poison takes hold of them. A truly heart wrenching scene but also heart warming as we know Brook has finally found a new family.

I think that’ll do it for today. If you have any suggestions of in-universe songs I should listen to then please leave a comment and I’ll give them a go. Thanks for reading and as some of you may notice, it’s been about 3 months since my last post. Had a lot going on and my time is more limited these days but I will make more of an effort and will actually start talking about games at some point. Until then though, take it easy!

Mother’s Day: A Look At Mums/Carers Of Video Games

Today is Mother’s day in the UK or Mum’s day as I prefer, the word mother doesn’t sound right to me, sounds very formal. To celebrate I thought I’d list a few video game characters who stood out to me as great mums in video games or filled the mum/carer role well. It was originally going to be all mums but I thought of some who deserved a mention over certain mums and so this list is a bit all over but I believe they deserve a mention. And so here are some of my favourite ‘mum’ roles in games.

Link’s Grandma (TLOZ: The Wind Waker)

This small dear breaks my heart every time I play Wind Waker. She’s so lovely and she doesn’t deserve what she goes through! Not only does she have her granddaughter kidnapped by a scary giant bird and taken away from the island, but she also has to see her grandson leave for the dangerous world to go and save her. Within 24 hours her whole life is in shambles. She has no idea if she’ll ever see her grand-kids again and all she can do on the island is wait. Wait and wait. Link and his sister, Aryll, could return in a day, a month, a year or even never. In fact, when you do return to the island, the island residents tell you that you grandma has barely been out of the house and she’s worried sick. When you go and see her she is weary and restless in her sleep. She’s not even aware you’re in the room she is so exhausted. And what she mumbles really tugs on my heartstrings:

That isn’t fair Grandma! You told me to go, don’t guilt trip me now. Thankfully though if you use a fairy in a bottle it helps give Grandma a bit of vitality and seeing Link safe reassures her that he can save Aryll and that he’ll be fine. After helping Grandma she’ll have a big batch of soup ready for whenever you return, which you can store with your empty bottles. Not only that! But Grandma will send a letter to you with all the rupees she has. She gives everything to her Grandkids and she deserves some in this post. Hell, I think she deserves to go on the next adventure with Link! Her, Link, King of Red Lions and the open seas. What wacky adventures they’ll get up to!

Mom (Pokemon Red/Blue Specifically)

‘Mum, I’m 10 years old now and that scientist round the corner just gave me this gadget and told me to go look at all these strange creatures for him. He said there’s a lot of these pocket monsters that he wants to study but for some reason he expects me to do it for him. Then he gave me a lizard with fire leaking out of its tail, it’s pretty cool. He also asked what gender I am.

‘Is this like a school expedition with a group of you or are you getting paid at least?’

‘No, just me and he hasn’t mentioned anything about paying me. I’ve got this wicked flame salamander so I figured I’d just beat up other peoples monsters and take some of their money.’

‘OK then, well I’ll phone your school and let them know you won’t be back for a while. Take care and make sure you feed that iguana.’

I know the Pokemon world is very different to ours, unfortunately. But if I tried to leave for an adventure like that, it would at least 6 hours of negotiations! How far I’m allowed to travel, which people I can and can’t talk to, promises to call home every other day etc and at least a suitcase full of clothing. The Mum in Pokemon Red/Blue basically just says that she thought this day might come and she can’t stop you from leaving. No guilt trip or tears. She knows adventure is out there and there are hundreds of goofy looking critters to cram into balls! I respect that level of not getting in the way of her son/daughter’s dreams.

Wow, don’t sound too upset mum, jeez! Can’t wait to rent out my bedroom or turn it into your arts and crafts studio.

Sarah Sisulart (Lost Odyssey)

This list is turning into Grandma’s Day but I can’t justify taking Sarah off the list. She is the carer for Cooke and Mack, her grandkids who she never met until this game. She’s an immortal being who lost her husband and upon finding out her daughter had passed, entered into a depression state, completely isolating herself from the world. On your travels as Kaim, along with Cooke, Mack and others, you end up reuniting with Sarah and upon discovering her grandkids, Sarah realises she has a new goal in life and joins the crew on their quest to save the world from evil and to look after her grandkids along the way.

I spoke about Lost Odyssey in my blog post about the lack of marriage in gaming and a big reason why Sarah is here is just because the idea of going off on magical adventures with your mum, grandmum or carer is a wonderful idea to me. It sounds like great fun and a brilliant bonding experience. Sure it’s dangerous but if you’re going on a dangerous quest anyway, why not with family, as long as they are capable. Sarah is also just such a caring person to Cooke and Mack. She had never met them before, had spent the past few decades in isolation in a deep depressive state and had lost her memories like the other immortals had in Lost Odyssey. And yet, she was straight there when she realised who these children were. Fully accepting and embracing them as her grandkids, Sarah’s compassion was a much needed component in their lives and she delivers that in spades.

Isaac’s Mom (The Binding of Isaac)

Ahahahahahahah! No, she is an awful mum and an awful character in general. She deserves a mention though as a warning to not to be like her. I won’t get into it much but she basically hears voices telling her to kill her son, Isaac, and she tried to do that very thing. Kind and endearing, she is not.

The Boss (Metal Gear Solid 3)

The Boss is one of those characters I don’t particularly like to discuss much. Not because I don’t think she’s a great character, as I think she is one of the greatest video game characters ever created. The problem is that she has a very important role in Metal Gear Solid 3 which when talked about, is major spoilers. I know Metal Gear Solid 3 is over a decade old but for those who haven’t played it, I highly recommend you do that or even just look up on Youtube what makes The Boss so amazing. My words won’t do it justice as Metal Gear Solid 3 is a high point to me in storytelling in gaming. The Metal Gear Solid series is over the top and cheesy at times but I think the overall theme, settings and plot of Metal Gear Solid 3 is nothing short of premium quality. For those who have played it, you probably understand why I’ve put her on this list.

For those that don’t know about The Boss’s significance to MGS3, I’ll just speak about her relationship with the main character, Naked Snake. The Boss is Naked Snake’s mentor. She is described as the greatest soldier. At the very start of Metal Gear Solid 3, she defects and joins the enemy side. After that, you don’t really see The Boss but The Boss is mentioned constantly in conversation with Naked Snake’s support team. Not only that, but the times when Naked Snake does see her, even if they don’t speak, you can see Snake’s adoration for her. This could be misconstrued as a lovers look but I don’t believe that is the case. He respects and admires her, Snake is who he is because of her and her teachings. I’m going to end it there because I do think it’s hard to convey the dynamic between them in a few paragraphs. MGS3 is hours long and a lot of that is exposition, cutscenes and radio chatter. I would only do it an injustice to boil it down here.

Yoshi (Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island)

Okay, hear me out on this one. Yes……it’s a dinosaur. I’m aware of that. But a dinosaur deserves recognition too. There’s no Dinosaur Day! I mean there is, according to Google it’s June 1st but we don’t celebrate it. Nearly every day seems to have some random holiday or celebration assigned to it. Now, we could discuss the Yoshi species gender habits or if the Yoshi in this game is THE Yoshi as this game is a prequel to the Mario timeline we all know. But for all intents and purposes we’re going to say that this is THE Yoshi and is generally regarded as a ‘he’ although this is still up for some debate according to some websites.

At the start of the game, Yoshi’s Island, Kamek attacks a stork carrying 2 babies to their parents. Kamek swipes one but the other baby plummets to the ocean below. Luckily the baby lands on an island. More specifically, it lands on Yoshi’s back on his home island. Now, we’re talking about a dinosaur here. A friendly dinosaur but a dinosaur nevertheless. We’ve seen and controlled Yoshi and used his majestically long tongue to devour all matters of flora and fauna. There was no other creature around to see the baby land on Yoshi. No witnesses. Not only that, this baby nearly broke the poor dino’s back!

Walking along, minding his own business and then WHAM! Terminal velocity baby to the hump.

So rather than wolfing down this innocent child, Yoshi decides to check the blanket that the baby was wrapped up in and inside he finds a map. After going back to his base to show the other Yoshi’s his meal, I mean…..new friend, the Yoshi’s discover that Baby Mario can sense his kidnapped brother, Baby Luigi. With that knowledge, the Yoshi’s decide to reunite the two and set off on an adventure across the island. How beautifully innocent and kind is Yoshi! This is his home but even he knows the dangers that lurk across the land and yet, his sole goal becomes to care for Baby Mario, save Baby Luigi and reunite them with their parents. He has no obligation to do so but Yoshi becomes the carer and protector of Baby Mario. Whenever Baby Mario gets knocked off Yoshi and starts to bawl his eyes out, Yoshi always grabs him and secures him to the safety of his back. And instantly, Baby Mario stops crying because he feels safe and loved by this wonderful creature.

Again, the Yoshi in this game is probably THE Yoshi and male but to me he is a guardian to Baby Mario, and even to Baby Luigi if only for a brief period. He is a dinosaur and so is an ‘it’ but an ‘it’ deserving to be praised for what it did. But let me know your thoughts on these choices and if you can think of any stand outs then let me know in the comments. Looking back on my 2 decades of gaming I honestly couldn’t think of many mums in video games so I’m intrigued to hear ones I’ve missed or forgotten. Thank you for reading and to any mum’s who read this on Mother’s day, I hope you have a great day and get spoilt.

Devil May Cry V Review

DMC V is the latest instalment in the long running action series from Capcom. A return to its original version instead of the 2013 reboot. A return for the better, I believe. Don’t get me wrong, I never hated the 2013 Dante or Donte as some like to call him, but I also never really cared for him or the world around him. The characters of OG Dante and Nero were always characters that I enjoyed watching in over the top cutscenes and felt good to play as in game.  It’s over 10 years since we last played as OG Dante and Nero and so how does their return fare? I can happily say that after 10 years, they haven’t lost their touch.

My main man Nero! This is how you do a Metal Gear Solid 2 Raiden situation. He’s different to Dante but in his unique way and honestly I think I prefer him too.

DMC V takes place in Red Grave City, a London-esque fictional location. A tentacle like flower has erupted through the ground and Dante, Nero and the new character V are on a mission to stop the evil behind this occurrence. This is shown in mission one and we as the player, are jumping into a story already in motion. The very first mission takes place during established conflicts and as you progress in the game you’ll discover character motives and what led up to this point. It works well for this flashy series. There is very little downtime in DMC V and this opening perfectly encapsulates this. The game is broken up into 20 missions with certain missions taking place around the same time but with a different character. This leads to cool moments where you can see V in the background of Nero’s mission, fighting a bunch of demons or upon entering a room, being able to join a fight already in motion. This ties in with the Cameo System but I’ll touch on that later. As you progress through the game you’ll play character specific missions as well as missions that have character choice. As you progress you’ll unlock specific character weapons and earn red orbs which allow you to level up your characters and unlock new moves or buy health or Devil Trigger increases. It’s a simple structure but it suits this style of game. Having the missions broken up into 20-30 minute missions means that you won’t tire of the same character or location if they’re not to your preference.

DMC V isn’t a revolution in storytelling but I had an immensely fun time with it nevertheless. This game is telling a more serious tale, more akin to the original DMC but with a healthy injection of cheese now and then. There is also a healthy amount of past game references which if you’re a fan of past iterations, you’ll enjoy. The Devil May Cry series is known for its bombastic and over the top cutscenes, cringey dialogue and all. DMC V is more retrained in that regard. It’s still stupid and charming but it feels more restrained than 3 or the antics of Dante and the second half of DMC 4. Is this for better or for worse? It depends on what you like. Personally I love the flamboyant and outrageous in these kind of games. It’s why Bayonetta is one of my favourite characters of recent years and why I love the anime/manga Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. The ridiculous has its place in media and the DMC franchise was one of the pioneers of that in gaming. There are still moments but this is a game where the stakes feel substantial and the physics more grounded, it suits what DMC V is going for, without pulling into Spoiler Town.

Stylish cutscene with slow-mo and an amazing tune? Check

Most people don’t play Devil May Cry for the story they play it for the stylish gameplay and DMC V has that in spades. If you’re at all familiar with Dante or Nero then you’ll feel right at home with them in V. Nero plays very similar to 4 but with his new Devil Breaker functionality. As you progress through the game, you’ll unlock new mechanical arms for Nero. Each arm offers a unique functionality with some specialising in crowd control, evasion or dealing large amounts of damage to a single enemy. Nero can only equip one arm at a time and can only hold onto a certain amount. If you get hit when using a Devil Breaker, the arm breaks. Each arm has basic functionality and a one time use function. You could go through an entire mission using the electric palm blast of Overture or you could use its one use feature to latch a high damaging sticky bomb to an enemy. Combine this with Nero’s ability to yank enemies towards himself and you’ve got a fun and unique character. Dante is a more varied combatant. Dante has 4 fighting styles that you can switch between with a touch of the D-Pad. He has his fast moving Trickster, the added melee abilities of Swordmaster, the extra ranged oomph of Gunslinger or the risky but rewarding counter style of Royalguard. Each of these styles can be upgraded to higher levels which unlock extra features for each style. As you progress in the game, you’ll also unlock new weapons which will in part will mesh with your upgraded styles too. These weapons range from a simple rocket launcher or set of gauntlets to the crazy weapon that is a motorcycle and cowboy hat. As you can see, Dante hasn’t lost his panache. Dante also has his Devil Trigger ability which lets him enter into his demonic state and inflict greater damage to enemies as well as gradually recover health. Overall, a character with a lot to learn but a fun character to play as.

Sure, why not!

Then there is newcomer V. V is a great addition to the cast of characters. He fits in well, even though he is a mysterious individual. In cutscenes and in his overall aesthetic, I must say that I am a fan of him. Gameplay wise though, I waver a bit. I think the idea behind his gimmick is really interesting and for the most part it works surprisingly well. V doesn’t fight like Dante and Nero, instead he utilises the help of Griffon, Shadow and Nightmare, 3 demons that he conjures to support him.  Griffon is a bird which acts as his ranged attack, launching projectiles and electric based attacks at enemies. Shadow is a panther-like creature which acts as V’s up close and personal attacks. Then there is the huge lumbering Nightmare who uses V’s Devil Trigger meter to appear. Often falling from the skies like a meteor or bursting through a wall (often revealing hidden secrets), Nightmare is the big bruiser of the gang and one that you don’t need to control. Just summon him and let him go to town on foes. The only thing you need to do with V is evade and finish enemies off with a killing blow. You can also make V read his book which will generate a steady amount of Devil Trigger. Griffon and Shadow you control with your range and melee attack buttons. Both companions have a health gauge though and if they take too much damage, they’ll retreat into a dormant state, represented by an orb on the ground, while replenishing their health. By placing V next to his inactive friends, they’ll regenerate their health faster. All this together creates a character where you are essentially hanging back from the fight and making your minions do your bidding. It’s a fantastic idea and suits V’s personality but when you add complex systems like this, complexities tend to arise too.

For starters, being so far back away from the action at times often leads to mistimed melee hits as your perspective is off. In a lot of games that wouldn’t be a major issue but the DMC series utilises a ranking system and the aim of the ranking system is to keep combat going so that you can raise your ranking. Then there is the fact that Shadow isn’t always where you want it to be. Often times I’ll click the melee button only for Shadow to have spawned next to me a split second before I hit the button. Making his close range attack completely whiff. I wondered if this was to my own lack of skill and to an extent I believe it is but I also saw a lot of people having a similar issue online. Shadow is difficult to orientate at times and in a game where calculated actions and precision yield better results, the experience suffers because of it. Not by a lot, but some. As I mentioned, there is a ranking system for individual battles and for each mission. Your individual battles and other factors will round up to your overall ranking for that level. With Nero and Dante I felt in control of my rankings but with V, I was less confident I deserved that D or even that S ranking. At times with V I was getting SSS’s for what I thought was pretty basic gameplay and then other times I was getting C’s because I couldn’t hit with Shadow. It felt like you ranked up quicker with V and the reason for that is because the developers realised they needed to add that because of his margin of error. Again, I do think I was playing him wrong at times but I tried different tactics with Shadow and I just couldn’t get consistent results. Not a major issue but on harder difficulties where you have to be deliberate, I can see V being a frustration at times. Other than the inconsistent Shadow though, I think he’s a great addition to the franchise.

Bad kitty! Do I need to buy a leash? Attack the enemy not the air in front of it.

Another part of the rankings I want to mention is the taunting in this game. During combat you can hit a button to taunt. Not only are these taunts flashy or funny, they also can up your style meter and also act as a way to prolong your style from decreasing. These taunts range from V coughing, Nero playing eenie meenie minee mo with enemies and even scaring them away, to Nero putting his hoodie up or V using his cane to conduct an imaginary symphony to the tune of Ride of the Valkyries. Each taunt gives you a glimpse of their personalities and the fact that certain taunts only activate if you have a specific style ranking is a nice touch. It adds incentive to do well in battle and to vary up your moves as you will get less style points if you use the same move repeatedly.  The style system is a fantastic choice in design and I can fully believe the idea that each character is ranking themselves in their heads. It fits the tone perfectly. As does the soundtrack to the game. Each character has a battle theme that really helps to amp up the fights. Nero’s punk/metal Devil Trigger will never get dull to me and V’s goth style look perfectly lines up with his Crimson Cloud song. You get to listen to these great tracks while you pummel the ever increasing array of demons and let me tell you, there is an ample variety on display in this game. Most of the missions in DMC V introduce at least one new enemy and does so in remarkably stylish enemy intros. I never got bored with the cannon fodder in front of me and the end of mission bosses that lay ahead. While I enjoyed the majority of the boss fights, I am struggling to remember them all as I type. There are fantastic fights like the time manipulating knight and horse but a few forgettable entries compared to the likes of DMC 3, where even over 10 years later I still remember Jester, Nevan and most of the other bosses. This is understandable though as I believe there is a boss fight for nearly every mission. You definitely get your money’s worth regarding boss fights.

I almost forgot to mention the Cameo System which is probably because it feels like a bit of an after thought. It’s not a bad system but I felt that I barely saw it in motion during my game. Basically, similar to how in Dark Souls you can see players ghosts run past now and then, in DMC V sometimes you will have other players in your game or their ghost data anyway. I believe it is a live player most of the time but there is a belief that a lot of it is ghost data. For the majority of the missions you will have other people playing as a different character in your game. Most of the time you won’t interact with them. A lot of the time you won’t even see them unless you shift the camera around or go looking for them. You’ll hear the sounds of battle and you might see them in the distance. Certain mission will have your paths merge and you’ll have the opportunity to fight alongside the other player. But you have to be at the right place at the right time. It makes this feature quite lacklustre as I always felt that I was missing out on potential co-op action. Most of the time I’d get to an area to see my fellow player finishing off the enemies before I could even get there and then racing to the next zone. I like to take my time and look for secret missions or collectables in these games and so I wasn’t interested in rushing through the levels. I kept getting people who were doing that though which is understandable but it just meant I had fewer enemies to fight and therefore less of an experience. It’s a gameplay element that I’m sure when it works well, it works really well. I’ve started playing a higher difficulty and so I’m excited to go back through again and hopefully meet another player who is open to having a more co-op experience than racing to the end goal. But that’s a personal hope and maybe I was just unlucky with my experiences.

*Sighs* Wish I could be that cool.

All in all I really enjoyed my time with DMC V. It had some of the best player-action gameplay I’ve had in a long time and features super satisfying gameplay systems. Not only that but the sound design on the weapons is great and the locations and graphics look amazing. And even though I would have appreciated a bit more cheese in cutscenes and dialogue, what was on offer was very pleasing to my eyes and ears. And that about does it for my review on DMC V. Feel free to let me know what you thought of this game in the comments. Thanks for reading.