Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat has gone through a major downgrade, but it’s still a solid action game

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SHOULD I PLAY DEVIL MAY CRY: PEAK OF COMBAT?

It’s worth checking out, but you might want to keep your expectations in check, especially if you played the beta. I was really impressed with Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat during its beta, but since then, the combat system has been seriously downgraded. Characters now have only one basic attack button, which makes it much harder to string together combos. The original weapon switching system has been replaced with character swapping, which makes individual characters less customizable. It’s still a good mobile action game, but it’s lacking the kind of complexity I crave from a DMC title. To make things worse, the game’s monetization practices feel really scummy. Peak of Combat is entertaining enough, but it should definitely be approached with caution.

TIME PLAYED

I spent around three hours with the current version of Peak of Combat, which was enough time to complete the first three chapters of the main story and check out some side content. I also spent around ten hours playing the game during its beta tests, which has given me a pretty good sense of how the game has changed over time.

WHAT’S AWESOME ABOUT DEVIL MAY CRY: PEAK OF COMBAT?

• Smooth, intuitive, mobile controls. Peak of Combat has gone through some changes, but it still feels amazing to play on mobile. The touch controls are extremely responsive, moves are appropriately flashy, and the gameplay is consistently fast-paced. I tested the game with my Backbone One controller and was surprised to discover I preferred using the touch screen. The mobile controls are seamless, and I really appreciate that.

• Solid art direction and sound design. When I play Devil May Cry, I expect awesome-looking monsters and an adrenaline-pumping soundtrack, and Peak of Combat definitely delivers on that front. It’s filled to the brim with creepy creatures, and the music and sound effects always kept my energy levels high. I loved hearing the announcer yell “crazy” as I started to build up a combo.

• Character switching is pretty fun. While I preferred Peak of Combat’s original combat system, swapping between characters is still a blast. I loved firing off a few shots as Lady before I jumped over to Dante and whacked enemies with my sword. Tag team mechanics are a natural fit for Devil May Cry’s gameplay. If Peak of Combat had found a way to combine this system with the original weapon swapping system, the gameplay would be pretty close to perfect.

WHAT SUCKS ABOUT DEVIL MAY CRY: PEAK OF COMBAT?

• Awful, money-grubbing monetization. Shortly after I started Peak of Combat, I was given ten chances to perform ten gacha pulls, which is a hundred pulls in total. Afterwards, I could choose one set of ten to keep. It seemed like a great deal, but it came with a terrible catch: If I wanted to keep those pulls, I would have to spend a whopping $60.

Not only is this offer absurdly overpriced—it averages out to six dollars per pull—but it feels like a nasty trick. Most gacha games are generous in the early stages, but Peak of Combat was trying to scam me out of my money right from the start. I’m usually willing to spend money on mobile games, but after that stunt, I didn’t want to give Peak of Combat a single cent.

• Gacha pulls are unsatisfying. On top of its scummy monetization practices, Peak of Combat’s gacha system just isn’t fun. Currently, there are four playable characters: Dante, Lady, Nero, and Vergil. The first three can be unlocked through normal gameplay, but you can only get Vergil if you spend money or roll the dice with gacha pulls.

So what do you get from the gacha system? It mostly rewards you with weapon upgrades, but you can also unlock new versions of the existing characters. Look, getting new skins for Dante or Lady is cool, but it’s not exciting enough to motivate me to shell out for additional pulls.

• Irritating stamina system. In addition to its main story, Peak of Combat has plenty of side quests. This bonus content seems fun in theory, but unfortunately, it’s attached to a frustrating stamina system. Once you’ve exhausted your available stamina, you have to stop taking on side quests or pay for a stamina refill. The stamina system doesn’t affect the main story, which I appreciate, but it still left a bad taste in my mouth.

PLATFORMS TESTED

Android via Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G phone and iOS via iPhone 15 Pro.