19 Aug, 2011
It’s no surprise and certainly no secret that Ninja Theory will be approaching the devil hunting franchise from an entirely different angle. From a completely made-over look for protagonist Dante, to a cityscape that resembled something that fell out of a meshing between Fallout and Diablo, the hand-off from a Japanese developer to a Western one seemed to be a nail in the coffin for the series. Fans weren’t happy about it, but with recent footage coming out of both E3 and Gamescom, some have ceased their assault against Ninja Theory.
The dev team haven’t let the criticism dampen their spirits or their drive to give us a Devil May Cry title, especially one that lived up to fans’ demands. Capcom stepped onto the floor in Gamescom and took some time to show off Ninja Theory’s hardwork with some gameplay footage.
While the core was still there, Ninja Theory admitted that they were taking “several liberties” with the mythology surrounding the franchise. For one, Dante will now have three forms: human, devil, and angel. “Angel,” you say? You did see that right — Ninja Theory said that giving him this third form would be paramount in giving them the creative space to do what they’re aiming to do. Of course, the angelic form has been worked into DmC story, but Ninja Theory didn’t want to ruin the fun for any of us.
Making use of the Unreal Engine, Ninja Theory has also decided to throw in aesthetic elements, and lots of it. Color will be a key factor in your surroundings as you play through the city of Limbo. Use of color will distinguish between the demonic world of Limbo, and the real world, but it won’t be the typical fare — the real world will be the boring to look at with shades of gray, whereas the true demonic heart of Limbo’s world will be colorful, vibrant, and lively.
Though we’re all used to insane mannequins, harlequins, and crazy looking lizard things running at us with claws wide open, Ninja Theory has said that the city itself is also alive. While you’re contending with the likes of an armored monster, the floor might open up and try to swallow you. The city is alive in DmC, and Ninja Theory is set to impress with real time environmental mutation and destruction. As Dante runs through a church, the floor will extend itself and pits will open in the tiles. Don’t look down and don’t slow down, because streets will close in, and Limbo won’t stop at giving us plenty of hurdles to leap over. The dev team described Limbo as “malignant,” something very much living and breathing — you will die at the hands of enemies as much as the crumbling facade of a building.
With all of the artistic licenses taken here, some fans are probably still up in arms. Rest assured, original creators Capcom have been making monthly house calls to Ninja Theory to check up on progress. It’s also a reality check — sure, they’re going to let Ninja Theory play up to what they know best with a story and technicalities, but Capcom is also making sure that they don’t pull something out of left field.
Missed the latest trailer? Oh wait, look, it’s right here:
No official release date has been announced for DmC yet, but we’re going to go ahead and guess that it’s going to be after the pains of holiday shopping.
Via GamePro.
and people like this? wow! rip dante.