Comments on: Devil May Cry 4

By: Desmond

Desmond — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:09:11 +0000

When dealing with games, movies and other media that deal with religious and/or spiritual issues, I often find it useful to see how the creators perceive the religious/spiritual issues involved. This is important if one wants to see what is being said by the imagery, not just what we see in it (the two are often very different). In the case of DMC4, even though it is based on what appears to be mostly Catholic and Jewish demonology, the creators of the game are Japanese. Due to the proportionally tiny Christian church in Japan, it’s likely that few if any of the games creators were Christian. Their first understanding of demons probably came from Shinto, which presents a confusing dilemma.
The problem arises from the very word “demon.” In Shinto, the beings called demons in English are vastly different than the fallen angels we associate with the word in English. In Shinto, demons are powerful beings that are usually supernatural in nature, but their moral nature is almost identical to that of humans – they can be benevolent or evil, depending on the choices they make. They are often immortal, but usually not invincible. They have children, and can inter-breed with humans. In many ways, the English word “demon” conjures up ideas of a very different kind of being: one of absolute evil, death and destruction that is fundamentally different than humanity.
In DMC4, and in the whole series, we see that elements of both are shown in these fictional demons. They are basically evil, but on occasion can choose to be good. They are above and beyond humans, but can inter-marry with them. They stylistically resemble western perceptions of demons, but bear little resemblance in their nature to Biblical demons.
As someone who has had spiritual experiences involving both angels and demons, I have to say that the “demonic imagery” of pop-satanism has little bearing on me any more. The truth is, most of it is man-made, and has no power but the fear it inspires. In the end, God bends all things to His own ultimate will, even the rantings and ravings of all the doomed fallen angels. That being said, for many Christians this is a sore point. Western society has left most North American Christians woefully ignorant of the very real spiritual realm, and therefore ill equipped to face deeply supernatural things like angels and demons. IF THIS IS YOUR CASE, BE CAREFUL WITH THIS GAME. Avoiding it altogether may be your best option, as the enemy will use anything and everything to get at you. Same goes for guys with lust issues. While there is only one scene that I would consider to be a serious threat, it’s a pretty darn serious threat.
If you can get past these issues, though, the game makes a serious point about redemption. No matter how broken or evil or corrupted your past is, it’s never beyond redemption. Remember Rom. 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (emphasis mine)

By: Meg-chan

Meg-chan — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:42:04 +0000

I personally enjoy the game very much–I have not played it, but I have been able to get my hands on DMC 3, as well as the DMC 4 cutscenes. In fact, even in the Devil May Cry anime, you see sacrifice–

*SPOILERS AHEAD!*

Dante is impaled with his own sword in the demon realm, and he initially enters the confrontation to save the world from a crazed demon, despite the fact that he`s half-demon himself.

*END SPOILER*

And even in the very first episode of the anime series, he shows no qualms about protecting the little hirl, Patty–DMC fans from game 2 will recognize the coin Lady flipped to decide whether he would take the job or not, in fact, it`s a trick coin with both sides the same, the same coin he used to decide whether he would go into the demon realm or not in game 2.

Anyhoo, back to DMC 4–it`s really an excellent game, going from the cutscenes I`ve seen and videos I`ve watched of gameplay, and while Dante and Nero certainly aren`t saints, they do have good qualities. ^-^

By: Alan Heer

Alan Heer — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 05:26:27 +0000

Jeez If he feels offended by the game then don’t hog him about it. He obviously played the game and if he saw those things he say them. Just give him the benefit of the doubt. If there is something wrong just point it out. Don’t shout his mistakes to make him look bad or to make yourselves feel better about it. It’s not like one negative review is going to keep you from playing the game. Sorry If I sound scolding but I am just so tired of people dogging others who don’t agree with them. It’s just so immature. And by the way I haven’t played the game (no PS3 ) so game wise I’m Neutral.

By: edwin2026

edwin2026 — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:45:59 +0000

The Biblical teaching about spiritual warfare is to “be strong in THE LORD and in the strength of HIS might” (Ephesians 6:10). Devil May Cry 4 turns that God-centered theology on its head and has us fighting fire with fire

Fighting fire with fire not only happened in DMC 4, but almost all games….except puzzle or sport games of course

Nero passes through a torture chamber where several bodies are trapped inside metal cages.

I did not encountered this one, it probably has been cencored

The characters do not use God’s name in vain since, apparently, there is no God in this fantasy world.

Of course wrong, did you notice that most of new characters in this game has been used commonly in Christian ritual:

Agnus = Lamb
Credo = Creed
Sanctus = Holy
Gloria = Glory to the God
Kyrie = Lord

The use of name Kyrie of course mentioning God’s name in vain…and as mentioned by Renan, there IS a God in this DMC world.
I tried to think positively since the story designer depicted Kyrie as very modest girl. Next time, you should be more professional when doing review! Play the game until finish!

POSITIVE ELEMENTS
This may or may not be positive element, but Nero is willing to transform into a devil if it will save his friend and lover, Kyrie.

You forgot to mention when Kyrie tried to help a boy at the cutscene mission 2, and also Credo sacrifice to save Nero at the end of mission 11

I personally thought, beside the use of name ‘Kyrie’ and a bit of sexual content (Bael’s and Dagon’s antenna), no content of this game has offence in Christianity

It is far compared to Doom 3, the most satanic game I have ever played

By: Jackie

Jackie — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 17:38:29 +0000

Ok…are you joking about this? I’m a christian and I’ve played every single devil may cry game and have not once be offended by it…and why? because it’s basically like a manga or comic book, it’s it own little world with it’s own mythology, theology doesn’t come anywhere into this game, if you want a game to be offended by then play the new Alone in the dark, I’ve just finished it and it’s one of the most satan based games I’ve ever seen.

By: Joshua

Joshua — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 04:56:31 +0000

I agree while DMC does have some questionable content, it does have a couple of Christian references, especially toward the end. It talks of love, sacrifice, redemption, and God’s purpose. It also clearly shows the lines of good and evil. I would recommend it to older (18+) audiences, if they can handle some of the demonic images.

By: Renan

Renan — Tue, 20 May 2008 22:32:12 +0000

Tachnically there does exist a God in this fantasy world as you said. Someone didn’t listen’to Nero’s speech at the end!

By: Josh

Josh — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:17:12 +0000

…”it’s also an example of why Christian Guide2Games exists: to help us choose games that honor the Lord Jesus Christ… and to expose the ones that do Him dishonor.”

Yes, that’s completely true!

By: Aaron Ploof

Aaron Ploof — Mon, 05 May 2008 18:54:22 +0000

My Ratings:
3.5 Stars
Christian Rating: 3 of 5 (average)
Gameplay: 4 of 5 (good)
Violence: 3 of 5 (mild)
Adult Content: 3 of 5 (mild)

Devil May Cry 4 is the first true sequel to the original Devil May Cry, an extreme action game released in the late 1990s. The first few games focused on Dante, a demi-human demon hunter, and his efforts to save the human world from the invasion of demons. Devil May Cry 4 does feature Dante, however, this time, he is a minor character. In his place is newcomer Nero.

Nero is part of the Order of the Sword, a religious organization which worships Sparda, the demon which defeated Mundus(Satan) and saved humankind. While Nero is attending a church service with his girlfriend Kyrie, Dante smashes through the overhead window and murders the priest in front of the entire congregration. Nero attempts to fight Dante, yet he is no match for him. When Dante flees, the Order of the Sword sends Nero to track him down. Has Dante truly turned his back on mankind?

DMC has always been primarily an action-driven series, and thus this installation retains its predecessor’s main gameply elements. Most of the game is spent killing demons as Nero. Nero’s main weapon is his “devil bringer”, an arm which enables him to capture enemies and bring them towards him so he can attack them. Likewise, he can also use the “devil bringer” to bring himself towards enemies to attack them. This mechanic allows a multitude of combos that can be performed on the ground, as well as in the air. Nero’s other weapons include his sword, Red Queen, and his gun, Blue Rose, both of which can be charged up for extra damage.

About halfway through the game, gameplay switches to Dante. Dante retains his Gunslinger, Swordmaster, Trickmaster, and Royal Guard Styles from Devil May Cry 3. This time, however, styles can effortessly be switched on the fly, by pressing any of the 4 assigned D-PAD buttons. This allows for even more possible combos and enriches the overall gameplay experience.

While the gameplay is top notch, some of the design choices unfortunately drag down the game in its overall quality. Each boss that you fight as Nero is refought as Dante and once again refought as Nero. It’s unfortuante that Capcom could not add a little more variety to the enemies. Additionally, Dante’s half of the game is esentially a re-tread over Nero’s half. While playing as Dante you backtrack through every environment that Nero made his way through in the first half of the game. A little more variety in the areas wouldn’t have hurt.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Content wise, the game falters a bit. Your primary enemies, aside from the demons, are those of the church, who are using Sparda’s power to gain the trust of all the people in the congregation. Furthermore, Sparda is referred to as “Savior” multiple times by the main head priest of the Order of the Sword. Aditionally, when you fight members of the Order, they appear as demonic looking angels. It is clear, however, throughout the game that the Order of the Sword is warping Sparda’s power and using it for evil purposes. Nero comments on how Sparda had the ability to love humans, something that the Serpah, or leader of the Order of the Sword, could never do. He also talks directly to God near the end of the game. Props are given in the fact that good and evil are presented clearly, yet it still may make some people uncomfortable.

DMC has never been particuarly violent during gameplay. The enemies you have do bleed a bit, but once you destroy them they vanish and are replaced with red orbs that you carry to purchase items. The violence contained in the cinematics may be a bit more intense, but it’s not overly gory or bloody.

Sexually the game stumbles more-so than in both areas previously mentioned. All female characters in the game are especially well endowed, and Dante’s demon hunting partners, Trish and Lady(characters that carry over from DMC1 and DMC3) wear particuarly revealing clothing that doesn’t leave much to the imagination. Gloria, a member of the order of the sword, also wears a outfit which is clearly designed to show off her assests. The game takes no qualms on focusing on the more attractive parts of the female pyshique. Finally, one of the enemies Nero faces uses female lures that behave in a sexual manner.

Overall, DMC4 is another excellent entry in the series. While it may have some problems in the design area, the excellent combat more than makes up for it. On the content side, it’s not much different than the previous DMC’s so if you were able to play through those without many problems, this one should be okay as well.

Reccomended.