The most refined DMC to date, but it falters in ways that its predecessors excelled in. It tries to take itself more seriously towards the midpoint forward, but the material is for the most part just a retread of 3's themes only done worse (at least they made Nero all cool and self-actualized). The first 10 levels or so look great, but they quickly lose flavor for me with the dichromic Qilphoth chapters. Even if 4 was straight-up an incomplete game, its environments felt much more lively here. Worst of all, it has some great bosses that are undercut by a lower difficulty. This could be completely avoided by having SoS mode available by default, but oh well. My complaints can't detract from the fact that Nero is a resounding step-up and Dante is still a euphoric aneurysm to control. V isn't too bad either, just awkward.

One of the most uneven games in the series. Some of the maps are incredible, and some are horrendous slogs. It has some of the highest route customization via an overabundance of available units, but that means that most of the characters are pretty bland since the game has to accommodate for so many. If you're going for a hard mode run, buckle up and stay away from Sacae. Shoutout to my man Bartre, the only good axe unit in the game.