Leading up to the release of Capcom’s latest installment in their demon stomping hack and slash series, a ton of controversy swirled amidst gamers and the games media after the announcement that Devil May Cry 5 was going to have microtransactions. Cries from hardcore fans to the general gaming community at large expressed fear that the in-game economy would be broken in order to force players’ wallets. I’m extremely happy to report that this is not the case at all.
As a matter of fact, Devil May Cry 5 may be the most lenient game in the series when it comes to not only the abundance of Red Orbs you can collect in each level, but the overall price of abilities as well. Skills that used to be 15000 Orbs in Devil May Cry 4 return as a simple 3500 orb investment, unlockable as early as the first chapter. Even Gold Orbs, which used to be the series’ most desired item, are easily collected through multiplayer interactions, hidden in the secret-packed levels, and even given freely as a daily login bonus just for booting up the game.
Capcom put serious effort into making sure that anyone taking Devil May Cry 5 seriously will find themselves easily leveling up between each mission. There are more hidden areas and orb caches than ever before, characters like V make getting S Ranks extremely simple for when it comes time to grind in future playthroughs, and the reduced prices are just a delightful bonus. Those who purchased the Deluxe Edition even received an extra 200,000 orbs, which I didn’t even have to touch for my review to enjoy the game to its fullest. Trust me when I tell you that Capcom hasn’t fallen into the microtransaction pit that EA continues to dig themselves into this day.
The only way I could see someone having trouble progressing comfortably is if they just can’t play the game skillfully. Microtransactions exist in Devil May Cry 5 for the same exact reason they were added in Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition: they’re there for less experienced players to fall back on, those playing on Human difficulty, rushing through each level just to see the next beautiful cutscene because they don’t want to waste any of their free time on learning the intricacies of DMC5’s stellar combat (which would be a shame if you didn’t already disregard this theoretical person for partaking in microtransactions). If you’re a fan of the series, or even just a general fan of action games, it’s highly unlikely you’ll feel the need to touch that “Store” button on the main menu.
As consumers, we should never frown on the option of choice. While some of us may never partake in microtransactions so long as they continuously get pushed out by the likes of EA and Ubisoft, an unobtrusive option for them like the one presented in Devil May Cry 5 should be welcomed. It opens the game up to less experienced players who are unwilling to “git gud”, while letting the more hardcore among us enjoy the game for all it’s worth with no harm done.
READ NEXT: The 25 Best PS4 Games You Should Own
Some of the coverage you find on Cultured Vultures contains affiliate links, which provide us with small commissions based on purchases made from visiting our site. We cover gaming news, movie reviews, wrestling and much more.
