Capcom has finally brought its critically acclaimed action masterpiece to Nintendo's newest console with Devil May Cry 5: Devil Hunter Edition on the Switch 2. While it delivers the franchise's signature high-octane combat and steady performance on the go, returning fans might be disappointed by a puzzling missing feature. The game remains a visual and mechanical triumph, but it forces players to weigh portability against absolute completeness.
The narrative splits across three distinct protagonists - Dante, Nero, and the mysterious newcomer V - as they battle a new demon king named Urizen. While the fragmented storytelling can occasionally feel disjointed, the interpersonal dynamics between the trio build toward an emotionally charged finale. The real draw, however, remains the frenetic, combo-heavy gameplay that rewards players for mastering wildly different playstyles.
Nero focuses on close-quarters aggression using his disposable Devil Breaker mechanical arms, which offer creative combo extensions like riding the Punch Line arm like a skateboard. Dante remains the most versatile and complex, allowing players to switch between four distinct styles - Trickster, Gunslinger, Swordmaster, and Royalguard - mid-fight. Meanwhile, V introduces a unique, distance-based approach, relying on his familiars, Shadow and Griffon, to deal damage before he moves in for the final blow.
What's Included (and Missing) in the Devil Hunter Edition
This Switch 2 release bundles significant post-launch content at no extra cost, most notably making Dante's brother, Vergil, a fully playable character. Vergil's playstyle requires deliberate timing and patience, adding massive replayability to the campaign. The package also bakes in the wave-based Bloody Palace mode, Nero's joke weapons like the Mega Man Mega Buster, and bonus costumes.
Performance is excellent, maintaining a steady framerate in both handheld and docked modes, though graphical compromises are visible, particularly with muddy and frizzy hair textures. Despite the generous inclusions, the Devil Hunter Edition lacks the Legendary Dark Knight mode found in the Special Edition on other platforms. This mode, which drastically increases enemy counts for flashier combos, is a noticeable omission that prevents this from being the definitive version of the game.
The Portable Demon-Slaying Verdict
The decision to omit the Legendary Dark Knight mode on the Switch 2 likely stems from hardware limitations regarding CPU overhead and memory bandwidth, as rendering massive enemy hordes simultaneously is notoriously taxing on portable architectures. While the Switch 2 handles the base game's encounters flawlessly, pushing the engine to handle dozens of extra enemies on screen was clearly a bridge too far for Capcom's optimization targets.
However, for a portable action game, Devil May Cry 5 remains a technical marvel. If you have already mastered the Special Edition on a PlayStation 5, Xbox, or PC, there is no new content here to justify a double dip. But for newcomers or players who prioritize handheld demon-slaying, the fluid combat loop and the inclusion of Vergil make this an essential addition to the Switch 2 library.
