Devil May Cry Game of the Year 1

Devil May Cry 5 is Capcom back to its best. After a rocky start to the generation, the legendary developer has upped its game dramatically over the last couple of years, and the return of Dante is a standout moment, once again proving that no one understands action quite like Capcom.

In short, Devil May Cry 5 is easily one of the best action titles on the PlayStation 4. Its strength lies in its ability to convey intense, brutal, and satisfying combat in the most stylish way imaginable, resulting in something that's both amazing to play and incredible to watch. The game's a feast for the senses; an immensely polished thrill-ride that doesn't let up until after the credits roll.

Split between three playable characters, the campaign could have easily felt stretched or unbalanced, but the game's pacing is pretty much immaculate. Each lead gets ample time in the spotlight, and their individual fighting styles are always given room to breathe. And make no mistake: there's a lot to learn here. From wrapping your head around V's ability to control his powerful pets from a distance, to mastering Dante's open-ended weapon-switching combo structure, there's a richness to Devil May Cry 5's design that's a joy to explore.

Devil May Cry Game of the Year 2

And can we talk about just how good this game looks? Aside from some relatively bland environments, Devil May Cry 5 is stunning. It runs at a silky smooth 60 frames-per-second, its character animations are flawless, and it boasts some of the most impressive visual effects that we've ever seen on a PlayStation system -- period. Those of you who have gone toe-to-toe with the title's final boss will know exactly what we're talking about. Speaking of which, that particular boss battle has got to be 2019's best.

The praise doesn't stop there, however. Perhaps Devil May Cry 5's greatest achievement is the fact that it delivers what feels like a fresh start for the series without sacrificing its love for dumb one-liners and ridiculously over-the-top cutscenes. It's both a fantastic standalone adventure and a love letter to fans who have stuck with the franchise since the PS2 glory days. Where Devil May Cry 4 couldn't quite match its predecessor and felt a little unsure of itself, Devil May Cry 5 knows exactly what it wants to be, and pulls it off with style and swagger to spare.

Have you played Devil May Cry 5? Do you think it's one of the best PS4 games of 2019? Don't drop your combo in the comments section below.

How we decide our Game of the Year: At the end of November, our editorial team creates a list of nominees for Game of the Year based on our own review scores and a number of other factors. After much discussion, we trim the list of nominees down and ask all Push Square staff to vote on their five favourites using a points-based system. The ten games with the most points by the designated deadline are our top ten PS4 titles of 2019. We then use this same order when writing about each game.