Scattered among all the console pre-order chatter this week, players are getting to see the official box art for many launch titles for the first time, and the cover for Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition has would-be buyers reconsidering their options. Late to the party, as usual, Dante and friends are hitting both Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 on their respective launch days in a new special edition of their latest adventure. This version of the game will feature three new modes and support for ray tracing on the 4K consoles, although it curiously won't be coming to PC.
Fans are most excited to get "Vergil Mode," a new campaign option to play through the game as popular alternate protagonist Vergil. The more civilized brother of the main hero Dante, Vergil already has a role to play in the existing narrative of the game, so it's yet to be seen how Capcom will center the existing levels around this new playable character. Other added modes include a blisteringly fast speed increase in "Turbo Mode" and "Dark Knight Mode," which ramps up the number of enemies on-screen by a considerable degree.
There's no doubt that dedicated franchise fans will be itching to relive Devil May Cry 5 when the special edition releases, but will their purchase be physical or digital? Based on the reaction in places like Reddit and ResetEra, more players than normal may be heading the digital route. From comparing the composition to a cheesy movie poster from the 1980s to mocking the message exclaiming that the game features more modes "INCLUDING VERGIL MODE," it's a cover of a quality not seen since the rereleases of Batman: Arkham City. Considering the covers of both versions of the original game, the unruly mixture of images layered on top of one another really stands out, and not in a great way.
There are some defending the cover to be sure, feeling that the cheese an incongruous design matches with the game's less than serious sensibilities. However, the message most fans are taking away from it (with various levels of seriousness) is that Capcom is subtly trying to repel players from the disc version and make them go digital. It's not completely out of the realm of possibility, especially considering that both Microsoft and Sony are offering all digital options this time out. When a player chooses to focus on digital spending, more money flows towards publishers and platform holders alike, especially since digital discounts are never as deep as what some retailers will offer to get discs off their hands.
Whatever the reason, the redesigned cover for Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition is sure to stick in fans' minds for many years to come. The Internet loves when a game company does something out of leftfield, especially when that thing is such a weird misfire. Game releases and marketing are such controlled experiences that anything that seems like a crazy left turn instantly attracts attention, which could generate a whole other conspiracy theory as to why Capcom's graphic designers were asleep at the wheel on this one.