
Gameplay di Devil May Cry 4 adalah mirip dengan permainan sebelumnya dalam seri. Pemain harus berjuang melalui tingkat yang disebut "misi", kadang-kadang memecahkan teka-teki atau mengumpulkan item. Kinerja misi dinilai dari D menjadi kelas bawah melalui C, B, A, dan S menjadi nilai tertinggi. Kelas didasarkan pada item yang digunakan, Red Orbs berkumpul, waktu yang dibutuhkan, dan jumlah Poin Gaya akumulasi. Setiap kelas Titik Style memiliki sendiri tag-kata. The kelas gaya muncul di sisi layar dan mulai di "Mematikan" (D); berlangsung melalui "Carnage" (C), "Brutal" (B), dan "Atom" (A), kemudian, berkembang melalui satu terakhir bar kelas yang mengandung frase "Smokin '" (S), "Smokin' Style" (SS), dan terakhir "Gaya Sakit Smokin '" (SSS). Memerangi gaya ini adalah fokus utama dari permainan, yang disampaikan melalui combo tak terputus serangan bervariasi sambil menghindari kerusakan. Pemain harus menghindari serangan musuh untuk terus melakukan combo, sering dengan menghafal pola serangan. [2]
The Devil Trigger adalah sebuah negara super yang memungkinkan pemain untuk menjadi lebih kuat menambahkan regenerasi kesehatan lambat tapi stabil, dengan peningkatan kerusakan yang dilakukan. Devil Trigger dapat diaktifkan dengan menekan tombol untuk memicu ketika jumlah minimum mengukur diisi (minimal menjadi tiga slot penuh).
Nero is a young man who lives on the city-island of Fortuna, where
the island's inhabitants (The Order of the Sword) worship the Legendary
Dark Knight Sparda as a god. He goes to the Opera House in time to see
his romantic interest Kyrie perform for the Order of the Sword's
celebration ceremony in Sparda's honor. The Order's high priest Sanctus
begins a sermon, but is interrupted by
Dante
who bursts from a skylight and assassinates Sanctus in front of the
entire audience. The Order's Holy Knights, led by Kyrie's older brother
Credo, try to subdue Dante but he defeats them easily as the audience
flees the Opera House. Nero fights Dante as Credo takes Kyrie and
promises to return with reinforcements. With only each other as
witnesses, Dante and Nero's fight is brutal as Dante's prowess far
outmatches Nero's. Their battle is stopped when Nero taps into his
dormant demonic power, to the surprise of both himself and Dante, and
emerges the victor. Impressed, and noticeably unfazed by Nero's
pummeling, Dante reveals that the Holy Knights members he killed were
actually demons. As for Nero, Dante implies that his heritage may be of a
different sort, before he quickly departs.
Reinforcements arrive, and Nero keeps both his newfound power and his
sudden misgivings about The Order to himself, as Credo gives Nero the
task of stopping Dante and discovering his true intentions. However, the
city suddenly finds itself under siege by a demonic attack, seemingly
related to Dante's appearance. While Credo leads Kyrie and the
townspeople to The Order of the Sword Headquarters, Nero embarks on his
quest through the destroyed city to Fortuna Castle. At the castle Nero
meets Gloria, a new high ranking Order of the Sword member who leaves to
regroup with Credo at Headquarters. As his quest deepens, Nero uncovers
the secret lab of Order of the Sword Member Agnus, who has secretly
been experimenting with demonic power. Siphoning the intense demonic
energy from the shards of Yamato (the long lost sword that used to
belong to Vergil, Dante's brother), Agnus has secretly created an army
of demon infused warriors and several Hell-Gates across Fortuna under
the orders of Sanctus himself. Additionally, it is revealed that Sanctus
has survived Dante's assassination by infusing himself with the soul of
a powerful demon, in the aptly titled "Ascension Ceremony," which has
given him and his followers the powers of a demon.
Shocked by the treachery of the Order, Nero fights Agnus but is
mortally wounded by him. With the attack fully unlocking his own dormant
demonic power, Nero's energy mends the broken Yamato and calls it to
his hand. He destroys the lab and Agnus flees to Headquarters to inform
Sanctus. Nero gives chase towards Headquarters, as he tries to piece
together The Order's ultimate plan involving the Hell Gates, while also
contemplating the implications of his demonic heritage. Defeating the
creatures spawned from Agnus's Hell Gates, Nero discovers to his dismay
that Credo is part of the conspiracy, having similarly undergone his own
Acension Ceremony and become a demon. It is revealed that Credo has
been tasked by Sanctus to stop Nero, and that Gloria has taken up Nero's
job of hunting Dante, thus revealing The Order's intentions to elimate
all those who stand in their way. The fight between Nero and Credo is
interrupted by Agnus who brings Kyrie to see Nero transform into a
devil, which makes her lose her faith in Nero. Agnus then kidnaps Kyrie
and departs. Credo, stunned by The Order's blatant use of his sister to
stop Nero, is shaken in his own belief and apologizes to Nero, promising
to return once he has investigated Sanctus's true intentions.
His quest to apprehend Dante long forgotten, Nero decides to save
Kyrie from Sanctus, but ironically encounters Dante instead. Nero wishes
to simply pass him, but Dante wants Nero to give him back Yamato,
stating it has too much power to be trusted with anyone but himself.
This in turn sparks a fight between Nero and Dante, which Nero soundly
loses. After the fight, Dante reveals that he wanted to test Nero to
make sure he could trust him to keep Yamato safe for the time being.
Trading names, the two form a steady alliance, and Nero continues
forward with Dante's approval. Suddenly, Gloria appears before Dante as
Nero leaves, and it is revealed that she is actually Dante's partner
Trish. Having been sent to hunt Dante, Trish's guise as Gloria has given
herself and Dante the window to strike at Sanctus with the element of
surprise on their side, and with Nero biting at Sanctus's heels.
Finally, Nero finds Sanctus at the heart of the Order of the Sword
Headquarters with an enormous statue in Sparda's image, which Sanctus
calls "The Savior." Sanctus reveals that only Yamato and the Legendary
Sparda Sword, along with Sparda's blood can awaken the Savior and
unleash it's incredible demonic powers. Having already received the
Sparda Sword from Trish as Gloria (to buy Sanctus's trust), Sanctus
needs only the blood of Sparda and Yamato. This final revelation reveals
that Nero is indeed a descendant of Sparda's blood, and the key to
Sanctus unleashing hell upon Fortuna. Nero rushes headfirst into battle,
but Sanctus uses Kyrie as a human shield to distract Nero at the last
minute, and succeeds in capturing him. Revealing that The Savior also
requires a powerful demon at its core as a power source, Sanctus decides
Nero will be a suitable replacement considering he had originally
intended to use Dante. Suddenly, Credo returns and attacks Sanctus in an
attempt to rescue Nero and Kyrie. Unfortunately, Credo is defeated by
Sanctus who stabs him with Yamato, followed by Nero. With Nero's blood,
The Savior awakens and Nero is absorbed into it, promising to Kyrie that
he will free them as they are imprisoned within its confines. Dante and
Trish appear, unable to stop the proceedings, and promise Credo in his
final moments to save Kyrie and Nero.
Underneath the city, Agnus opens the true hell gate with Yamato,
which releases countless demons upon the city. Using The Savior to
defeat the oncoming demons, Sanctus enacts his ultimate plan: To
strengthen the people's worship in Sparda by putting them through Hell,
and subsequently acting as Sparda to save them. Dante, making his way
through Fortuna, succeeds in destroying all of the false hell gates
Agnus created, and kills Agnus after a confrontation in the Opera House.
Reclaiming Yamato, Dante seals the final hell gate and sends Trish to
help get the citizens as far away from his impending battle with The
Savior as possible. Finally taking on The Savior, Dante skillfully
engages Sanctus and weakens The Savior's power. Learning that The
Savior's true power source lies from within, Dante takes Yamato and
drives it through the Savior's chest, freeing Nero who reclaims it
inside The Savior. With Dante fighting The Savior from the outside, and
Nero from within, Nero races to the Savior's Heart where Sanctus awaits,
with Kyrie as his prisoner. Facing Sanctus, Nero's love for Kyrie give
him the strength he needs to gain the upper hand in the battle. Nero
plunges Yamato into Sanctus's chest and frees Kyrie in process, who
embraces him.
In the aftermath, Nero and Kyrie escape the confines of The Savior
and Nero returns the Sparda Sword to Dante, its rightful owner. The
Savior however reawakens, having absorbed Sanctus's soul, and attacks
them. Destroying this final demon, Nero finally makes peace with his
demonic heritage after acknowledging the power it has given him to save
those he cares about. The battle having been won, Nero goes to see Dante
off. Returning Yamato to Dante, Nero comes to realize that he does not
need to rely on its power anymore, having found his own inner strength.
Sensing this change in Nero, Nero's offering prompts Dante instead to
entrust him with Yamato, who accepts it as a token of Dante's respect.
In entrusting Nero with Yamato, it is heavily implied that Nero is in
fact the son of Dante's brother Vergil. This would explain Nero's
connection to Sparda's bloodline, but it is never outright stated. Dante
departs as Nero and Kyrie reconcile in the ruins of Fortuna. They are
finally about to share a kiss when they are interrupted by scarecrow
demons. Nero, finally embracing his demonic powers, readily goes to face
them off.
Some time later, in the post credits scene, Lady makes a stop at the
Devil May Cry office. Earlier in the story, it is revealed that Knights
of the Order of the Sword had butted in on a few of her jobs, and stolen
powerful Devil Arms. Sensing foul play, she had hired Dante and Trish
to investigate The Order's intentions in the first place, so she could
finally do her jobs in peace. Offering a laughably small reward, and
citing that Trish bringing the Sparda Sword to Fortuna was the only
reason things got so out of hand, the two argue over the pay as Dante
tries to ignore them while reading a magazine. They bring Dante into the
argument, who reluctantly accepts Lady's reward. With Lady having
settled affairs to her liking, a phone call interrupts her exiting the
shop. Trish answers and reveals that the caller is offering a job, which
Dante ethusiastically accepts. With all forgotten in the thrill of the
impending job, Lady excitedly asks to tag along, and Dante happily
informs her that she won't get any of the reward money, as the three
charge out into the night, guns blazing.