Control and Devil May Cry are both stylish third-person action games, but they test very different skills. Control is a ranged, ability-driven sandbox in which Jesse combines a transforming Service Weapon, telekinesis and the architecture around her. Devil May Cry is melee-first character action built around launchers, air combos, weapon changes, style selection and precise execution. Choose Control for improvisational fights shaped by the arena; choose Devil May Cry for deliberate combo construction and mastery of move timing.
At a glance: two different definitions of combat depth
| Combat question | Control | Devil May Cry |
|---|---|---|
| Primary distance | Usually mid- to long-range, with abilities controlling space | Close-range melee strings supported by guns, launchers and aerial attacks |
| Main source of variety | Five Service Weapon forms, supernatural powers, upgrades, mods and throwable objects | Distinct weapon movesets, character-specific kits, four styles for Dante and combo interactions |
| Signature actions | Launch, Shield, Seize and Levitate | Launchers, air combos, Devil Trigger, style switching and character-specific mechanics |
| What the arena does | Provides ammunition, cover and telekinetic objects that can become attacks | Provides room for spacing, juggling and repositioning, but the moveset supplies most of the expression |
| Primary skill test | Target priority, spatial awareness and maintaining a power-and-firearm flow | Move knowledge, timing, cancels, aerial control and sustaining stylish sequences |
| How depth appears | Early fights are approachable; complexity comes from combining systems and reading encounters | The basic attacks are accessible, while advanced depth unfolds through properties, timing and style interactions |
Neither system is simply “deeper” in every sense. Control offers more situational improvisation because the room itself becomes part of your arsenal. Devil May Cry offers a denser execution ceiling because every weapon, style and timing decision can alter a combo route.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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CONTROL Ultimate Edition - PlayStation 5 | Buy on Amazon | |
| 2 |
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Control Ultimate Edition (PS5) | $49.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion - PlayStation 5 | $24.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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What Control is asking you to do
Build a loop from gunfire, powers and the room
In Control, Jesse Faden carries the Service Weapon, a supernatural firearm that transforms into five forms. Each form has different strengths, so switching is a tactical response to the enemy and the space rather than a cosmetic change. One form may suit a durable target, another a quick opening or a cluster of enemies. The official PlayStation gameplay overview presents the weapon as one half of Jesse’s combat identity; supernatural abilities supply the other half.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →The most important distinction from a traditional character-action game is that attacks are not confined to a fixed string of sword inputs. Jesse can lift an object and use Launch to hurl it, creating a projectile from furniture, masonry or debris. The same room that provides cover can therefore become a source of damage. You are constantly asking which object is available, which enemy is vulnerable and whether spending the ability now is worth preserving the rest of the encounter’s resources.
#1 Best Overall
- Uncover the mysteries - Can you handle the bureau’s dark secrets? Unfold an epic supernatural struggle, filled with unexpected characters and bizarre events, as you search for your missing brother, and discover the truth that has brought you here.
- Everything is your weapon - Unleash destruction through transforming weaponry and telekinetic powers. Discover new ways to annihilate your enemies as you harness powerful abilities to turn everything around you into a lethal weapon.
- Explore a hidden world - Delve deep into the ominous expanses of a secretive government agency. Explore the Bureau’s shifting environments only to discover that there is always more than meets the eye…
- Fight for control - Battle a relentless enemy through exciting missions and challenging boss fights to earn powerful upgrades that maximize abilities and customize your weaponry.
Use powers to change the shape of an encounter
- Launch: Lifted objects become high-impact projectiles, allowing the environment to supplement or interrupt firearm use.
- Shield: Jesse forms a barrier from debris, giving her a defensive answer while exposed in an open arena.
- Seize: A weakened enemy can be converted into an ally, changing the number and direction of threats.
- Levitate: Jesse gains a movement option that helps her reposition vertically and maintain control over dangerous spaces.
These abilities do more than add extra buttons. They alter target priority. A wounded enemy may be more valuable as a Seize candidate than as a target to finish. A group near loose objects invites Launch, while a broad line of fire may make Shield the safer answer. Levitate can move Jesse away from a bad angle or put her in a position from which the next throw is possible. The result is a combat rhythm of reading, spending and repositioning rather than memorizing one optimal combo.
Manage a resource-based firearm-and-ability flow
Control alternates firearm use and recovery with ability resources. Continuous shooting can leave a weapon form recovering when an opening appears, while repeated powers can consume the resource needed for the next Launch or defensive action. The practical skill is keeping one part of the kit active while another recovers: fire when the weapon is ready, throw when an object and a target line up, and move before the arena closes around you.
This flow makes Control’s fights feel less like a score-attack routine and more like active problem solving. There is still a preferred response to many threats, but the game rarely asks you to stand in one place and complete a long input sequence. The room, enemy arrangement and available resources determine the answer.
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Progression expands options instead of replacing fundamentals
Jesse can upgrade her powers and weapon forms. Mods improve attributes such as damage, reload time, health or ability performance. These upgrades let players tune the balance between firearms, survivability and powers, but they do not remove the need to understand spacing. A stronger Launch still requires an object and a viable target; a better weapon form still needs the right range and timing.
That progression is why Control can feel immediately readable while retaining room for experimentation. A new player can shoot, throw and block, then gradually learn when to combine them. More experienced play comes from linking those choices without allowing recovery windows, incoming attacks or poor positioning to break the flow.
What Devil May Cry is asking you to do
Turn individual moves into a controlled sequence
Devil May Cry is melee-first character action. Its central question is not “What object can I use?” but “Which move, weapon, style and timing will extend this sequence?” Launchers send enemies upward; air combos keep them there; weapon changes and cancels let the player move from one attack idea to another without surrendering control.
Capcom producer Matt Walker described the first Devil May Cry as establishing air combos and launchers, along with Devil Trigger and Style Rank. Those systems define the series’ emphasis on performing under pressure. The objective is not merely to defeat an enemy but to do so with enough control and variety to sustain a stylish sequence.
Learn how each playable character changes the grammar
Nero combines the chargeable Blue Rose gun with the Red Queen sword and Devil Breakers. Official Devil May Cry 5 tips emphasize timing MAX Act during sword swings: pressing at the correct moment charges the Red Queen for a more powerful follow-up. Nero’s kit also makes timing and spacing unusually visible because his attacks can be reinforced by a well-timed input rather than simply repeated.
V attacks through the Griffon and Shadow familiars. His body is not the sole source of damage, so the player must direct separate attackers, create openings and move in to finish enemies when the situation allows. That changes the usual melee cadence without abandoning the series’ focus on positioning and stylish control.
Dante combines multiple guns and melee weapons with four styles:
- Trickster emphasizes mobility and evasive movement.
- Swordmaster expands melee options.
- Gunslinger adds firearm techniques.
- Royal Guard rewards defensive timing and precise responses.
Dante’s real-time style switching means the player can change the answer during a sequence rather than selecting one permanent loadout before a fight. A movement tool, melee extension, ranged attack or defensive reaction can all belong to the same evolving route.
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Rank #2
- Uncover the mysteries. Can you handle the bureau's dark secrets? Unfold an epic supernatural struggle, filled with unexpected characters and bizarre events, as you search for your missing brother, and discover the truth that has brought you here
- everything is your weapon. Unleash destruction through transforming weaponry and telekinetic powers. Discover New ways to annihilate your enemies as you harness powerful abilities to turn everything around you into a lethal weapon
- explore a hidden world. Delve deep into the Ominous expanses of a secretive government Agency. Explore the bureau's shifting environments only to discover that there is always more than meets the eye
- fight for control. Battle a relentless enemy through exciting missions and challenging boss fights to earn powerful upgrades that maximize abilities and customize your weaponry
- experience true next-generation gaming with increased visual fidelity through 4K graphics, ray-tracing and a 60FPS performance mode
Track gauges, timing windows and style opportunities
Devil May Cry’s resource pressure is layered into execution. Players manage Devil Trigger, charge timing, Devil Breakers and style-specific opportunities while also keeping enemies in useful positions. A missed timing can lower damage or interrupt the sequence; a successful one can create the next link.
Walker characterized Devil May Cry 5’s goal as returning to “pure action” and preserving the satisfaction of meeting a demanding challenge and overcoming it. That challenge is legible in the combat language: launch an opponent, control the air, change weapons, select a style, land a timed extension and avoid damage without losing the rhythm.
Six combat differences that matter in play
1. Distance: space management versus contact management
Control is usually fought from a distance. Jesse can shoot, throw objects and use powers while moving through a broad arena. Closing with an enemy is sometimes useful, but the system does not require a sustained melee exchange for its main expression.
Devil May Cry repeatedly asks you to enter contact range. Launchers and sword strings only matter if you can approach, connect and keep the opponent in a controllable position. Guns support that plan, but melee timing remains the center of the system.
2. Variety: external objects versus internal movesets
Control’s variety is partly external. The same power can behave differently depending on whether the room offers light debris, heavy cover or a clear line to a target. Weapon forms and powers multiply those possibilities.
Devil May Cry’s variety is primarily internal. Weapons have defined move properties, characters have distinct kits and styles change what an input can do. The environment supplies room to operate, but the moveset is the principal source of expression.
3. Resources: recovery cycles versus execution gauges
Control asks you to alternate firearm recovery with ability spending. The right decision is often to switch tools before one resource becomes unavailable.
Devil May Cry asks you to watch Devil Trigger, charge states, Devil Breakers and style opportunities while preserving a combo. Resources are not just fuel; they are invitations to extend or alter a sequence at the correct moment.
4. Mobility: levitation and repositioning versus launchers and aerial control
Control uses Levitate and other movement choices to relocate Jesse through an arena. Mobility is primarily about escaping danger, finding a better angle and keeping access to useful objects.
Devil May Cry uses launchers, air movement, grapples and style techniques to control enemy placement. Mobility is offensive as well as defensive: the player moves to keep an opponent suspended, pull a target closer or transition into another attack.
5. Expression: improvisation versus authored execution
Control rewards improvisation. A fight can change when an enemy is Seized, an object becomes available or a defensive Shield buys time. The best response is often the one that fits the room at that instant.
Rank #3
- All graphics fully remastered in HD, bringing the game to the latest console generation
- Renewed 3D models, including characters and backgrounds, enriching the visual experience
- Improved battle system providing a vastly smoother gameplay experience
- Fully voiced dialogue in both English and Japanese
- A newly arranged soundtrack from the original composer, Takeharu Ishimoto
Devil May Cry rewards authored execution. Players discover routes through a character’s moves, then adapt those routes to enemy behavior. Creativity comes from choosing and linking known tools, not from turning every piece of scenery into a weapon.
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Control’s basic loop is readable quickly: shoot, move, throw, defend and use powers on weakened targets. Its deeper layer appears as encounters demand better target priority and resource timing.
Devil May Cry reveals its depth more gradually. Basic attacks can be used immediately, but understanding move properties, cancels, aerial control, style interactions and timing windows takes sustained practice. The series’ difficulty is therefore tied closely to how much of the moveset the player chooses to learn.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the series’ history explains the difference
Walker’s account of the series’ development maps directly onto the modern combat contrast. The first Devil May Cry established the stage-based 3D action template, air combos, launchers, Devil Trigger and Style Rank. Devil May Cry 2 added on-the-fly weapon changes. Devil May Cry 3 introduced fighting-game-like styles. Devil May Cry 4 added Nero’s pull-in and throw mechanics and real-time style switching.
Each addition increased the number of decisions that can occur inside a single melee exchange. By contrast, Control’s identity is built around combining a transforming firearm with supernatural powers and the physical arena. One system deepens a character’s authored moveset; the other broadens the set of things the player can treat as a weapon.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesCapcom’s corporate overview of Devil May Cry 5 described its movement as being built from motion capture and combined through the RE ENGINE to express detailed character action. The franchise had reached 16 million cumulative sales in Capcom’s 2018 reporting cycle, a measure of its long-running appeal rather than a direct comparison of combat quality.
Which game has deeper combat?
Choose Control if depth means situational problem solving
Control is the better fit if you want combat decisions to emerge from the arena. You will constantly evaluate which weapon form suits the target, whether an object is worth throwing, when to convert a weakened enemy, whether Shield buys enough time and how Levitate changes your angle. The system’s depth is combinational and spatial.
Choose Devil May Cry if depth means technical mastery
Devil May Cry is the better fit if you want a moveset that rewards repeated practice. Its deepest challenges involve learning what each attack does, recognizing timing windows, switching weapons or styles without dropping momentum, controlling enemies in the air and keeping a stylish sequence alive while under threat. The system’s depth is mechanical and execution-focused.
For players who want both
Playing one does not make the other redundant. Control teaches rapid assessment of a changing space, while Devil May Cry teaches deliberate command of a fixed but exceptionally broad moveset. A player who enjoys both may appreciate that each game makes a different demand: Control asks you to exploit what is available, and Devil May Cry asks you to perform what you have learned.
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- Pick Control if throwing environmental objects, manipulating enemies and changing firearm forms sounds more appealing than maintaining a melee string.
- Pick Devil May Cry if launchers, air combos, weapon switching and style-specific techniques are the main attraction.
- Pick Control if you prefer a combat loop that becomes understandable quickly and gains complexity through upgrades, powers and arena awareness.
- Pick Devil May Cry if you are willing to practice timing, cancels, aerial control and character-specific mechanics for a higher execution ceiling.
- Pick Control if defensive movement and controlling several threats at range are more comfortable than staying in contact distance.
- Pick Devil May Cry if the satisfaction of overcoming a demanding sequence—and doing it with a high Style Rank—is central to why you play action games.
Bottom-line comparison
Control and Devil May Cry differ less in ambition than in where they place the player’s attention. Control turns the battlefield into a toolbox: the Service Weapon, Launch, Shield, Seize, Levitate and upgrades interact with whatever the room provides. Devil May Cry turns the character into a precision instrument: launchers, air combos, weapon changes, gauges and styles interact according to timing and move properties.
For telekinetic, environment-aware ranged improvisation, Control is the stronger match. For melee mastery, style switching and combo depth, Devil May Cry is the stronger match. The more useful question than “Which combat system is deeper?” is whether you want to solve each encounter with the space around you or with the exact command of a character’s moveset.
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