DmC: Devil May Cry uses techniques learned from Dragon's Dogma to create the sensation of playing at 60 frames-per-second, despite in reality running at 30 frames on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles, director Hideaki Itsuno told Eurogamer.
According to Itsuno, Capcom experimented with numerous techniques to create this feel using Unreal Engine during the development of Dragon's Dogma.
"During the course of the development of Dragon's Dogma we did a lot of experimentation and happened upon some techniques for working with Unreal Engine," he explained, "some fairly elaborate techniques, that allow for a controller responsiveness that gives the player the feel of 60 frames-per-second."
While he doesn't unveil these techniques in detail, Itsuno states the answer relates to what goes on within the mind of the player.
"Sixty frames-per-second is a speed the brain and the eye can catch up with and understand," he said. "But at 30 frames-per-second there's a technique where you take advantage of the brain's ability to fill in the blanks.
"So even though you have it running at 30 frames-per-second, you create the motions and the poses in such a way that the brain will naturally fill in what would have been the extra frames.
"Also, on the players' side, we made some adjustments to the button response and when it's reflected on screen."
While it would have been possible to develop the title to run at 60 frames, Ninja Theory's technical art director Stuart Adcock adds "we would have had to have had very static environments and less combat effects."
Instead, says Adcock, the team "did a lot of work trying to simulate the effects of fluid motion even at 30. We simulated more motion blur and made sure the animations had solid in-betweens and nothing that might feel too jerky. We're really pleased with the interaction and the way the combat plays."
DmC: Devil May Cry will launch on Jan. 15, 2013 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The title will release to PC soon after. Speaking to Polygon last month, Itsuno revealed the Japanese release of the game will feature ‘subtle' differences when compared to the title's North American version due to stricter ratings board rules regarding sexual and violent content.