The demo of the latest installment of the Devil May Cry franchise, will be released on on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network this Thursday, January 24.

Devil May Cry 4 is to be released sometimes during next month for PS3 and Xbox 360 and it introduces a new leading man, Nero, Nero who comes to grips with his newly found power as his beliefs and allegiance are tested.

Capcom said that the players will be able to unleash incredibly powerful and stylish attacks and non-stop combos using a combination of the Devil Bringer arm and the Exceed system, both of which are new gameplay mechanics for the series. Fans of Dante won’t be disappointed as he too will be playable during the course of the game.

Set in the costal city of Fortuna, the game’s action begins when Dante bursts in on a ceremony being conducted by the Order of the Sword, an ancient sect based in the coastal city of Fortuna, which worships Sparda the devil warrior who saved mankind. As Dante begins indiscriminately slaughtering sect members Nero fears for the safety of his childhood friend Kyrie and confronts Dante in order to protect her.

After an intense struggle Dante decides to leave this particular fight for another day and makes good his escape. Chasing after him Nero is suddenly stopped in his tracks as mysterious portals begin appearing throughout Fortuna spewing forth ghastly demons. What is the reason for this demonic invasion, is Dante responsible?

According to Capcom, the demo consists of a sampling of sections from the full game, chosen to showcase Devil May Cry 4's varied locales and allows gamers to familiarize themselves with Nero's unique abilities.

The Devil May Cry 4 demo ends with a showdown with Berial, one of the boss fights for the game.