Fifteen years ago, Capcom was taking its survival horror series “Resident Evil” in a new direction. However, the developing game deviated so far from the path set by the series that the idea was scrapped before it was replaced with a brand new series that would give us one of the most recognizable and popular characters in gaming. As my name implies, this is Devildriver1313. Get ready to journey down the dark path of Dante as Time Warp Review take a look back at Devil May Cry.
Devil May Cry has become one of the most popular series in gaming. Originally intended to be the next “Resident Evil” title for the Playstation 2, the action horror series was given life when Shinji Mikami, series creator for Resident Evil, proposed that Hideki Kamiya create a new series for Capcom from this happy little mistake. Hideki Kamiya soon agreed and Devil May Cry was born. Devil May Cry became an instant hit when it was released in October 2001, selling over two million copies in its first year. It had taken the survival horror genre of gaming to a new level with its over the top action and compelling storyline. Dante is the son of the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda who served Mundus, the King of the Underworld. Sparda rebelled when he fell in love with a human woman named Eva and sealed his former master in the Underworld along with his own power. With his pair of custom made handguns Ebony and Ivory, Dante sought out to hunt the demons responsible for his mother’s death and to prevent this tragedy from befalling another innocent human. Thus beginning Dante’s story.
Dante’s story actually begins in the third game of the series-Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening
Well, almost. Though the original Devil May Cry is the first game in the series, it really isn’t the beginning of Dante’s story. So I’m going recap the series in the chronological order proposed by those involved. The plot of the series begins with Devil May Cry 3 in Dante’s as-of-yet unnamed shop as a mysterious man named Arkham arrives with a message from Dante’s brother, Vergil. Vergil wants to undo the seal placed by their father Sparda to obtain the power locked within. Dante and Lady, a demon hunter who is Arkham’s daughter, set out to stop the duo from unleashing hell on Earth. Long story short, good guys win, bad guys lose and Dante finally starts his business. In Devil May Cry, Dante is meet by Trish who attacks him to test his abilities and Dante passes. Trish tells him about the Mundus and his plan to invade the Earth. Dante travels to an island with Trish where he fights demons from the Underworld until he finally reaches Mundus and defeats him. Now here’s where it gets tricky. The 12-episode anime series “Devil May Cry” is set between the first and fourth titles. In the anime, Dante is hired as a bodyguard for a little heiress but he still hacks and slashes the demons that are after her. Devil May Cry 4 introduced us to Nero and scared us by almost not featuring Dante. Thankfully, this was remedied. The plot of this entry is that a Papal-like figure wants to use demons to establish a new world order and is using Nero’s girl, Kyrie, to open the Hell Gates. Nero wasn’t having any of that. He fights his way through hordes of demons and against the order he once believed in to save her. Dante, Trish and Lady assist in their own way. And lastly, we wrap up the Devil Hunter’s story with Devil May Cry 2. Once again, another basket case is seeking demonic power and it is up to Dante to stop them. So, such as the story goes.
Dante’s look has changing slightly with each title. His large sword and red trench remain prominant
The Devil May Cry game series focused primarily on fast, highly stylized combat; gaining a high style ranking requires long attack and evasion strings while avoiding damage. In later games, the system was slightly modified so players had to actively vary the attacks used, so as to maintain the style rank. The style rank is tracked during combat with letter grades, from worst to best: D, C, B, A, S. They are also represented by words that start with the first letter of the class, “Dull” for D for example. The third game introduced “SS” and “SSS” ranks, which continues in the fourth. The player’s performance on each level is also ranked using these letters. Swords and guns provided great versatility when hunting devils allowing for close and long range assault. The Devil May Cry series has had its ups and downs but it endured to become a beloved series of the action genre. Games such as God of War and Asura’s Wrath have borrowed inspiration from Capcom’s hack and slash series. Devil May Cry started out on the Playstation 2 in 2001, followed by Devil May Cry 2 and Devil May Cry 3, both released in 2003 and 2006 respectfully. These games would later be rereleased as the Devil May Cry HD Edition for the Playstation 3. Speaking of which, Dante and company moved to the Playstation 3 in 2008 for Devil May Cry 4. Also, the anime series based on the game premiered on the WOWOW TV network in Japan in 2007 before Funimation picked up and released it in 2010.
The series was then passed on to Ninja Theory, best known for creating Heavenly Sword, after Hideki Kamiya and his team left Capcom to start up Platinum Games and the Bayonetta series. Dante’s look has changed slightly through the years but when Ninja Theory revealed their design for the character, fans’ reaction to the new Dante was largely negative. Despite this, Ninja Theory did put out an entry worthy of the name. Devil May Cry still remains one of the best action titles out there and Dante still remains one the best heroes. Currently, there is no word on the continuation of Devil May Cry but should demons of Hell arise again, Dante will be there ready to send the demonic horrors back from whence they came.
Devil May Cry 15th Anniversary Tribute video!!
