MmC: Moosey May Cry.
by mooseymcman
This is the fifth installment of my Devil May Cry retrospective, and if you've kept up, you know the drill by now. If not, here's links to the previous four installments!
Part 5: A "Controversial" New Direction?
Originally released in 2013, DmC: Devil May Cry was, and to some extent still is, a bit of a controversial one. That, however, goes back to the game's announcement in 2010. A single piece of concept art, and that it was being made by Ninja Theory was all we knew at the time, but even that scant information was more than enough to make the internet throw a fit.
And I'll be honest here, I wasn't happy with it. I wasn't even that big a fan of the series at the time, nor did I have any reason to dislike Ninja Theory. Enslaved is the only other game of theirs I've played, which I believe released after DmC was announced. And I like Enslaved! Yet...something about that picture of the re-imagined Dante just didn't feel right. It's a silly thing to get upset about in retrospect, but think about the time.
This was deep into the PS3 and Xbox 360 generation (happy twentieth birthday, Xbox 360). A time that I certainly look back on with some amount of fondness and nostalgia, but also a healthy amount of, “what on Earth we were doing back then?” It was a dark, grey, and very drab time for games. Also a time where a lot of games ran very poorly, but many of us just didn't know better. A generation where every other game was an Unreal Engine 3 grey cover-based shooter with an awful framerate starring Nolan North. Obviously I'm joking/exaggerating, since the franchise I most associate him with (Uncharted) was always very colorful. Still cover shooters, though!
The proliferation of easily accessible indie games hadn't happened yet. Yes, stuff was out there if you knew where to look, but it wasn't like it is today. This was the era of “Summer of Arcade” where Xbox would highlight a handful of notable Xbox Live Arcade releases, and those would be the indie releases for the year. Not the only ones, but the only ones people cared about. 2010 was the release of Limbo. A year later was Supergiant's debut game, Bastion. That's where we were at in terms of games outside what the big publishers gave us, at least on consoles. Even by the time DmC actually released in 2013, we were still just on the cusp of indies going mainstream.
If you didn't like what the big publishers were doing on PS3 and 360, your other options were digging around the bowels of the internet on PC (Steam counts as bowels), or the Nintendo Wii. Hope you liked motion controls! I certainly did at the time.
Anyway, point being, while DMC often had its fair share of grey environments (2 is particularly plagued by them), it was a series that always felt bright, and upbeat. It wasn't a series about fighting demons, it was a series about fighting demons stylishly. It was fun, flashy, and full of character. This reboot immediately looking like the opposite felt like a bad sign. Certainly a bad first impression, and one that left me...I'll say skeptical, right up until release. Not that I played it at launch, this game was one of many casualties that came because it released while I was in college. This one specifically was right as I was starting my last semester before graduating a few months later, so I really did not have the time for stylish action.
And, even more unfortunately for DmC, not long after saw the release of Metal Gear Rising: REVENGEANCE. So, when I did graduate, I only had so much money to go around, and between the two, I knew where I was going. I don't think anyone would, especially with over a decade of hindsight, say I made the wrong choice there.
Meaning DmC got relegated to my playing it a year later when it was on PlayStation Plus. Going back to find what I wrote about it at the time, apparently it was one of the first “bigger” games I played after recovering from some health issues and a brief stint in the hospital. Not really anything of note from what I wrote back then, other that even at the time, I was trying to distance myself from the weirdos still upset at Dante's redesign!
In retrospect, those people won, because we'd only see this Dante “two” more times. The Definitive Edition (not “Special” Edition like the other games got) re-release in 2015, and of course, in the most iconic and well remembered of video games: 2012's PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale... Wait, hold on...2012? So, that was actually his first appearance? In the canon to God of War Ragnarok PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale?
I've gotten very far off track here, sorry. The game was “controversial,” and I know there's still Devil May Cry fans out there that don't like it. And that's fine, to each their own, I don't love every single aspect of it myself. That did, however, make it a little tougher to get the sort of details I wanted about its development, sadly. When I said I haven't been doing “extensive” research on the other games, what I really meant was I was reading the Wikipedia articles, and watching videos by Sphere Hunter. She's done good videos covering all the other Devils May Cry, both the games themselves, and information about their developments that I stole, er, I mean, used to inform my own writing about them...
But not this one! And the videos from others that floated to the top of YouTube's search algorithm seemed to be coming at it from the angle of this game being bad, or fundamentally a mistake, so I just gave up. I'd be fine watching someone critique it if they came from an honest place and had good criticisms, but I'm not giving click/rage bait the time of day. Or maybe I (an amateur writer myself) should have looked for the written word instead, but too late now!
Oh well, I got what I needed from Wikipedia.
Because, it turns out, the story behind how DmC came to be is pretty pedestrian. Capcom wanted the series to appeal to a wider, and importantly more western audience, so they went to Ninja Theory. Ninja Theory had only released one game at the time, but Heavenly Sword was enough to convince Capcom they had the chops to pull it off. Technically not actually their first or “only” game, though. Before they rebranded the studio to Ninja Theory from “Just Add Monsters,” they released “Kung Fu Chaos.” A game apparently so racist that reviews called it out as such even in the original Xbox era.
And...that's basically it. Then they went and made the game! One name in particular jumped out at me during its opening credits. Movie director Alex Garland, of all people, but I don't know how much he actually did. The Wikipedia article doesn't mention him much, and his article only says he was a “story supervisor.” I don't have particularly strong feelings about him (as much as I like to reference Annihilation, 2018), but I thought his involvement, however small, was noteworthy.
Elsewhere, Ninja Theory got support from Capcom to make sure the game still felt Devil May Cry-ish enough (including Hideaki Itsuno flying out to the UK to help oversee the project at points), but also were pushed to further differentiate some elements. Dante in particular, apparently was going to be much closer to the original, but Capcom really wanted him more distinct, and to appeal to younger gamers. Of course, gamers being gamers, some of the developers at Ninja Theory got death threats over the redesign, which is even stupider in retrospect knowing it was Capcom's idea.
Okay, enough about the lead up, what about the game itself? Well, obviously I didn't replay the PS3 version in the year 2025, I replayed the Definitive Edition on PS4. Well, the PS4 version on my PS5, but this was pre-PS4 Pro, so I doubt it has any enhancements. I had played the Definitive Edition before, back in 2019. Just before DMC 5 came out. For whatever reason at the time, my instinct was to replay that to get myself ready for 5, rather than any of the games actually connected to it! It is genuinely possible I forgot at the time that DMC 4 got a re-release.
From what I can find online, they made a lot of changes for this version. I couldn't find the original source, but luckily someone on a forum archived the extensive list of changes, along with developer insight into their thought process. Genuinely interesting to see the detail on this stuff, worth checking out for those curious. Thank you Devil May Cry dot org users, and also thank you for not being a Fandom site, haha. (Unfortunately there definitely also is a Fandom DMC wiki, but I try to avoid their sites when I can.)
Many of the changes are smaller rebalance type things that the average person wouldn't notice, but others are pretty big. At least from console version to console version, doubling the framerate from 30 to 60 has to be the biggest one. That wasn't always a given on cross gen games between PS3 and PS4, Assassin's Creed IV put that extra horsepower into rendering every leaf on every bit of foliage in the game, for example. Or at least so they claimed, but it was good foliage! Better than a lot of modern games, still using 2D “cards.”
As is standard for these re-releases, Turbo Mode is here, and it's the only game in the series where that's become my preferred way to play. The default feels just a little sluggish in comparison, but I'm used to Turbo now, so of course it would when I tried it for “due diligence.” Other new difficulty modes, including a “Hardcore” modifier for all difficulties. Changes to enemy damage, style system, even how Devil Trigger works, it's a neat thing that I think I kind of prefer, at least on the regular difficulties. And, of course, it includes all the DLC, which is meaningful, because it's more than just costumes and the like.
But I'll get to that when I get to that. Finally, the game itself. Being a complete re-imagining, I think the best place to start is...at the start! Instead of running a devil hunting business called Devil May Cry, here Dante is just some street punk. He spends his time getting wasted at clubs, hooking up with random women (unlike original Dante, this one knows what sex is), and sleeping in his trailer, parked at the end of a pier. Right next to a carnival.
Before the player gains control, Dante wakes up (nude) while a not at all subtle parody of a certain new network is playing propaganda on his TV. Then a mysterious young woman (named Kat) comes knocking, and Dante answers the door. Still nude. For better or worse, the good stuff is always either just out of, or blocked from view. Even as Dante is pulled into Limbo when a demonic grappling hook grabs the trailer, sending it flying through the air. Dante jumps back through the trailer in slow motion, various objects covering his crotch as he gets dressed, Combichrist blasting all the while. Dozens of items tumbling to and fro all around him. Hell of a way to start the game, and it really sets the stage for what's to come.
This first mission really illustrates the biggest difference between DmC and the rest of the series, which is the levels themselves. The game is entirely linear, and completely abandons any semblance of a larger interconnected structure you backtrack through like 1, 3, and even 4 dabbled in. Yes, there's hidden goodies tucked away in alternate paths, but that's about it. But what DmC does to make up for that is that the levels themselves feel alive. Apparently inspired by how the previous games would create demonic barriers to prevent forward progress until the enemies were defeated, Ninja Theory took that to a whole other level.
Instead of a simple glowing barrier “closing in” on Dante, it's the physical levels themselves. Walls crushing in, streets tearing upward, it's still impressive all these years later. They don't just move in, trying to trap Dante, they also tear and rip apart, flying further away, sometimes during platforming sequences, extending out further, and further, and further...right until Dante reaches the very end. That's another change, DmC is significantly heavier on platforming, and I think it's still pretty good. Dante's got a double jump, air dash, and two different grappling hook abilities. One pulls him toward the target, and the other pulls the target to him (it's like Nero's Devil Bringer from 4, but with more granular control). Whether it's for platforming, or combat, but I'm not quite there yet.
Obviously all this stuff is entirely scripted, and happens the same way every time. So it's not “dynamic” in a literal sense of the word, or how dynamism usually gets used in video games, but the world itself truly feels alive. It is trying every bit as much as the demons to kill Dante, and it's still one of the coolest and most memorable parts of the game. By far and away this is the thing DmC definitively does better than the rest of the franchise. I love DMC 5 with all my heart, but I'm still a little disappointed it didn't try harder to make the levels as creative as they are here.
The carnival, and really the whole pier get absolutely destroyed as Dante fights his way through, as do a fair number of demons along the way. The world itself may be trying to kill him too, but Dante can turn that back around on enemies, sending them flying into a big spinning ride, smashed into giant saws on the wall, or even just off the pier and into the water. Most of the other games don't really have environmental kills, and while they're not a huge focus across DmC, they're still fun when they crop up.
This first mission culminates in a boss fight, which was actually a bit of frustration I ran into with this replay. Since I was effectively doing New Game Plus, I started on Son of Sparda, which you unlock after beating the game on any of the three regular difficulties. Along with the typical changes to damage and the like, it also has remixed encounters, and includes a lot of later game enemies earlier on. Standard for the series, but something I felt would be more interesting. I did worry that doing this after not touching the game for six years would be a mistake, but I had already gotten up to Mission 4 on SoS back then, so it'd be fine. Right?
Well, that first boss had so much health it just got tedious, so I ended up starting over on Nephilim (the regular “hard” difficulty), but in Hardcore mode. This felt better, and also the game reminded me about the gimmick on how to stun this boss here (despite Kat saying it was bulletproof in the cutscene, you need to shoot it in the face), so it wasn't nearly as tedious. While I went back and forth a little across a couple missions, Nephilim Hardcore was how I ended up finishing the game. I'll be honest though, part of me wants to go back through now that the game is fresh in mind, and actually do the whole thing on SoS. Will I though? I've got a backlog that never ends, and DMC 5 to replay for this retrospective, so...
(Future Moosey here: I did not).
Before I get into the nitty gritty of the game systems, I want to cover the story stuff. Aside from a few names and concepts, DmC feels like a totally original story and world. Dante is here, he's brash, confident, and has more than a few cheesy quips across the game. Those quips are actually the thing about him that feels the most like original Dante (even though he doesn't quip that much outside DMC 3), and I think they're endearing. He's still got a twin brother named Vergil, and the head demon is still named Mundus, who has a similar set of three demonic eyes.
But, instead of being half demon and half human, the twins are half demon and half angel. Nephilim, in other words (not a term this game made up, for any unfamiliar with it). Their mother Eva was killed, and their father Sparda is being tortured in BDSM hell for all eternity. No other real mention or appearance of angels across the game, which makes me wonder if maybe they were holding that for the sequel we never got.
In this world, Mundus is the CEO of an evil, unnamed corporation that controls everything. The police, the news, the energy drinks, which of course are filled with demon juice to keep the populace complacent. The game has a real “They Live” vibe, even down to that style of dystopian subliminal text becoming “super-liminal” across the world when Dante is in Limbo. Just with demons instead of aliens (or whatever they were in They Live). While Dante has been wasting his life away, Vergil is the leader of a “terrorist” group, of which Kat is the only other member. Well, the only other named member, the group is supposed to be much larger, but the others are only ever shown being killed by cops or demons, and not giving any name or face to them makes the organization seem much smaller than it probably should.
As can probably be guessed, this game has some very “subtle” commentary about society. Between the fake Fox News host (literally making a then timelier (but still not timely) “we'll do it live” reference) calling Dante a sexual deviant terrorist, the cops gunning people down in the streets, and the anti-energy drink stuff, it's... I mean I can't argue with the message they're trying to convey, they just lay it on a little thick. Well, maybe the energy drink bit is a tad silly, but you know. It feels very of its era, even if it's not weirdly prophetic like its contemporary Metal Gear Rising was. Though both do feature a sequence showing social media reactions near the end. If they made this game today, Mundus would be the president and he'd be complaining about “DEI” and “woke” on social media, that's the sort of vibe.
The interesting thing in playing it now, in 2025, it made me think about that Netflix animated series. That show also has some incredibly “subtle” political/societal commentary, which when I watched it felt completely out of nowhere for what I think Devil May Cry usually is. Not that I minded it, I like the story and characters of the original DMC universe but I don't think they'd work as a television series without making some changes. But playing DmC made me remember that show wasn't the first time the franchise had something like that, so that was an interesting side effect of this.
Vergil of course recruits Dante to join the cause, and that's probably about all I'll say about the main narrative itself. It's good enough, certainly more going on than the previous DMC games, and I think all the main characters have solid performances. Not really any names I recognized in the cast, but they're good in their roles. Nothing outstanding, but I'll say Tim Phillipps did a better job with his one time as Dante than Reuben Langdon did in his first couple times.
In keeping with the Ninja Theory style, as best as I can tell they did motion capture for the actors and their faces, so that all looks good. At least good enough that I didn't really think about it during the game. Not going to mistake anything here for Death Stranding 2, but certainly really good by the standards of 2013.
Unfortunately there are a couple things that I don't think hold up great. For one thing, the game's treatment of women...could be better. Mostly around the character Lilith, who doesn't really get to do much beyond harass Dante and then be used as a pawn between Vergil and Mundus (which ultimately is more in service of driving a wedge between the brothers). As I said before, Dante and Vergil's mom was killed like so many other fictional moms (not any different from the main series), and the only other named woman in the game is Kat.
Now Kat, I like on the overall (Sage Mears gave a good performance in the role), but she's not really the sort of lady I expect from Devil May Cry. They're not exactly femme fatales, but the ladies of DMC are typically badass demon hunters wearing the sorts of “sexy” outfits you only ever see on video game women. They're not always that, and I'd say I like her better than Kyrie who is just a damsel in distress, but Kat definitely gets damseled. She's strong in her own way, but quiet, more sneaky than badass, and she's definitely not a hunter.
And her outfit, while those shorts are pretty short, at least they look like something a normal person would wear. The game definitely has her butt in the center of the frame at least once or twice while she's bending over, but by the standards of the day, she doesn't really feel sexualized. One of those things where I don't know how to describe it, other than in the moment it didn't feel like it was sexualizing her butt. She does, however, suffer from a trope I don't know if it has a more succinct name, but I refer to as, “woman with tragic abusive past which is why she's tough and closed off.” Not my favorite trope, even if it does lead to a fair number of tough women in fiction, who I do generally like.
But there's also just, and this ties into the other thing I think doesn't hold up with the writing, a lot of language I think is kinda junky. I'm not saying characters should never call someone a “bitch” or “whore,” but there's kind of a vibe that comes with a sort of writing that just feels like it doesn't like women, and I get that vibe off parts of this game. Not ruinous, and I'm not saying this game is exceptionally sexist or misogynist, just something that stood out to me, and frankly did when I replayed it in 2019 too.
The other thing, is I think the game leans a bit too heavily on the profanity. Now, I know I keep my writing at least semi-professional, while attempting to maintain a casual, conversational tone. Still, I try to avoid profanity (forgive me for using “badass!”). That's a reflection of how I normally talk, it's the sort of person I am, for better or worse. Of course it's another story for fiction writing, depending on what's appropriate for the characters. Just because I try not to swear doesn't mean my characters can't! But in DmC, it's not only the use of actual profanity, there's kind of a...well it's hard to describe without quoting the game.
The following sentence is not for the faint of heart.
“I'm going to tear off your arms and legs, chew them up, and puke them all over your pathetic face,” is an actual line a boss says to Dante between phases, and that's one of the “tamer” ones in this fight. Not really “profane,” so much as just gross. It's not like the whole game is this level of extreme, so it's not terrible. I simply much prefer Dante's far cheesier, “Hey Succubus, suck on this!” I'm just saying back in DMC 1, Dante's “Flock off, feather-face” is far more memorable than the alternative would've been.
Overall I do like the story and world of DmC, and I appreciate that it's as ambitious as it is, even if it doesn't entirely work. And with all these years of hindsight, I'm glad it's as different as it is from the main series. What's the point of re-imagining something if it ends up basically the same thing as the original?
So, with the story covered, time to move back to the game part itself. This one's really interesting because in a lot of ways, this game absolutely is, and feels Devil May Cry, but there's also a lot of differences that make it unique. Compared to its direct predecessors, the biggest change (or omission) is the Style system. No Style swapping here.
Instead Dante has access to both a dodge and a secondary attack button, meaning he more or less has the base functionality of both Trickster and Swordmaster. So far as Gunslinger goes, rather than mapped to a button, the guns have a secondary function mapped to (by default) pressing Square and X at the same time. That means it's really only Royal Guard missing, which doesn't bother me. Dante (and Vergil) can still parry attacks with a well timed attack of their own, so that functionality remains, even if it's not the same as a proper block button.
Dante does, however, still have access to an array of weapons. Five melee weapons total, and three ranged. Not only that, but he has access to all of them in combat. I'd say the D-pad is used to swap them, but that's really only half true. With the melee weapons, outside of his default sword (Rebellion), they're classed as either Demon or Angel. Dante wields the equipped Demon weapon when you hold R2, and the Angel one with L2. Certain enemies are color coded to indicate whether Angel or Demon mode is most effective, but unlike the original release, they're not required to do any damage at all (aside from an energy shield on one specific enemy). And despite what you might think, there aren't Angel or Demon guns, going into either of those modes turns the gun button into the grapple button. Angel grapple pulls Dante to the enemy, and Demon pulls the enemy to Dante, aside from a few exceptions for larger foes. One large enemy gets toppled off its feet and to the ground, for example.
In some ways I kind of prefer this style of weapon switching to the linear tap R2 style of the other games. DMC 5 Dante can have four weapons equipped at a time (well four melee AND four ranged), and since there's no way to cycle backwards through them, I can end up having to tap the trigger three times in a row. Usually not, I have them in the order I like best, but that's not an issue here. There's only two of each polarity, so that's a simple D-Pad press.
There's a consistent logic to how the weapons in this game feel. Rebellion, as it is in all the games, is an all rounder, good in just about any situation. It's the bread and butter, meat and potatoes Devil May Cry weapon, and it feels great like it does in the rest. Demon weapons are slow, heavy, and pack a (in one case literal) punch. The Arbiter axe can all but cleave enemies in two, while the chargeable Eryx punches will send them flying across the arena. As you can probably guess, I'm more fond of Eryx, because I always like the “gauntlet” type weapons in these games. Angel weapons, on the other hand, are light, speedy, and great for hitting a bunch of enemies all at once. The sweeping scythe Osiris does have some more single enemy focused moves, but the spinning metal death stars of Aquila really are there for swiping through big crowds.
The guns are less interesting, because “two” of them (the iconic Ebony & Ivory and Revenant) are the dual pistols and sawed off shotgun Dante has in all the games. The third, Kablooey, shoots remote detonated explosive darts. Probably good if you know what you're doing, but I didn't use it much.
Also returning from the other games are the pause combos. Pause after the second attack (the weapon flashes to indicate the timing!), and he'll do a different series of attacks. Yes, before anyone asks, there's just the one pause combo across all the weapons, and it's after the second attack. Seems a bit...limiting? Repetitive?
Definitely...until you realize you can swap weapons during that pause and do the post-pause combo of the second weapon. I can hit twice with Rebellion, then go into Angel mode and do the rapid fire focused slashes with Osiris, before using the secondary to spin that blade, suspending them in the air, and so on. You can even hit the D-Pad to swap the equipped Demon/Angel weapon mid combo. I like hitting twice with Eryx, then using Arbiter's third hit that creates a line of ghostly axe smashes in front of it.
This works in the air too, though I'm not sure if every one of them actually has air pause combos. The Angel ones do, at least. Anyway, none of this really conveys what it feels like in the moment. The ease of swapping between these modes, combined with the mobility Dante has with the grappling hooks (plus Angel mode's special triple dash), this game is frenetic. Well, at least in Turbo Mode, I guess it's slower by default. But that wild energy as Dante whips around the arena, narrowly dodging attacks (perfect timing in slow-mo for emphasis), launching enemies up in the air, slamming them back down, darting around to something else airborne, pulling them all in close only to launch them zooming away, it's...
SSSENSATIONAL!!!
Of course the style rankings are here, complete with a demonic voice screaming the various S ranks when you first hit them in a fight. I've never really been that invested in trying to get the best overall ranks at the end of missions, particularly if one of the factors is time. But on a per fight basis? Listen, I wouldn't be doing this retrospective if there wasn't something I deeply love about Devil May Cry, and that is Devil May Cry!
There is one thing about the combat I didn't mention, and it's a bit of a tricky one, considering it's different in the Definitive Edition. In the original version of the game, there wasn't a lock on. One of the key features of the other games is directional inputs relative to the character, which really only worked when locked on. Forward and Triangle for a zooming stab with Stinger, back and Triangle to uppercut into the air being the two main ones. Instead the uppercut moves are typically mapped to Circle, and Stinger type moves were done by tapping the same direction twice before hitting the button.
But since it was such a requested feature, they included it in the Definitive Edition. The only problem being, this is already a game where you're holding either R2 or L2 a lot of the time, so also holding another shoulder button (R1 by default), makes that awkward. Even more awkward is in the original controls, there were technically two dodge buttons. Both L1 and R1 were dodge, the idea being you hit L1 when in Demon Mode (R2), and R1 in Angel Mode (L2).
I didn't have any issues when I played the original version, but I did customize the controls around the lock-on when I played the Definitive Edition in 2019. Thankfully in addition to a few different defaults, they let you go to town with customizing, and the game doesn't even force you to make sure every little thing is mapped, in case you don't want the lock on after all. What I went with at the time was Angel Mode on R1, Demon on R2, dodge on L1, and lock on (set to toggle) on L2, so both modes on the right side on the controller. It worked, I got through the game, but I remember a fair amount of my muscle memory from the original messing me up, so this time around I just...went without the lock on.
Back to the original controls, with the “No Lock On” control scheme, and didn't run into any muscle memory issues. Weird how the experience from 2014 was more connected to this game in my brain than the more recent one from 2019, huh? Anyway, I did, for due diligence, after finishing the campaign concoct another custom scheme with lock on set to R3, and target swap on down (D-pad), thus leaving all the shoulder buttons alone. Worked better, aside from the default Devil Trigger being L3 and R3 together, so I kept unlocking when I meant to pull my Devil Trigger (L3).
Anyway, the lock-on is definitely useful. Keeps the camera focused, Dante dodges around them, and it shows how much health they have left. Unlike the other games in the franchise, Dante and Vergil move at their normal speed while locked on, instead of slowing down. Makes it a bit easier to avoid attacks. The game doesn't need the lock-on, it was originally designed without it, but it's good that it's here for those who want it.
Sorry I got caught up on that specific a bit of nitty gritty, but I think it's really interesting that they added something like that. The Special Editions of the other games certainly added things, and changed some stuff, but I don't think any of them did anything like that. Of course the cynical take is that the other games didn't need to add new mechanics or control schemes, but like I said, I think for the game they originally built, the controls make more sense without the lock on.
And on the whole, I think they really nailed what they set out to do. They made a game that feels, in its heart, like Devil May Cry, but isn't just copying those other games. It's doing its own thing, and that own thing is super fun too! When going through the series for this retrospective, I found myself spending hours in the Bloody Palace after finishing the games. Well, not 2, but 3, 4, and DmC, I just keep coming back for more. The thing is though, for 3 and 4, there is kind of a feeling of, “this is great, but it's not quite what I'm looking for...” Because the one I really love the most, I haven't gotten to yet. And since they're all building off of each other, they're not DMC 5, but they're pretty close. So I have fun, but at least in the mode where all you do is fight enemies, part of me wishes I was playing 5 instead.
DmC, however, is unique enough that the itch it's scratching is just different enough that I don't get the same feeling. Now, I'm going to be real here, when all of this is said and done, DMC 5 is the only one I'm probably going to be loading up for fun. To keep trying the Bloody Palace, to keep replaying on higher difficulties so I can say I've beaten Dante Must Die on both the regular version and Special Edition...
But maybe I'll load up DmC, who can say. (I can, I hadn't touched the game since 2019, and I probably won't until the next time I'm nostalgic for it (2033 for its twenty year anniversary (assuming society still exists by then)).
The boss fights are a tad heavy on distinct phases and “platforming” in a way that's fine in the main game, but a little time consuming in the Bloody Palace. At least the timer pauses during transition cutscenes, but having to tear off the Succubus' tubes and hear her talk about defecating on Dante's corpse every time gets to be a little much when I'm in the Palace. You can also just turn the timer off if you don't care about leaderboard scores, which...I don't. It ticks down, and you lose if it reaches zero, is the thing, so...
I think that about covers playing as Dante? Which leaves his twin, Vergil. In the original release, Vergil's Downfall was a piece of DLC, sold a few months after the fact for...money. I didn't play the DLC until the Definitive Edition, where it is just part of the game. This is probably the most ambitious thing done with Vergil? At least where he's playable, I mean.
In the other Special Editions, you simply play through the main game again, but as Vergil. In DMC 3 SE, they didn't even change the Vergil fights, so they're mirror matches (something DMC 5 SE rectifies). Vergil's Downfall, however, is its own mini-campaign. Six missions (one of which is just a boss fight), complete with platforming, hidden items, new enemies, and even new cutscenes! With voice acting! Granted they're lower budget, featuring a different art style that looks neat, even if the faces aren't animated nearly as well.
And it's good! The story, as the name implies, shows what goes through Vergil's head following the events of the main story, and his descent into true villainy. Again, sadly it feels like set up for the sequel we'll never get, but I appreciate they did something beyond what DMC 3 SE had done before.
The only thing it was missing was a Bloody Palace, which was added in the Definitive Edition. Even here, it's not the same as Dante's, Vergil has his own set of levels, including the new enemies, and other gimmicks. Apparently it also starts on a higher difficulty, to make up for not having as many levels as Dante's.
Of course Vergil has his own moveset. Unlike Dante, he only has the one weapon, his trusty katana Yamato, but he still has Demon and Angel modes. Instead they're different moves for the Yamato, where Demon moves are slow and heavy, and Angel ones are wider sweeping. No matter the universe, the sons of Sparda are always more alike than they care to admit. Instead of his Devil Trigger powering him up, it summons his doppelganger like a JoJo's Stand (or a Persona), which mimics his every move. Except its mode can be changed via the D-pad, and put on a delay, to really keep the pressure up on enemies. The potential strategy of how to manage what the doppelganger is doing while also controlling Vergil is really cool, and sets him far apart from how Dante plays, even if the base moves and controls are so similar.
He's fun! In the same way that Dante feels like Dante while being unique, this Vergil is the same. I'm almost tempted to say I like this Vergil more than the one from the main series (to play), but...he doesn't have the Beowulf gauntlets. I also think this might be the first time the doppelganger was made a distinctly Vergil thing? That Style was a Dante thing in DMC 3, and as far as I know Vergil's Devil Trigger functioned the same as Dante's? I believe that's true in DMC 4 SE as well, and it wasn't until DMC 5 where playable Vergil's DT was his Stand again, with his proper DT form tied to his Sin Devil Trigger (more on that when I get to DMC 5).
It's just funny to think about because back in 2019, between replaying DmC and then playing DMC 5 for the first time, in both games the doppelganger/Stand/Persona is Vergil's thing, so it imprinted as such in my brain. And now it's been weird to revisit the older games and realize no, it wasn't in DMC 3. That was DmC's influence on the franchise in action!
I do, however, think it's funny that they went through the effort to give him his own missions, and own mini-story...but the one boss fight...is still a mirror match against Vergil. It's him wrestling with his own inner demons, or whatever, and maybe it's a reference to fighting himself in DMC 3 SE...but it's still funny. I would have preferred a fight against Dante, but what are you gonna do? It does at least explain the doppelganger ability!
The game on the whole is still a ton of fun, but some aspects of it really do feel their age. Visually, I mean...it's an Unreal Engine 3 game from 2013, and parts of it really look it. Shots of the city in cutscenes in particular, some of them are just so flat and grey that they look terrible. Luckily while actually playing, the game fairs much better. Both technically, and stylistically. That's not to say everything looks great, a lot of the artistic choices are...questionable too. Specifically I'm thinking of some of the bosses, which go way too hard in the gross out direction. Conceptually they're not great, and on top of being gross they just look super dated too.
And the music...feels of its era, but holds up better. Not that I really know much about Combichrist or Noisia, or really how much of the soundtrack is actually from either, but mostly it sounds good. I will also say based on this soundtrack, both Combichrist and Noisia sound exactly like you think they would based on the names. And a lot of moody stuff is in there to balance out the industrial rock and wubbing dubstep. Listen, so far as electronic music from the era goes, I couldn't stand it at the time, but now I look back on it...not with fondness, or really even nostalgia... Yet I would say I find it kind of funny. Here, it doesn't wub nearly as much as a lot of other stuff did, so it's tolerable.
That said, I'm still glad electronic music in games ended up going down the more synthwave-y road than the dubby one.
Also, by virtue of this game not having a battle theme with vocals per character, it feels so much less repetitive than 3 or 4. Maybe I would have been sick of Combichrist if I had to hear “Never Surrender” every single time Dante got into a fight, but thankfully Ninja Theory didn't go down that road.
What else is there... This is the first game in the series to feature a training mode, akin to a fighting game. Didn't spend a ton of time in there, but I'm glad it's there. Much easier to try things out on a “dummy” with infinite health than in actual battles. Oh, and like DMC 4, this game has separate upgrade points for new moves, but unlike DMC 4, here it's just one point per move. No inflation! They can be refunded and respent between missions, which is nice too.
I think that more than covers everything I have to say about DmC. Pretty clear that while a few things don't hold up as well as I wish they did, I still love this game. I get that it's not going to be for everyone, certainly not for some DMC purists out there. Though I will say, my friend who I consider the biggest DMC fan I know outside myself (probably bigger fan than me), he loves this game too. I won't speak for him, but the vibe I've gotten is it was even inspirational for him! Still, I think there's probably a fair number of people out there who overlooked this game, and I think they missed out.
I know, since there's so many games out there, and most normal people only have so much time, so it's kind of an ask to recommend going and playing this game from 2013...but I think it's worth giving it an honest shot. Maybe you'll bounce off it, but maybe you'll realize it was a not so hidden gem after all. Just make sure you play the Definitive Edition.
And so, after DmC, this marked a bit of a dark period for the franchise. Yes, both it and 4 received re-releases in 2015, and I know Hideaki Itsuno said he wanted DMC 4 SE to be a proof of life for the original series...
But from the outside looking in, it felt dead.
This was a pretty dire era for Capcom, and it felt it at the time too. For years I thought DmC was the last good game they put out, and kept hoping Capcom would get their act together. Resident Evil was in an awful rut after 6, and only saw a string of spinoffs that ranged from somehow even worse than 6, to supposedly decent (someone was telling me just recently that I should play Revelations 2). I was never much of a Street Fighter fan, but even SF V felt like it had kind of a...mixed reception?
For a few years there, it seemed like the only things keeping the company afloat were re-releases and Monster Hunter on the 3DS (which included re-releases). I didn't have a 3DS, and it wasn't until 2018 when Monster Hunter took the World by storm that it felt like things were getting better. It signaled that Capcom was on the upswing (really it was RE VII the year prior, but I didn't play it until much later), and soon a legendary series was about to return...
Tune in next time, for what may genuinely be one of my all time favorite video games...
Devil May Cry 5.