OpenCritic
Developed by an internal development studio of Capcom, a third-person perspective action game emphasizing its dynamic, very spectacular combat system. Originally, the game was intended to be another installment in the Resident Evil franchise. The plot of Devil May Cry is set in a modern setting on the fictional Mallet Island.
A flag production for PlayStation 2, which for many players around the world will always bring to mind the golden age of SONY’s unchallenged reign in video game industry.
Plot
This dynamic and impressive action game tells a story of a dark warrior named Dante, who is half-human and half-demon. He has to fight the omnipotent ruler of the underground world, who was defeated two thousand years before by the hero’s father - the legendary black knight Sparda. However, this time the evil forces are stronger and will not let the destiny fulfil again.
Because of a mysterious beauty named Trish, Dante sets off to face his fate in a hellish castle on a secluded island Mallet, where gates to the demon world can be found. The devil indeed will cry, as he and his adherents will feel the wrath of the white-haired avenger armed with a huge sword and two guns named Ebony and Ivory.
Mechanics
Once a level is finished, mysterious red orbs collected during fights can be spent on upgrades to each weapon so as to make it more deadly or on completely new tools of destruction.
While fighting through 23 levels and gradually developing the hero, the player can create a warrior that could easily fit games like Tekken or Virtua Fighter. In his top form, Dante can work wonders. Controlled by a skilful player, he can perform a number of impressive moves, jumps, and dodges, while bouncing off walls and ceilings. Without a moment’s rest, he somersaults and overturns with the sword or guns in his hands – seeing it feels like watching a ballet.
Due to his impure origins, the demon hunter has one more, special ability – the Devil Trigger, which transforms the hero into his demonic form. Surrounded by a purple glow, Dante is two times faster and gains new, powerful devilish techniques.
It does not take more than ten hours to finish the game on higher difficulty levels, which is not very long. The game makes up for it with pure action in doses unseen in other games. The gothic setting gives an additional adrenaline boost. The game is seasoned with a bunch of logic puzzles that serve as a short rest from the action.
Other information
Interestingly, the original design of Devil May Cry for PS2 was born while working on another instalment of the popular Resident Evil series. Shinji Mikami, an excellent producer and expert in today’s third-person perspective games, quickly realised that this is something new, quite different from the original concept. The idea was to create a horror focused on fierce combat in an exciting, cinema-like style. This is how Devil May Cry was born – another blockbuster from Japan, which became a synonym of an action game at the beginning of the 21st century. Striking while the iron was hot, soon a whole saga based on Dante’s story was released and brought Capcom and SONY, which cleverly made the series its exclusive, a fortune.
Last updated on May 1, 2016
December 18, 2017
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow of Devil May Cry series
For a game that wasn’t even planned, the first Devil May Cry turned out to be truly groundbreaking. Of course, this generated subsequent follow-ups. The history of the franchise is one big sinusoid, but that just makes the story all the more interesting.
Videos and Screens
Nintendo Life: 7 / 10 by Dom Reseigh-Lincoln
Much like Onimusha: Warlords before it, Devil May Cry preserves all the things that made it great in 2001, while systematically crystallising all of its faults. It's a shame it wasn't given the remake treatment gifted to Resident Evil and Resident Evil Zero – or even have some form of 'remastering' to optimise it for Nintendo Switch – but for fans of the series who hold fond memories of slaying demons and attaining that elusive 'S' rank, you can now enjoy Dante's inaugural adventure in handheld form.
Worth Playing: 8 / 10 by Cody Medellin
Like many ports of some of the big games from the past two console generations, the appeal of Devil May Cry is that it's now available in portable form. There's nothing new here to tempt older fans otherwise, but what they'll find here is familiar. The switching of aspect ratios is odd, and the fixed camera angles and more puzzle-oriented focus will throw off some people, but for everyone who hasn't done so before, this is still a solid action game that's worth checking out.
Game Revolution: 3 / 5 by Tyler Treese
Devil May Cry is still a title worthy of revisiting on the Switch for seasoned veterans and curious newcomers if they know what it is going in.
GAMERS Score
Average score from 474 votes.
10
GAMES
in Devil May Cry Game Series
Game Series
Devil May Cry Series
A series of action games with gameplay focused on spectacular combat sequences, considered to be some of the best slashers on the market. Devil May Cry ranks among the most important brands in the publishing portfolio of Japanese company Capcom.
10 video games
Devil May Cry Summary
Platforms:
Switch June 25, 2019
PlayStation 2 October 16, 2001
Devil May Cry System Requirements
PlayStation 2
Supports: memory card 8 MB
After 21 Years, I'm Having Even More Fun With Original DMC
I returned to Devil May Cry and was positively surprised. I previously thought the game was 'good' – now, I understand it's a groundbreaking masterpiece for me. And that's 21 years since launch.
Opinions
Sebastian Kasparek
October 10, 2022