Devil May Cry (series)

Devil May Cry is a series of dark fantasy-themed 3D action games, developed by Capcom and created by some notable former Capcom staff members such as Hideki Kamiya, Atsushi Inaba and Shinji Mikami. The games mainly centers on mercenary Dante and his goal of avenging his mother's murder by exterminating demons. At first intended to be another entry in the Resident Evil survival horror franchise, the original Devil May Cry installment has been cited as the beginning of a sub-genre of action games by the name of "Extreme Action" (or other alternate names such as "Extreme Combat" or "Stylish Action"). The series has been a marketing success with the first three games selling multiple million copies and being awarded the "Platinum Title" award by Capcom. The success of the series has led to the creation of various media adaptations and merchandise, including comic books, novelizations, two animated series, guides, collectibles, publications, and a variety of action figures.

The series currently consist of five main games, two "special editions", one reimagining game developed by another company and an HD compilation of the first three games.

Description

Gameplay

The gameplay consists of heavy hack and slash combat scenes in which the player must attempt to extend long chains of attacks while avoiding damage in order to exhibit "stylish" combat; this element along with time and amount of items collected and used are taken under consideration when grading the player's performance. 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. Each level, or "mission", is also ranked using these letters.

The game also features some puzzle-solving and exploration elements retained from its survival horror beginnings, but these are downplayed; Devil May Cry games put emphasis on action.

The Devil Trigger ability enables the player's character to transform into a devil-like form with additional powers based on their current weapon, while the character's strength and speed increase and health is slowly restored. The first three games also eliminated the need to reload or reserve ammunition.

Dante is generally the lead character in the games, though Devil May Cry 2 featured two other characters who could be selected instead of him (Lucia or Trish), the Special Edition of Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening allowed the player to use Vergil, Devil May Cry 4 features a new protagonist named Nero and the game's Special Edition features Vergil, Trish and Lady as additional bonus playable characters. Nero, Dante and newcomer V are the playable main characters in the upcoming Devil May Cry 5.

Timeline

The chronological order of the Devil May Cry series does not follow the release order of the games. The first game in the time line is Devil May Cry 3, followed by Devil May Cry, then Devil May Cry 4, Devil May Cry 2 and Devil May Cry 5.

The reboot game developed by Ninja Theory, DmC: Devil May Cry, is set in a parallel universe and is not part of the original series' timeline.

Innovations

Each game in the series has added new elements to the gameplay.

Devil May Cry introduced the 'style' meter and ranking, encouraging players to attack and evade continuously while avoiding damage.

Devil May Cry 2 introduced the ability to perform combination attacks in mid-air and an evasion button. It also introduced a weapon-change button, so the player could cycle through ranged weapons without switching to the inventory screen.

Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening added a selection of gameplay styles, allowing the player to focus on their favorite techniques or weapons, whether it be swords, guns, evasion or defense. Each of the four basic styles gain experience points, which unlock more techniques and abilities without costing 'red orbs', the common currency of the series. A second weapon-change button was added, allowing the player to cycle through the character's melee weaponry as well.

Devil May Cry 4 brings one major innovation in the form of main character Nero's "Devil Bringer" arm, which gives players the ability to pull distant enemies in to be attacked, or smash them into the ground. Nero is also armed with a sword that can be "revved" up via a throttle handle, allowing players to precharge the sword for extra damage on the next hit, or with precise timing it can be charged after each attack, for extra damage and style. Players can also switch fighting styles in mid-combat.

List of games

Main games

• Devil May Cry - (2001)

• Devil May Cry 2 - (2003)

• Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening - (2005)

• Devil May Cry 4 - (2008)

• Devil May Cry 5 - (2019)

Updated versions

• Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition - (2006)

• Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition - (2015)

Ports

• Devil May Cry 4: Refrain - (2011)
• Devil May Cry: HD Collection - (2012)

Seperate game

• DmC: Devil May Cry - (2013)

Animations

• Devil May Cry: The Animated Series - (anime) - 12 episodes, originally aired in 2007.

• Upcoming untitled animated series - In November 2018, animation producer Adi Shankar announced he had acquired the rights to produce a Devil May Cry animated series. Shankar has been completing a similar animated series for Konami's Castlevania on Netflix, and he said that he would consider both series would be part of a shared "bootleg multiverse".

Development

In 1998, after the completion of Resident Evil 2, preliminary work on a PlayStation 2 installment of the Resident Evil series began under the direction of Hideki Kamiya and Atsushi Inaba's development team, referred as "Team Little Devil". Early research and development work included a trip to Spain to examine various castles as a basis for the game's environments. However, in prototype status, it proved to be a radical departure from the established Resident Evil formula and the survival horror genre in general. Rather than abandon the project entirely, the premise was changed and it eventually became Devil May Cry.

The Divine Comedy, a well known fiction work by the Florentine poet Dante Alighieri, is one of the major inspirations behind the Devil May Cry series, it is often referenced or used as a background throughout the games.

Although the series is substantially different from its original Resident Evil inspiration, its lineage is still apparent, from the recurring boss characters and tendency towards grotesque adversaries, the need to solve elaborate puzzles to proceed, to the "This Game Contains Scenes Of Violence And Gore" warning at the opening sequence and "You Are Dead" game over screens. The violent finishing moves some monsters can perform are also reminiscent of its lineage.

Kamiya, now working at PlatinumGames, has expressed interest in making a remake of the first installment as well as a crossover game featuring Dante and Bayonetta, the titular protagonist of PlatinumGames' series of 3D action games.

Gallery

Box arts

Devil May Cry

Devil May Cry 2

Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening

Devil May Cry 4

DmC: Devil May Cry

Anime

Vol. 1

Vol. 2

Vol. 3

Merchandise

Artbook

External Links

• Official website (English)

• Official community site at Capcom Unity

• Wikipedia article

• Devil May Cry Wikia

• Devil's Lair - fansite, no longer updated.