Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry ( Japanese デ ビ ル メ イ ク ラ イ , Debiru mei kurai ) (German meaning “devils are allowed to cry”) is an action video game series released in 2001 by the Japanese developer Capcom . The first part for PlayStation 2 was created under the direction of Hideki Kamiya , the main character Dante was designed by Tsuchibayashi Makoto .
There have been five sequels so far, most recently Devil May Cry 5 , which, after the DmC Devil May Cry developed by Ninja Theory , was again produced by Capcom . Devil May Cry 5 was released in 2019 for Windows , Xbox One and PlayStation 4 . In 2012 Capcom released a Devil May Cry 10th Anniversary Collection for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, which contains the first three parts revised in HD.
From June 14th to September 6th, 2007 the anime adaptation ran on the Japanese broadcaster WOWOW.
Backstory
The main series includes the numbered titles, Devil May Cry 1 through Devil May Cry 5 . The events from DmC: Devil May Cry are not related to the main series.
The story of Devil May Cry revolves around the twin brothers Dante and Virgil, the sons of the demon Sparda and the human woman Eva. Sparda was well-disposed towards humans and tried to protect the human world from the attacks of the underworld by sealing the transition between the two worlds. During this argument, Eve was killed by hostile demons. The two brothers were born as Nephilim (demon-human hybrids ) and were therefore endowed with supernatural abilities. Now they stand between the two worlds and try to compete with each other, but each trying to find their own way.
The video game series takes up various motifs from myths and classical literature, mostly as an allusion without any deeper reference. The main character is named after the Italian poet Dante Alighieri and his brother after the Roman poet Virgil , who guided Dante through hell and purgatory in the Divine Comedy . In addition, motifs from Christian, Greek , Indian , Sumerian and Germanic myths are processed.
Devil May Cry
| Devil May Cry | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | Capcom | ||
| Publisher | Capcom | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
 August 23, 2001 October 17, 2001 December 7, 2001 Nintendo Switch: June 25, 2019  |
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| platform | PlayStation 2 , Nintendo Switch | ||
| genre | Action game | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Gamepad | ||
| medium | DVD , game card | ||
| Age rating |
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| information | The game has sold over 4 million copies worldwide. | ||
Devil May Cry was released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2 and 2019 for the Nintendo Switch . In the first part of the series, the player takes on the role of the half-demon Dante. He tries to prevent the gate to the underworld on Mallet Island from being opened. On his way across the various scenarios of the island, he repeatedly meets Trish, who initially pretends to be Dante's client. However, she later reveals herself to be an ally of the demon Mundus. This is about to reopen the gate to the underworld. Thus the player finds himself in a race against time. Dante must now fight against Mundus and his servants and finally defeat him, just as his father once did.
reviews
- Bravo Screenfun : Grade 1 (Edition 12/2001)
- Computer picture games : 1.38 (03/2002)
- PlayZone : 85% (01/2002)
Devil May Cry 2
| Devil May Cry 2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | Capcom | ||
| Publisher | Capcom | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
January 30, 2003 January 30, 2003 February 8, 2003 Nintendo Switch September 19, 2019 |
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| platform | PlayStation 2 , Nintendo Switch | ||
| genre | Action game | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Gamepad | ||
| medium | 2 DVD , game card | ||
| Age rating |
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| information | The retail version came with two data carriers ( DVD ). | ||
The sequel to Devil May Cry was released in 2003 for the PlayStation 2 and in 2019 for the Nintendo Switch . In this part you have to fight your way through the human world with Dante again, as it is infested by demons, but the real goal of the journey is the realm of the demon king, who is the final boss at the end of the game. On the second data carrier, which came with the retail version, you could play through the single player mode with the character Lucia instead of Dante. Lucia's path differs from Dante's in some places, for example when she collects the artifacts that Dante needs. It also has its own underwater level. If you play both CDs with both characters in all modes, you can unlock Trish, who slaughters her way through the demons with Sparda's sword.
Devil May Cry 3 - Dante's Awakening
| Devil May Cry 3 - Dante's Awakening | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Studio | Capcom | ||
| Publisher | Capcom | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
February 27, 2005 March 1, 2005 March 22, 2005 |
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| platform | PlayStation 2 | ||
| genre | Action game | ||
| Game mode | Single player , multiplayer | ||
| control | Gamepad | ||
| medium | 1 DVD | ||
| Age rating |
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| information | The game has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. | ||
As a prequel, the third part tells the story of the first part of the series and deals with the conflict between the two brothers Dante and Virgil. Again you slip into the role of Dante, with the aim of climbing the magical tower Temen-ni-gru and thus preventing the gate to the world of demons from being opened. Dante tries to thwart the sinister plans of his twin brother Virgil. At the end of the game, Dante, in tears over the loss of his brother who stayed in the underworld, founds his demon hunter's office called "Devil May Cry". The name for his office was given to him by Lady, when she comforted him with the sentence: "Maybe devils are allowed to cry somewhere if they lose a loved one." In English the sentence reads: "Maybe somewhere out there even a devil may cry when he loses a loved one."
Special edition
| Devil May Cry 3 - Dante's Awakening - Special Edition | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | Capcom | ||
| Publisher | Capcom | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
January 3, 2006 January 24, 2006 February 1, 2006 |
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| platform | PlayStation 2 , PC ( Windows ) | ||
| genre | Action game | ||
| Game mode | Single player , multiplayer | ||
| control | Gamepad , mouse and keyboard | ||
| medium | 1 DVD | ||
| Age rating |
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| information | In addition to Dante, Virgil can also be played. | ||
There is a special edition of the game, the Special Edition, in which there is the new "Virgil Mode", in which you control instead of Dante Virgil, who has his own fighting techniques. However, this changes nothing in the act and that are important to the main story cutscenes are omitted in Virgil mode. In addition, the two characters have different strengths and weaknesses. Virgil, for example, is stronger but has only three devil weapons; Dante, on the other hand, six. Furthermore, the level of difficulty has been adjusted to that of the Japanese version compared to the original version and thus reduced.
For inexplicable reasons, the turbo mode has been removed from the European version. This can be unlocked again using various cheat modules. In this mode, the character is approx. 20% faster. In addition, the player can use a cheat to unlock two more characters (depending on whether they are playing Dante or Virgil), namely with Dante, the demon Sparda or with Virgil, Nelo Angelo, whom Dante meets on Mallet Island in the first part.
Devil May Cry 4
| Devil May Cry 4 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | Capcom | ||
| Publisher | Capcom | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
January 31, 2008 February 5, 2008 February 7, 2008 February 7, 2008 February 8, 2008    |
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| platform | PC , PlayStation 3 , Xbox 360 | ||
| Game engine | MT Framework | ||
| genre | Action game | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Gamepad | ||
| language | Voice output English , menu language German | ||
| Age rating |
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| information | In addition to Dante, the new hero Nero can also be played. DMC4 is the first part which also appeared on the Xbox 360 . | ||
Devil May Cry 4 was released on February 8, 2008 in Germany and was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The release for PC followed on July 11th, 2008. In addition to the normal version in Germany, the game was also released for both consoles as a Collectors Edition limited to a total of 7,000 pieces (3,500 pieces each for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3) as a Steelbook . However, the German Collectors Edition only contains an artbook; the first DVD of Devil May Cry (Anime) , which is included in the American Collectors Edition, is missing from the European edition. On June 23, 2015, a new edition was released for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 as a digital download version.
In an interview with Japanese magazine Famitsu , head of development Hideaki Itsuno and producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi said that the game will have a new protagonist, "Nero". However, in about half of the game, the old main character Dante can also be played, and it is possible to repeat all the missions played so far with Dante. Compared to the previously published games, more cutscenes were used, which, as for part 3, were directed by Yuji Shimomura .
Reactions
Devil May Cry 4 received very good reviews from the trade press, with the spectacular boss fights being particularly praised. The gaming platform gamona.de judges: "With Devil May Cry 4, Capcom has succeeded in adding another action highlight that is really fun and is also staged in a bombastic way" (88% rating).
DmC: Devil May Cry
| DmC: Devil May Cry | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the series: Devil May Cry | |||
| Studio | Ninja Theory | ||
| Publisher | Capcom | ||
| Senior Developer | Tameem Antoniades | ||
| composer | Noisia Combichrist |
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| Erstveröffent- lichung |
January 15, 2013 PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 January 25, 2013 Windows Definitive Edition : March 10, 2015 Playstation 4, Xbox One |
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| platform | Windows, PlayStation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One | ||
| Game engine | Unreal Engine 3 | ||
| genre | Action game | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Gamepad , mouse and keyboard | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
Windows Vista (R) / XP, Windows 7, Windows 8 Intel (R) Core (TM) 2 Duo 2.4 GHz AMD Athlon (TM) X2 2.8 GHz 2 GB RAM NVIDIA (R) GeForce (R) 8800GTS ATI Radeon (TM) HD 3850 DirectX: 9.0c 9 GB HD storage space Standard audio device |
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| medium | Download, DVD-ROM | ||
| language | Multilingual | ||
| Age rating |
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With the fifth part, the series was reissued despite the commercial success of the fourth part. The Ninja Theory studio was commissioned with the development. DmC: Devil May Cry was released on January 15, 2013 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The PC version followed on January 25, 2013. On March 6, 2013, the expansion Vergil's Downfall was released . A Definitive Edition was released on March 10, 2015 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
The player takes on the role of the young Dante, who appears with a changed appearance and a new arsenal of weapons and skills. The plot is based on the story of Dante's parents and the conflict between Dante and his brother Virgil. In addition, the demon king Mundus appears again as an antagonist, after whose defeat Dante realizes his brother's intentions.
Characters from Devil May Cry
Sparda
Sparda, also known as the Dark Knight, is the demon who stopped the Demon King from destroying the human world. He sealed the gate to the underworld after battling his demonic brothers and their emperor Mundus, but since he was a demon himself, his demonic power was imprisoned in the underworld as well. In order to prevent his power from being lost, he and a woman named Eva begat twins, the half-demons Dante and Virgil. Its further history is unclear.
Dante
Dante is the son of Sparda, whose goal is to save the world from evil. In the third part there is a confrontation between him and Virgil. He uses many different weapons in combat, which vary from part to part. The only constants are always his two large-caliber, semi-automatic pistols "Ebony & Ivory" (German: Ebony and Ivory) and the demon sword "Rebellion", which was formerly wielded by his father and got its apt name from his rebellion against his demon brothers. This sword helps Dante first and foremost because he can use it to transform himself into his demonic form for a short time and rage among his enemies like a dervish. The demon form is unlocked for the first time when "Rebellion" comes into contact with Dante's blood. Dante's self-confidence and demonic superiority make him appear arrogant and narcissistic on the outside. Especially in his younger years (Devil May Cry 3), his loose mouth and pride got him into trouble a few times. Dante chose the path of a demon hunter to avenge his mother, who was killed 20 years before the plot of the first part by an unknown demon who later turned out to be the ruler of all demons - Mundus. According to his own statements, he hunts all demons because he is of the opinion that sooner or later the right one will be there. Dante's trademarks are his snow-white, tousled hair, a long red coat and impressive artistic maneuvers.
Lucia
Lucia is a descendant of the "Vie de Marii" clan, a clan of protectors who carry demon blood. She is one of the playable characters in Devil May Cry 2 and, like Dante, can transform into a demon. In devil trigger mode, it resembles a bird or angel. In addition to Dante, whom she hired specially for the mission to fight Arius, she also tries to defeat Arius (the "new" demon king) and thus prevent the demons from reigning in the normal world. Lucia later learns that she was created by Arius and thus a monster, Lucia sees this as a reason to have to sacrifice herself. She wants to break into the world of demons, but shortly before that she loses a bet with Dante and has to stay, but later turns Arius into a fight. Finally, her foster mother can convince her that the past she has spent together is much more important than anything else and that Arius' words have no value.
At the end of Devil May Cry 2, Lucia waits in Dante's shop to give him - as promised - the double-sided coin that made her lose the bet that decided who should go into the demon world.
Virgil
Virgil is Dante's twin brother. His goal is to throw the world into chaos. He considers the use of modern weapons to be unworthy, instead he fights with the Japanese katana " Yamato ", which he received as a souvenir of his father, the demon sword "Force Edge", which he left behind after his defeat against Dante, and with a pair Gauntlets with the name "Beowulf". In the first part of the series, Virgil appears under the name Nelo Angelo, Dante only later realizes that it is his brother. In the third part he is the main character together with Dante. In the Special Edition of Devil May Cry 3, the player can choose to play with either Dante or Virgil.
lady
Lady is a demon hunter who appears in the third part of the series. Her real name is Mary Ann. She has made it her business to kill every demon still alive with her weapon "Kalina Ann". This weapon is a rocket launcher named after Lady's mother. When she meets Dante for the first time and finds out that he is a demon, she wants to kill him. After meeting Dante several times, she changes her mind about him and supports him in the fight. Lady also appears in the fourth part of the series, but is neither playable nor does she have any direct influence on the plot. In the Special Edition it IS playable. She shares a campaign with Trish.
Arkham
Arkham is Lady's father, who is obsessed with becoming a devil. At the beginning of the third part he works with Virgil, as both intend to reopen the demon world that Sparda once sealed. Lady wants to take revenge on her father because he killed her mother just to get closer to his goal of becoming a demon.
Jester
Jester, who appears in the third part, first introduces himself in the game as a court jester who often helps Dante, but still pursues his own goals. Later, however, Jester reveals himself to be Arkham, who lured Dante, Virgil and Lady into a trap in order to open the world of demons and to use the power of Spardas for himself.
Trish
Trish is a demon created by Mundus. She enters Dante's office in the prologue of the first part and tells him about the events on Mallet Island. At first she is an ally of Dante, but very quickly turns out to be Mundus' servant. She pulls the strings and always seems to be one step ahead of Dante. When the fight between Dante and Mundus is to come, however, she saves Dante's life by throwing herself between him and the attack by Mundus. In the last fight against Mundus, however, she reappears and lends her strength to Dante so that Mundus can finally be defeated. In the epilogue you can see how she then teamed up with Dante and worked under the common name "Devils Never Cry" (this is what Dante said to Trish when she was crying and was no longer a demon). Trish, like Lady, makes her comeback in Devil May Cry 4 and makes for several exciting twists and turns in the story. In Devil May Cry 4, Trish even appears in two forms. On the one hand, as we know her, with long blond hair and then as the beautiful, mysterious Gloria. As Gloria, she pretends to be a member of the Order and even helps Nero. She also has a secret: Trish looks like Dante and Virgil's mother.
In addition, you can unlock Trish in Devil May Cry 2 as a bonus character, but without a separate story. In the Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition it is also playable, again without its own storyline. This time she shares the story with Lady.
Nero
Nero is a demon hunter and helps the Order of the Sword, which is based on the island of Fortuna and there worships Dante's father Sparda and hunts devils and demons. Nero rejects this extreme veneration of Sparda, which is easily recognizable in the opening video of the 4th part. He was adopted by Kyrie's family as a child and grew up with her and her older brother Credo. Plus, Nero is a half-demon. After Dante murdered the leader of the order at a festival in honor of Sparda, Nero hunted him down to avenge the bloody deed and to protect Kyrie from the seemingly insane half-demon. During the first fight with Dante, Nero's injured right forearm wakes up and turns out to be a demon. However, the possessed arm, also known as Devil Bringer , is available to Nero as a weapon. He can carry out various attacks with him, such as ramming the enemy into the ground, pulling objects and enemies towards him and much more. In addition to the Devil Bringer , Nero also uses the Red Queen sword , which has an integrated injection function, and the Blue Rose drum revolver , which can fire two bullets at the same time. Both weapons have been made available by the Order.
Kyrie
Kyrie grew up with Nero and they have been family, friends, and lovers at the same time ever since. After singing in Sparda's honor at the celebration, she and her brother Credo fled to Fortuna Castle, while Nero held back the attacking devils. She is later kidnapped and is Nero's main drive during the plot. In the epilogue, the relationship between Nero and Kyrie is once again made clear. The long-awaited kiss does not take place, however, as a new demon attack is imminent. After this attack, it is decided which end sequence to see. In one of them, Kyrie looks up at the sky and is happy that everything is over and that there is finally peace again. In the second, Nero and Kyrie finally get closer and kiss each other.
Creed
Credo, the older brother of Kyrie, is the captain of the Holy Knights, the Order of the Sword. Although he accepts Nero as a family member and respects his abilities, he too is annoyed by his boisterous actions and his taunts against the order and his fellow men. But Credo also has a demonic form. Credo in its demonic form is an extremely hard armored boss and has many attack options. He can use sword and shield combos in close combat, block and throw a lance in ranged attacks.
Cat
Kat is capable of magic but has had a dire past. She was mistreated by her foster father and later killed him. Kat is the only completely human main character in "DmC" and serves as a moral guide.
Adaptations for other media
Light novels
Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko published three light novels for Devil May Cry . The first two Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 2 were written by Shin'ya Goikeda . The illustrations of the first are by Shirō Miwa and those of the second by Yūchi Gosumi. Both were published in Germany by Panini-Verlag :
- Devil May Cry: The Origin. The official novel for the game . Panini Verlag, August 2006, ISBN 3-8332-1409-0
- Devil May Cry 2: The Official Novel for the game . Panini Verlag, January 2007, ISBN 3-8332-1410-4
The third light novel Devil May Cry 4: Deadly Fortune consists of two volumes, the first of which was published on April 1, 2009 and the second on July 1, 2009. Author is Bingo Morihashi, who also created the scenario for the computer game Devil May Cry 3 and 4 wrote. He is assisted in the plot by Kentarō Yasui. The illustrations come from Thores Shibamoto, known from Trinity Blood .
Manga and Anime
In Japan a manga was released in May 2005 and a twelve-part anime under the title Devil May Cry from June 2007 . The series is available on DVD in Germany.
Web links
- Websites of the developer Capcom Japan Devil May Cry , Devil May Cry 2 , Devil May Cry 3 , Devil May Cry 4 (Japanese, partly English)
- Devil May Cry series at MobyGames (English)
- Official website (English)
- Interview with Devil May Cry 4 producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi
- Devil May Cry 4 Infos ( Memento from March 19, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- Test by DmC: Devil May Cry on DLH.NET
Notes and sources
- ↑ James Mielke: Hideki Kamiya. Looking Back at the Okami creator's Storied Past. 1up.com retro / active, August 18, 2006. (English)
- ^ Anoop Gantayat: New Hero for DMC4. ign.com , September 6, 2006. (Accessed September 2, 2010)
- ↑ Test at gamona.de, 88%
- ↑ Dave Tach: DmC and Devil May Cry 4 headed to PS4 and Xbox One in 2015 with upgrades. December 15, 2014, accessed December 31, 2019 .
- ↑ Interview with trailer excerpts