Today, we’re reviewing the Devil May Cry games ranked from worst to best. The series has all the edginess and style you could ever need. Devil May Cry originated from two different Capcom series. The series was originally one of the first drafts of Resident Evil 4, and the combat was born from a bug in Onimusha that allowed you to juggle enemies. Dante was originally a detective named Tony Redgrave and was the son of Spencer, the founder of Umbrella from Resident Evil. Tony would have superhuman powers from all the viruses. It was so far removed from Resident Evil that the game was retooled into Devil May Cry. Let’s see how all the games fare against each other. Put on your leather jacket, grab your favorite sword, and recite your best one-liner as we rank the games in the Devil May Cry series to see which of them is SSStylish.
Devil May Cry 2
Image Credit: Capcom.
Let’s start with the only dud in the series. I still have love in my heart for this title because it was my first Devil May Cry game. It is pretty empty and boring, but boy, was it cool. The dev team did great with animation and adding new acrobatic moves. You get a second campaign to play as Lucia. There are two discs and two campaigns. Sound familiar? Kind of like Resident Evil 2. The weapons you unlock are worse than those from the first game. The story wasn’t very fleshed out, and the game lacked a solid direction. Sequels are supposed to be bigger and better, but not this time. Capcom seemed to have lost a step. This left fans underwhelmed, but Capcom regained their footing and delivered four more solid games in the series. If Capcom gives remakes to the series, I’d like to see this one reworked to reach its potential.
DmC: Devil May Cry
Image Credit: Capcom.
During the reboot era, almost everything got rebooted. It only makes sense that Capcom tried to do the popular thing and reboot the series. Capcom immediately received backlash in waves. Dante was young and had short black hair. He looked like a skinny emo boy. He was even more of an edgelord. They revealed that Dante would have white hair during his devil-trigger ability. The game ended up being pretty decent. It found a fanbase, but some still disliked the new Dante. The game had more platforming and still had stylish combat. It is ambitious, and it’s appreciated even if it doesn’t always land. The story was pretty good. It attacked themes of commercialism and modern media. The game’s story aged very well, while some dialogue didn’t. One of the best things is the different difficulty modes. They added lots of replayability to the title. One example is the Must Style modifier. You can’t do any damage until you reach an S or higher style ranking. DmC is drastically different, but that doesn’t mean it’s all bad. Give the game a chance, and you might be surprised.
Devil May Cry 4
Image Credit: Capcom.
Let’s get the negatives out of the way. Before the release of the special edition, the game had some issues. Some remain in the latest version. It feels rushed and unfinished, but that doesn’t stop it from being a fun game. The story has pacing issues. Instead of splitting the story between newcomer Nero and the veteran Dante, they should have done separate campaigns. Some of the puzzles are rough and unintuitive. You go from fast-paced fun to figuring out what you should do in a puzzle that barely gives any clues.
Let’s talk about the good. The new main character, Nero, is a good character and has some fun skills. The combat can be some of the best in the series and has some memorable boss fights. You have the most playable characters in the series, with five. You play as Nero, Dante, Vergil, Trish, and Lady. The story is excellent until the switch to Dante, but the pacing gets thrown off. With deep combat and lots of characters to play, this puts it towards the top of the Devil May Cry series.
Devil May Cry
Image Credit: Capcom.
The atmosphere, music, and combat made this a strong showing. It became the king of action games. The enemies were creepy and scary; You can tell this was a Resident Evil title at one point from the enemy designs. The music really builds up the atmosphere of the game. While exploring the castle, you find a lot of reading material to help build the world. Love it or hate it, it has fixed camera angles like Resident Evil and Onimusha. This genre-defining, action-packed brawl is stuffed with style. Devil May Cry had amazing graphics for the time and also some great, action-packed cutscenes. The further you get in the game, the deeper the combat becomes. If this game doesn’t have you buying a leather jacket and a sword, I don’t know what will. You should experience a masterpiece in the action game landscape.
Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening
Image Credit: Capcom.
In this prequel, we get to see a younger and cockier Dante. He is rocking out harder than ever. This game has some of the best combat in an action game ever. All of the weapons are fun to use and have a lot of skills to learn. Vergil is trying to link the human world with the demon world. Like always, Dante needs to stop his brother’s dastardly plan. Set a decade before the first game, they brought the series back to true form after a disappointing second game. The game retconned Vergil’s backstory, so he lived. The release of the special edition brought improvements and a new way to play as Vergil. The game had a great reception and won many awards. Dante was able to take his crown back as the king of action games. This is a must-play because it is one of the best games to grace the action genre. Dante reawakened everyone’s love for the series in this third game.
Devil May Cry 5
Image Credit: Capcom.
Nero and Dante returned in one of the best-looking games to date. The switch to the RE Engine is a huge highlight for two reasons: one, it has some of the most beautiful graphics in all of gaming, and two, its buttery smooth gameplay. Not only is this the top of the mountain for the series, but I’d also say it is the top of the mountain for action games. You have three main characters: Nero, Dante, and the mysterious newcomer V. All have different play styles. Nero has a new mechanic from losing his arm: he uses robot-style arms with different uses. One example is an arm you launch like a missile and can ride on. Dante has guns, swords, motorcycle blades, and a hat. V is a change of pace by having a more straightforward combat system; he uses his summons to smack demons around. The special edition added Vergil once again as a playable character. He is busted but so fun. The story is decent for an action game; it has a few fun twists in the story. This game has moved into many people’s all-time lists. With deep combat, amazing graphics, and crazy boss fights, you must see this game in action. Without a doubt, this is an all-time great in the action gaming genre.
