Introduction
When I look back at the first Devil May Cry, I remember its unrelenting action because the game just never let up, with its array of enemy types, bosses, the main character; and, visually was astonishing to look at. Plus, it was an unbelievable game and was one of the premier games in the early stages of the Playstation 2. There really was nothing like it back in 2001; and, having played some of the Resident Evil games before this one in 2003, the controls are somewhat similar, if refined to update toward the playstyle of this game. Devil May Cry beginnings were intended for a brand new Resident Evil game, back in 1998. After production of Resident Evil 2 was finished, preliminary work was being done for a new RE game under the direction of Hideki Kamiya, under the codename "Team Little Devil". Early Research and Development had the team take a trip to go to Spain to examine various castles for the environments in the game. Alas, in its infant stages, it was a vast departure from the series and they changed the concept and later titled it "Devil May Cry". In the game, you're Dante, the son of Sparda, who once turned against The Devil Prince, some 2,000 years ago, and trapped the prince in the demon world and leaving his tumultuous past behind him. What was once sealed eons ago was reopened when the Prince of the outerworld frees himself and his inhabitants, as he commences a takeover the world. A woman from Dante's past appears at his shop (Devil May Cry) to inform him of the event. He then accepts her offer; and, they travel to an island with a castle on top of it and the adventure begins. As plots goes, it's hokey. It tries to be stirring and competent and it's doesn't executes well. The voice actors are solid, for the most part. (save for some cringe-worthy performances) Though, don't expect top thesbian acting as the narrative is an underdeveloped component that sets itself apart from what really matters in a game like this: Gameplay.
Dante's Concept & Family Backstory
The concept behind the titular character comes from creator, Hideki Kamiya. His inspirational was a manga comic series called "Cobra" to supplant that character's persona to that of Dante's. He wanted a character that exudes "Stylish" and, quite frankly, one that was chauvinistic. As for the coat, the color is red, because in Japan, it is a traditional color for their examples of heroes; and, he embodies the perception of individuals you would like to have a beer with or have a discussion about favorite pizzas or babes he would date. Dante was the guy we could all be if we were infused with special abilities and were bestowed with these guns and swords. The arsenals bestowed for him are handguns Ebony and Ivory, swords, Rebellion and Force Edge, weapons his father used before him. He has supernatural powers, from his dad's side of the family and his job is that of a bounty hunter against some of the world's most malevolent demons and dedicates it to his murdered mother and twin brother, Vergil, who was corrupted by his father's rival, who was once done for, only to rise again. When he and his brother were eight years old, they were given an amulet called the Perfect Amulet. After Sparda turned rogue against the demon world, he used his own blood and a human priestess to seal off the two worlds. Centuries later, he gives the amulet to his eventual wife, Eva, who then gives it to the twins after his passing. The purpose of the jewel is for entrance to the demon world and it was a gift from Mundus to corrupted humans who wanted power. The sons of Sparda later received halves of the amulet from their mother when their father passed away. In his adult years, Vergil became an apprentice to Mundus and became the knight "Nelo Angelo", in his failed attempt towards defeating Mundus. He and his twin brother have a long history of fights against one another and are equals of one another. Dante is the more versatile, while Vergil is more strategic. Their various styles helped shaped one another and are even more dangerous when they're a tandem, due the various ways they can deal with their foes.
Gameplay and Enemy Types
Crazy doesn't even begin to describe the mechanics of DMC's gameplay. When in combat, on the right side of the screen is a meter called the "Style meter", which determines how well the player can maintain combos. You start off on "Dull", then, if consistent, can graduate to its highest ranking of Stylish. The combat is frantic and you must maintain that pace for every encounter that isn't just to use to roam around the environment. When you finish the mission of each level, there's a result for how the player did, it's ranks the lowest class of "D" to the highest of "S" for stylish; and, you’re graded on time, combat, item usage, damage and style. The game has some puzzle-solving, though, they're the least of your worries, because the game is so challenging, that really the puzzling part is taking down some of these beings, especially, on the highest difficulty, like "Dante Must Die, where you take enhanced enemies that take longer to kill. Another mechanic in the game is the ability to transform into your "Devil Trigger" form, which replenishes your vitality and gives you enhanced speed and power, for a limited time. Two of the elements used are electricity for the sword, Alastor; and, for hand-to-hand combat is Ifrit; which, uses fire as its element. As for the guns, handguns Ebony and Ivory (they're also the default weapons for Dante), a grenade gun, needle gun (for water use only) and the nightmare-β (a gun that fires lasers that ricochet). When Mundus released himself from the demon world, he unleashed some of the most terrifying monsters to contend against Dante; they range from Marionettes, Sins, Shadow, Beelzebubs, Kyklops, Blade, Sargasso, Nobody, Fetish, Frost, and Plasma. Bosses are the Phantom (A molten arachnid with a scorpion's tail), Griffon (big bird), Nightmare (an inorganic creature) and the last boss himself, Mundus (The Devil Prince).
Conclusion
My lasting impressions of the first installment are the same as they were when I bought the game and Capcom really changed the landscape when the game was a hit back in 2001. Now, visually, it's not as gorgeous as it once was a decade ago, though, many other games lacked its aesthetics and to it up against today's heavy hitters (for example Bayonetta, Kamiya's other action game) isn't fair. The series did stumble with its first sequel, because it lacked many of the things that made the first one an excellent game and the prequel (Dante's Awakening) went back to the drawing board with some new key additions (including a harsh difficulty) which gave the player four playstyles (block, evade, swords and guns); yet, Despite their intentions of besting the original, they had their moments, yet, they couldn't match the original's gameplay, environments, controls (even though the next two played extremely well) and well, it couldn't top the character's charm in the inaugural game.
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