Players May Cry: A Devil May Cry (2001) review

Devils don't cry, it's the players​


A Devil May Cry (2001) review.

MV5BNDJlNzc2NTMtNWRjYy00NDgzLThiMzYtZTc2OWI3MjYzNGIxXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg


A little intro to the series.

Hideki Kamiya, a man known for creating one of the most revolutionary game that would forever shape the Survival Horror genre. During the early 2000s, Kamiya and his team were working on Resident Evil 4 a game that's praised till today. However, Kamiya noticed that they pumped the action meter to a hundred since the gameplay strayed far away from what Resident Evil's action intended to be. Sounds kinda weird that they rejected it when both 5 and 6 emphasized a whole lot on it's action than horror. So then Kamiya decided that it would be best to just make it a separate series, instead of mutants and zombies, you get DEMONS.



That started the creation of the game that revolutionized the 3D hack and slash genre.


DEVIL MAY CRY

images (4).jpeg

(Look at that smug face)

Starting off with the first game, you obviously play as Dante. A devil hunter with both the blood of a demon and human. Now this guy is the best. Instead of being wholly edgy and cringe like the games during this era, Dante is more of a playful Rottweiler who has a funny yet intimidating side. Dante was hired by Trish to travel to Mallet Island to stop Mundus, unbeknownst to him that Trish is actually planning to deceive him. Sad that this debt hoarder doesn't take a break because his dad pissed not only one section of hell but the whole f*ck*ng entirety of it. For a 2000s character, he has a whole lot of personality, my wildest thought is him being a hybrid of Tommy Verceti and Blade when he's serious.


PLOT


Plot wise, it's really kinda decent with the typical chosen one cliche. You got a dude who's halfblood, dude's parent got beef with different kinds or his own race. Dude is now dealing with his parent's problem, and is apparently the chosen one. The only time it had some mystery was with Dante's fights with Nelo Angelo. We ofc didn't know what was the deal with Nelo acting all mad when he saw the amulet till the last fight and assumed that it was nothing but bs plot armor. There weren't too many characters to be interested in unlike in 4 and 3 since the bosses mostly spoke briefly before losing or dying, exception to Mundus tho, he talks most of the game's time as an egotistical a*shole to Dante. As much as anyone glazes the game for having a story, I gotta say that you all spent your time reading the novel after playing. On top of all that, the game has some plot holes, with one of them being seen throughout the series as symbols without us noticing, the Dragon that Dante summons in the first fight with Mundus that never was explained in future releases, and did Sparda actually die? Who the hell knows.

DESIGN


Just by looking at the insides of the mansion sure brings its Resident Evil origins. The backtracking and claustrophobic spaces sure feel like the good old horror shooter. Enemies also somewhat feel like Resident Evil mutants, those enemies being the Nobodies, Marionettes, and Nightmare.

images (6).jpeg


images (5).jpeg



Even for an early PS2 era game, the graphics goes hard even with a pixelated TV that your dad's toes got crushed in. I thank the HD Collection by a mile for upscaling every detail in the mansion. Just by looking at this picture makes you hear those angelic choirs in the background. Enemy designs as well look so damn unique and creepy. Marionettes fit right into the atmosphere of the game, you could tell that there was a lot of work done into these enemies just by the looks of it. It really feels like that these guys really mean business and is not overall generic despite being reused (redesigned a little) in future games like DMC4&5.


COMBAT


Devil May Cry is almost the equivalent of Doom with its combat. Quick thinking and going all in right at demons dishing out big damage with the right moves/weapons. Dante has a total of 2 move types, a forward and backward attack command. Both have great properties when dealing with demons of lower classes, even juggling just by shooting them mid-air. Instead of being a little tactical wimp, you're supposed to dish out the most aggressive yet stylish combos known to man, delaying inputs also grant a rewarding combo that'll surely drain enemy health to dust. The game also has a style meter judging on the way you fight in the game. Use the same moves too much, abuse guns and you won't be considered a STYLISH player but rather someone who's afraid of socializing with swords and guns. After finishing each level, you'll be ranked for your performance.
Screenshot_2025_0119_154202.png

Getting orbs and completing the level in time will grant you a wonderful S rank. The ranking deducts everytime you continue with a Golden Orb, yeah play the game that way, you filthy casuals. Dante has a lot of weapons to choose from starting with Alastor to the Sparda. Alastor is the main star since this sword carries your whole playthrough, giving you the ability to fly with DT. Ifrit is a weapon you should most definitely use against majority of the bosses since it's the only one that deals a sh*tload of damage, downside is that it's slow. Lastly is Sparda, just a reskin of Rebellion but extends it's range when DT is active and my God is this weapon ASMR to my ears. But why stop with swords when you can go guns blazing with Ebony and Ivory, hell even a goddamn grenade launcher. That's not all, since you could be able to use what is called a Devil Trigger (DT for short), Dante transforms into his devil form temporarily to boost not just his damage but also his speed. Using it before or after battle isn't actually bad since it can regenerate your health. Just… keep on slapping demons with your sword and hope to God you don't die during DT with critical health because it doesn't make you unkillable. The game doesn't necessarily force you to utilize the right weapons but definitely makes you feel like you f'ed up something like that time when you chose Ifrit and the Shotgun against Shadows in the Dante Must Die difficulty.

LEVELS


For a hack and slash game, it comes with a whole lot of puzzles to solve and backtracking with the items you got from previous sections of the map. It kinda seemed like they wanted to do something with the Missions and just decided to add the stuff they had in the scrapped version of RE4 and put 'em all in as if someone wouldn't notice. Levels or should I say Missions, aesthetically are great but fail when it comes to things like platforming. Because holy hell did I die from getting banged by Sin Scissors left and right trying to reach the top floor even in the godforsaken hallways. CURSE YOU CAMERA. The hallways are pretty fun to fight in however, it forces you to act all aggressive, jumping around enemies dishing out damage, going head on crazy, racking up some style points. It's your typical "Don't just stand there!” section.
Screenshot_2025_0118_121529.png

(This isn't Resident Evil dumb*ss, keep moving)
But that all depends on who the hell you're fighting and not some tanky reject who doesn't stagger when your sword lands. The only horrible levels I remembered are the underwater ones where the controls for some reason are horrendous with slow turns, is in First Person and a gun that's hell of a lot weak as both Ebony & Ivory. It gets stupider in higher difficulties when they decide to put in Devil Trigger versions of previous Enemies in the Mission.
images (9).jpeg

(The PTSD Incarnate)
Like I also said, the platforming in DMC1 is balls. Especially during the part where you're supposed to retrieve Ifrit with these pedestal thingies that descend/ascend when you step onto them. Combine that with a jump that you don't have much control when descending, also having a very wide arch and you're left having to fight the controller instead… don't forget about the CAMERA-
Screenshot_2025_0119_103903.png

and after defeating Sin Griffon you'll have to jump on a godforsaken pillar, thanks to Dante’s jump having a very wide arch, you'll be left retrying again and again till the mission ranks you a D mostly a C in my case. This mission alone got me a total of 30 mins of playtime forcing me to use DT air raid on most of the platforming sections on my future replays.
Screenshot_2025_0118_104031.png

(This took me 10 mins to hop onto and I was not happy to get a C rank).
There's also the fact that you really need to spend Red Orbs on Gold Orbs if you're that bad at the game. PS2 games mostly do this, when you die, you'll have to restart THE WHOLE LEVEL from start to finish and Gold Orbs only provide as checkpoints so it takes you a bit far than where you were supposed to be at. But ofc people with pride wouldn't use Gold Orbs and would just take blow after blow sucking harder each playthrough. You can purchase a variety of items in the game ranging from green, yellow, purple, blue orbs and stars, to Holy Water which I personally needed against Mundus’ 3rd fight. Blue and Purple Fragments also exist in the game so that you wouldn't have to spend Red Orbs but I found it dumb for me to get the fragments instead of just grinding on Missions where the amount of enemies are abundant.


ENEMIES


Game is also surprisingly difficult even in normal difficulty as you're not only fighting Demons but the ungodly movement of the CAMERA forcing you to deal with enemies off screen. Speaking of enemies, most of them are a delight to fight, Marionettes are your favorite punching bag. Squishy and easy to juggle, there are also the Frosts which are the best when you want an enemy that doesn't f*ck around but you wanna throw your hands at. Can't say the same for some here, Blades have the tendency to whip your godforsaken a*s if you screw up by using the wrong move due to their armor also the fact that they use a Pokemon move mixed with a Street Fighter move. Sin Scissors will do an orgy at you in enclosed spaces to the point where moving is pointless and don't do jacksh*t, what's worse is that they can fly off screen. What's EVEN worse is that there exists Devil Trigger versions of these enemies that have more HP and Damage output but thank God their attack patterns don't change. I gotta say that the enemies here aren't worse compared to DMC3’s since you don't need a very specific strategy on what to do and who to hit first and it doesn't restrict your ability to go all out hacking and slashing which is what the game is intending you to do.
Screenshot_2025_0119_161706.png

Also f*ck this guy, I've never been pissed my whole life and this son of a b*tch just had to push my buttons. I forgot to mention how some specific enemies like to box you in and not let go and this guy is one of them. The hallway itself wasn't even that big for me to roll around getting my a*s zapped by a billion times. This mf doesn't even stagger much making him punish your attacks by spamming his stupid small cut attack.

BOSSES


Most of the bosses are hell of a hassle to fight. Griffon, Shadow, and Especially Nightmare in all versions. Phantom was a fine and great boss 1st and 4th encounter, but damn did he make me hate enclosed spaces.
images (11).jpeg

He is not a fun boss to fight in a hallway. He doesn't just do this once though, but twice in the sewers which sorta makes you paranoid when the level is close to ending and you're in a hallway. Ofc, I can't forget about Nelo Angelo here, the real skill checker of the game. Like what he showed in the cutscene, he is literally you, but with blocking and projectile attacks. Like a big bro flexing how he's better than you but isn't the best son.
Screenshot_2025_0118_123804.png


The only time I hated fighting him was his 2nd encounter where he appears all of a sudden and you're then put in a handicap match with both Nelo and the CAMERA bodying the living hell out of you. Nelo would constantly teleport and the CAMERA would occasionally switch angles forcing you to throw a Stinger off screen hoping you land a hit with him not blocking or you'll get staggered leaving him an opportunity to whip your stupid a*s. This becomes more of a problem than an actual boss fight. Because the camera not only blinds your perspective but the input and needing to lock onto Nelo gets disabled each time it enters a different angle and you have to input a stinger before the angle switches but that alone is a hard to pay gamble resulting in you losing thirds of your health.
Shadows are what I previously mentioned in a forum, is easier IF YOU KNOW THEIR GIMMICK. You'll have to shoot them first to expose their core, that way you are able to harm them. The game doesn't and has no way of telling you this during fights but forces you to experiment with a lot of Dante's arsenal, expanding on the idea that you should get to know your weapons more than your wife. If you ever hit it with your sword and think that you're the stupidest monkey to ever exist, then you're not the only one, monsieur. He isn't much of a boss but an annoying piece of sh*t that will occasionally spawn two or more of them against you to the point where you contemplate your life choices and think if Marvel VS Capcom Infinite was really bad.

images (16).jpeg

Griffon isn't much of a problem in the first encounter because just by using DT and Grenade Launcher would definitely dish out its health. The second encounter is where it becomes more of a chore for me, you'll fight Griffon on a ship causing you to jump around while being blinded by objects, even the boat itself, AND THE HELL THAT IS THE CAMERA. Forcing you to rely on your DT in order to use Air Raid and deal some heavy damage. Then there's Nightmare, OH, GODDAMN THIS MONSTROSITY THAT INHABITS THE GAME! His main gimmick is utilizing three things that shouldn't mix together in the first place, puzzle, platforming and a boss fight. This hog of sh*t wants you to slap the hell out of its switches before slapping it's big as hell core on top of it, combine that with loads of turrets, portals and the CAMERA that constantly blocks your perspective thinking you're his nemesis, but is that one allergic kid who you threw a brick at. Thankfully though, his Devil Arm Nightmare-ẞ is one of the best weapons in the game against Shadows because of its damage output and ricochet. Just needs some charging and DT for ammo.

images (15).jpeg

Also, why the hell would you want to combine two things that are meant to be and bring a third party in it? It gets worse in the last encounter because WHY NOT MAKE THE ROOM SMALLER WITH NO COVER?!

Screenshot_2025_0119_154553.png

Mundus and Nelo Angelo were by far the best bosses that were very much interesting to fight in the game with Nelo being much more of a skill checker on whether or not you've mastered the basic and advanced techniques of the game, Dodging and Weapon Utilization. Mundus felt more of a blast to the past with it's first phase being a Space Harrier level, 2nd was fine, was also a great fight but the third phase didn't matter too much since all I did was stand in his side where he's not able to hurt me, and I'm just slashing the hell out of his Shuma Gorath face.

images (10).jpeg

(I just realized those weren't tendrils but fingers).

DIALOGUE


Alright enough with the ranting. The last thing I should sh*t on is the dialogue, when Dante is about to say something serious, he becomes less intimidating but tremendously cheesy like that one weeb who's had enough of the bullying and decides to monologue about his lifetime being horrible. The voice acting is not bad per se, it just lacks the effort. It's one of those common cases in 2000s video game acting. The only moment where he doesn't feel cheesy is when he's making fun of bosses and enemies which is the tradition I love in the series, next to him being stabbed by his own weapons. Luckily the game didn't have a Japanese dub or else I would definitely make fun of how the Voice Actors portrayed Dante here. Not as worse as DMC2 Dante.


Screenshot_2025_0119_124625.png

(I'm so damn sorry, I can't just help it)


Flaws aside, the game was a product of its time, and a game I shall review/play day and night for the sake of my love for the series. The combat was brilliant, the story might be dated but really kicked up hype. The Game was just that very fun it made me smile... Maybe because I was glad that I was over with the plane level after kamikaze-ing right at sharp stones because the level goes way too fast for me. As much as its Resident Evil traits go, the plane one was the best and the only thing that made me laugh for minutes. They even rendered it like a PS1 cutscene, gotta cut them some slack though, PS2 was still a baby during those times.

SOUNDTRACK


Soundtrack kicks so much a*s that it got me feeling like I am Dante doing all these sick moves to these demons if only. The slow metal guitar pacing ramps up the hype that you're gonna feel. Every DMC game doesn't disappoint with its god tier soundtracks.

Except you, you don't have any good tracks. The ambience fits really well into the aesthetic, but it just shrouds in Devil May Cry’s real objective as a hack and slash game making it feel more like a game that it was supposed to be (Resident Evil).

This isn't the worst game but comes close as the 2nd all because of age. F*ck it, just add the Java games, then Peak of Combat and it's now the least great game in the series but has a lot of charm.

(P.S, I wanted to review a different game but my mind was stuck in DMC after replaying it all these years. I had plans with DMC2 but that's just kicking a dead horse at this point.)​

 
Pros
  • + Immersive and Angelic atmosphere
  • + Fun combat
  • + Enemy variety
  • + A variety of weapons
  • + Stylish combos
  • + Revolutionized a sub-genre
  • + A great starter for the series
  • + Bad*ss soundtrack
Cons
  • - THE CAMERA
  • - Enemy variety (the bad way)
  • - Platforming is balls
  • - Cheesy Dialogue
  • - Didn't age well for veteran fans
9
Gameplay
8
Graphics
6
Story
7
Sound
8
Replayability
9
out of 10
Overall
The stylish rebirth of a genre.

Attachments

  • images (13).jpeg
    images (13).jpeg
    37 KB · Views: 24
Last edited by a moderator:
First time I played DMC 1 it was on a faulty disk (it was very scratched) that came on a Kessen II box. I could never finish it because it would get stuck on the escape sequence at the end. Eventually I bought a new copy, this time in better condition and could finally finish it. Good game, not as hard as 3. Most bosses you mentioned are ass.
 
The original Devil May Cry was the GOAT! The characters, soundtracks, bosses and most importantly those sick and wicked combos ::poggurai

I'll always love Devil May Cry for what it is in the original PS2, it's one of the reasons why the hack and slash genre are thriving alongside the God of War games

10/10 review and a great way to start, awesome debut!::bigboss
 
Have you noticed how Resident Evil 2 and Devil May Cry end the same way? One thing I've learned with creators is that they tend to repeat ideas they like

A mysterious sexy lady comes up to our handsome main character with beautiful hair

She shows up sparingly throughout the game and watches him from the shadows

She trurns out to be a spy who ended up taking a liking to the hero

In the end she sacrifices herself for him

The hero screams at the sky dramatically with sad music in the backround holding her in his arms

Everything is about to blow up, the hero bids the girl farewell

But wait! The final boss is still alive! Theres no way out!

But wait! The girl is alive and assists you in dealing the final blow!

The hero escapes using a vehicle that was there at the beginning of the game

Cool one liner

Rocking credits theme
 
Also Nightmare is pretty easy once you figure it out
See it Really works like a machine, it will always do a specific thing to counter you depending on where you're standing, and it's actually the most complex boss in the game; it's fascinating

If you hit the core too many times it breaks, once it breaks it will take less damage when you attack it, there is no way to restore it and future battles will start with whatever core it had last time

Getting purposefully trapped in the nightmare world will restore the core to the start of its phase (so if it was just about to break it it will go back to the beginning of the fight) and iirc guns dont count or they only do very little to break it

There is no need for cover: just like the best tool against phantom is Air Hike the anti-nightmare move is Rolling Blade with Ifrit. It deflects all its projectiles safe for the ice laser and it makes it much easier to deflect its physical attacks like the stabbing things. Once you deflect it its is rendered defenseless for quite a while

What I do personally is charged DT ifrit+grenade launcher then I get trapped on purose, rinse and repeat
Post automatically merged:

The game DOES tell you how to fight Shadow, it's in the bestiary

A feature unique to 1 is that bestiary info will get Updated as you fight enemies, as if Dante is learning more about them

At first it will only say

"It has evil spells covering its body, thus allowing it to deflect all sword attacks. It's an evil spirit that takes form from its own shadows. But they can also take on other forms by changing the spells on its body."

But once you've hit it with your sword a new section will be added

"In its shadow form, all sword attacks are deflected. This is because it remembers the weapons from its fights with the ancient knights. However, firearms seem to be an exception"

And if you get hit by the purple needles another section will be added

"t releases magical powers instantaneously in order to deflect certain attacks. At the same time, the magical powers are shot toward the enemy. It is very difficult to avoid being hit with this attack."

And so on
Neat eh?
 
Last edited:
Also Nightmare is pretty easy once you figure it out
See it Really works like a machine, it will always do a specific thing to counter you depending on where you're standing, and it's actually the most complex boss in the game; it's fascinating

If you hit the core too many times it breaks, once it breaks it will take less damage when you attack it, there is no way to restore it and future battles will start with whatever core it had last time

Getting purposefully trapped in the nightmare world will restore the core to the start of its phase (so if it was just about to break it it will go back to the beginning of the fight) and iirc guns dont count or they only do very little to break it

There is no need for cover: just like the best tool against phantom is Air Hike the anti-nightmare move is Rolling Blade with Ifrit. It deflects all its projectiles safe for the ice laser and it makes it much easier to deflect its physical attacks like the stabbing things. Once you deflect it its is rendered defenseless for quite a while

What I do personally is charged DT ifrit+grenade launcher then I get trapped on purose, rinse and repeat
Post automatically merged:

The game DOES tell you how to fight Shadow, it's in the bestiary

A feature unique to 1 is that bestiary info will get Updated as you fight enemies, as if Dante is learning more about them

At first it will only say

"It has evil spells covering its body, thus allowing it to deflect all sword attacks. It's an evil spirit that takes form from its own shadows. But they can also take on other forms by changing the spells on its body."

But once you've hit it with your sword a new section will be added

"In its shadow form, all sword attacks are deflected. This is because it remembers the weapons from its fights with the ancient knights. However, firearms seem to be an exception"

And if you get hit by the purple needles another section will be added

"t releases magical powers instantaneously in order to deflect certain attacks. At the same time, the magical powers are shot toward the enemy. It is very difficult to avoid being hit with this attack."

And so on
Neat eh?
Normally people would diss on how i f up a review but thankfully you just point it out without quarrel
Post automatically merged:

Wait until you get to the camera in DMC2, real nerve-wracking when it came to the bosses that you couldn't even see!
I stopped during the Infested Chopper fight, my fingers were numb. Yes the camera was also an complete d*ck when fighting both Infested Tank and Chopper that I had to just spam Square and dodge wherever I could.
 
Normally people would diss on how i f up a review but thankfully you just point it out without quarrel
Post automatically merged:


I stopped during the Infested Chopper fight, my fingers were numb. Yes the camera was also an complete d*ck when fighting both Infested Tank and Chopper that I had to just spam Square and dodge wherever I could.

It's one of my fav games and I played it inside out many many times, you sounded like you've played it maybe a couple over sevearl years so it's easy to overlook stuff like this; all the details on nightmare I know because it was on the jap guide which details every enemy in detail

Shadow also has a a special weakness you can exploit, it's called the critical hit and most enemies have something like it:

Get hit to do the skewer attack, jump on top of said skewer (shadow will stay still for a little) and pepper it with bullets; if you do enough damage it turn red and die on the spot, bypassing the hitting its core thing entierly (this does not work in dante must die mode)
Some shadows are more resiliant than others but DT bullets should do the job regardless

As for the camera, simply aim your guns and Dante will look in their direction and track them, this is useful against twin scissors (the miniboss) when he does the teleport attacks
And also the higher you your falling attack the higher it starts from the more damage you do, you can increase the damage by ofc using hair hike but double jumping or jumping on the enemies works too

It would be fun to hear your thoughts after getting through hard and dante must die, because the first playthrough is just the beginning with these kind of games! What seemed impossible becomes easy and unexpected challenges appear; Shadow went from a pain in the ass to my fav DMC enemy, Griffon seemed so hard (his final battle on dante must die took me like a week!) but now I look forward to fighting him every time to see how fast I can do it
Blades (lizards) on the other hand became way tricker to fight than shadow because if you're out of DT they're fast and numerous and pretty tricky to predict and the shotgun Bloody May (marionettes) killed many of my scores
Post automatically merged:

this game is fire
any one noticed the re4 shop music in dmc1 lol

It's the same samples! I love how everyone working at capcom at the tme used the same "tools"

Remember the evil goat castle gate key from RE4? It's also on the door to Nero Angelo's final battle in DMC1, all over Temen Ni Gru in 3 (especially in the mission before fighting Beowulf) and on a book you collect in Resident Evil 1 remake
Who knows maybe it's elsewhere too and I just havent noticed
1737523991108.png


To add to that
 
Last edited:
Yeah i remember taking so long on the platform things, by my third playthrough it really did only take me 10 minutes, i know i took alot longer the two playthroughs i done that one lol
 
Press button, hit thing, sword good. Pew.

Such were the thoughts of my younger self. Having gone from the Master System to the PS2, it made sense to me that the game should be hard. I always died in one hit with my other games, and even Wonder Boy with it's health bar made sense to me with all the pitfalls.

To me, Devil May Cry was hard because of course it was! These were demons! Dante was a half demon so he could take more than one hit of course, but I needed to help him do his job! Learning to time my button presses to do combos also made sense to me, because Dante would move from one stance to the next; I figured he made mistakes if he tried to do things too quickly. Understandable.

It came a surprise to me when I found out other people didn't like how hard it was. It wasn't hard though, I thought. There are infinite checkpoints. You can SAVE YOUR GAME.

Such is the life of an 80s Sega kid jumping a few consoles. Good review.
 
DMC 1 aged kinda badly in the gameplay department but one thing I like its Mallet Island seriously take a good look at the design of the place it what made DMC cool due to its gothic like influence the other games besides 3 and 4 had maybe 2 as well. Also Dante is also a very depressed man who hunts demons for a reason for cope and a purpose to live and have fun which is kinda of depressing don't you think.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Game Cover

Game Info

  • Game: Devil May Cry
  • Publisher: CAPCOM
  • Developer: CAPCOM
  • Genres: Survival horror (apparently), Hack-and-Slash, Action
  • Release: 2001

Online statistics

Members online
150
Guests online
272
Total visitors
422

Forum statistics

Threads
3,901
Messages
77,646
Members
257,613
Latest member
365pirategirl

Support us

Back
Top