Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening

• For Nevan of Irish Mythology see Nevan (mythology).

Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening (デビルメイクライ3) is the second sequel to Devil May Cry, starring the cocky hero Dante. It is a prequel to the first game.

Capcom, stating that they had learned much from the flop of the first sequel, announced Devil May Cry 3 at E³ 2004. Its first trailer, promising a return to the hallmarks of the original, such as spooky, Gothic stylings and Dante's flippant personality, was well received by fans. The development team consisted of staff from both of the previous two games. Yuji Shimomura is the action director, who also served the same position in Ryuhei Kitamura's cult action movie Versus. Upon release, it was widely lamented for its high level of difficulty, which rendered the game almost unplayable, but was praised for its return to Devil May Cry 1's engaging gameplay and various improvements. Most fans and critics agree that it is equal, if not superior, to the first game.

Devil May Cry 3 takes place before the establishment of the Devil May Cry agency and before Dante is aware of his devil lineage. The game focuses heavily on the dysfunctional relationship between Dante and his twin brother Vergil.

Gameplay

Devil May Cry 3 continues the series' tradition of accessible, stylish gameplay. Controls are simple: one button causes Dante to jump, another makes him swing his sword, and the third lets him fire his guns (which have infinite ammunition). The game emphasizes long strings of continuous hits (combos) and rewards the player with extra currency (Red Orbs). Dante may also unleash his devil powers by use of the Devil Trigger, which is charged by attacking foes. When in Devil state, Dante's appearance changes (depending on which weapon he is wielding at the time), he regenerates health, and his strength, resilience and speed are increased. The game propagates older conventions such as Red Orbs for currency, Blue and Purple Orbs to extend one's Life and Devil Trigger gauges, respectively, expendable Yellow Orbs to allow the player to "Continue" (IE keep playing after all lives are lost), and comprehensive files on the game's enemies.

DMC3 adds several new features, however. With a fourth face button to take advantage of, Capcom designed a "Style" system. Dante starts the game with four fighting styles, each with its own signature moves and abilities, which are accessed via the fourth face button. The "Trickster" style allows Dante to leap away from enemy attacks, run up walls, and generally increases his mobility. "Swordmaster" adds one or more new moves to each of Dante's melee weapons; "Gunslinger" does the same to his firearms. Finally, "Royal Guard" allows Dante to block enemy attacks, as well as "Just Guard" (which allows the player to tap Block just before an enemy attack lands to stun the enemy). Two more styles are unlocked by defeating bosses: "Quicksilver" turns the Devil Trigger into a sort of "bullet time," allowing Dante to freeze enemies around him and attack at leisure, and "Doppelganger" lets him to spawn a clone of himself (which can be controlled by a second player) while in Devil mode. Each Style may level up twice with passive experience gain, opening up new abilities. Finally, Dante is only allowed to carry two of his melee and firearms at once; new ones must be traded in and out at Statues of Time (shops), but during battle, Dante can switch within his inventory at the push of a button, allowing the player to add even more complexity to their combos.

Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition

At the 2005 Tokyo Game Show, it was confirmed that Capcom would be releasing a Special Edition of DMC3. It added a new difficulty level and—perhaps more importantly—rebalanced the existing difficulties. It added a new survival mode, the "Bloody Palace," which contains a total of 10,000 levels; a new boss fight early in the game; a "Turbo Mode" for 20% faster gameplay; and a new Continue system. The previous Continue system was based on Yellow Orbs: if the player had one, they could begin the room over again, resetting Dante's inventory and HP but, just as significantly, resetting any enemies (IE bosses) in the area. The new Gold Orbs, which must be enabled at the start of the game, remove Yellow Orbs and allow infinite Continues; the Gold Orbs themselves, which must be found or purchased, revive the player instantly without resetting bosses or enemies.

Finally, the new version allows players to take the role of Vergil, Dante's brother and one of the game's main antagonists. New cinematics have been added in support. Vergil has only one Style, Dark Slayer, but this Style levels up more than do Dante's styles. He has three weapons: the Yamato, Dante's Beowulf gauntlets, and the Force Edge longsword from the first game. He has only one ranged attack, "Summoned Swords," which are slower but do more damage.

Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition was released on January 24th, 2006 for USD $19.99 as part of the Playstation 2 Greatest Hits Collection.

Official PS2 magazine (UK) announced that this special edition will not be released in Europe. Much to the dismay of many European Devil May Cry fans.

On February 1, 2006, Ubisoft announced that they would be publishing the game on the PC. [1]

Allusions in the Devil May Cry series

Exactly like the first game in the series, this part has allusions to The Divine Comedy, written by Dante Alighieri. Dante Sparda is the main protagonist of the game, whilst the author Dante is the lead character in his own book. Vergil Sparda is a good example of how Dante in the book is close to the Roman poet Virgil; whereas in the game, he is his evil twin brother. In the book, Virgil was not evil, but his soul guided Dante through Hell, which can be seen as an aesthetic metaphor with the game, where Vergil chooses to live in Hell, and later confronts Dante in battle there. Cerberus being the gatekeeper of the Temen-ni-gru (in the game) in the third mission, is also an example wherein comparison, Dante meets Cerberus in the third circle in Canto VI of Inferno. Although briefly mentioned in the book, Mary is a character called by Dante Lady. Not to mention the character Lucia who, in Devil May Cry 2, aids Dante. In The Divine Comedy, it was St. Lucia who told Beatrice about Dante, and subsequently Beatrice asked Virgil to aid him. The three women in Devil May Cry: Trish, Lucia and Lady (Mary), are all based on the three women who watched over Dante in The Divine Comedy. All these characters are not based in an accurate way on their historical counterparts. The seven deadly sins are mentioned in the game as well. There are allusions to many other sources, but The Divine Comedy stands as the most prominent one. Other examples are Agni and Rudra, Beowulf Ambrosia, Devils, Ifrit, Alastor et cetera.

Arguably, the Devil May Cry series has many connections to Christianity, but they are not in a strict and canonical way. The complete absence of God and Jesus (as well as crucifixes) is an example of that, and it is more likely that the Devil May Cry series will be further based on The Divine Comedy and religious jargon. Beatrice is also included in the DMC series. In Devil May Cry, a female character named Trish is present in the game. She guides Dante to a castle in Mallet Island, and later on, in the Underworld. In the game, Trish is basically short for Beatrice, because in italian, the trice part is almost pronounced Trish (Bay-ah-treech-ey).

Castlevania similarities

There are many similar traits between the Devil May Cry series and the Castlevania series. Both games have been accused to be spin-offs of each other in terms of gameplay, locations and stories. The most notable Castlevania game from which the Devil May Cry series take inspiration from is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (SotN). That was the very game Devil May Cry was compared to when released. Ironically, when the prequel to SotN, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (LoI) was released, it was generally compared to Devil May Cry. A few examples are:

• Alucard and Dante are both of human heritage, and vampiric/demonic heritage, they both wield swords, and hunt their respective non-human heritage. Both have white hair, and are more or less immortal.
• Maria Renard and Lady. Lady's real name is Mary (which is another form of Maria), and Alucard/Dante run upon them every now and then throughout the course of the game. They are both non-playable characters, and serve as bosses in the game (Maria Renard appears as an opponent only in the Saturn version of SotN, but she is also playable in that version) as well as potential love interests for the male protagonist. Both Maria and Lady seek to destroy the evil castle/tower, and they are both looking for a relative that has embraced evil.
• Cerberus and Doppelganger serve as bosses in both series and games. Although some might consider DMC3 to be imitating SotN with the presence of Cerberus, Capcom's intention was most likely to remain faithful to the Comedy roots and underworld mythology more than Castlevania in this case.
• Bosses that have once been good but for some reason converted to being evil. These are Vergil and Richter Belmont, both of whom share some history with the protagonists.
• Nevan and Succubus are bosses that are both very sexually attractive female demons. They both are nearly naked, showing breasts, and are familiar with Dante's/Alucard's fathers.
• Slogra and Gaibon/Agni and Rudra are four bosses, which co-operate against Alucard/Dante.
• Holy water can be used as a powerful and fiery weapon against enemies. In this case, common intellectual ancestry is probably the cause of the similarity.

Weapons

Devil May Cry 3 features a large arsenal, comprised of both guns and melee weapons.

Guns

• Ebony & Ivory - Dante's two handmade semi-automatic pistols. Their rate of fire is dependant on how quickly the player can press the fire button.
• Shotgun - Powerful sawn-off shotgun with a large spread. Good at knocking enemies back but has a fairly slow rate of fire.
• Artemis - Demonic laser weapon that can target several enemies at once.
• Spiral - Very powerful sniper rifle with a slow rate of fire.
• Kalina Ann - A huge rocket launcher.

Devil Arms

The Devil Trigger forms of both Dante and Vergil were designed by Atlus art director Kazuma Kaneko. The designs received mixed feelings with fans of DMC. Many felt that Kaneko's unique design style is a little too quirky for DMC's gothic style, especially since it heavily resembled the Mantra Demon forms from Digital Devil Saga 1&2, and that his art style would rather be more fitting for enemies, as well as maybe minor characters, such as perhaps Arkham.

• Rebellion - Dante's massive sword (a longsword or perhaps a zweihander). It was a memento from his father; its power remains dormant until awakened by Dante's blood. Dante begins the game with this weapon.
• Cerberus - Ice powered, three-pieced flail weapon, like a nunchaku but with three sides. The essence of an ice guardian, which Dante must defeat.
• Agni & Rudra - Two swords Dante wields at once. They are two scimitars with serrated edges. Agni is fire elemental and Rudra is wind elemental. Dante earns these weapons after defeating the Firestorm Room guardians of the same names.
• Nevan - A demonic electric guitar that summons bats when Dante plays it. It is the weapon formed from the demon Nevan's acceptance of Dante's cause.
• Beowulf - A powerful set of gauntlets and greaves blessed with sacred power.

Styles

The biggest change is the new combat system, which allows Dante to choose one of six different styles of combat in each mission, which enable him to use special techniques related to the style's focus. The four default styles, with moves, are:

Trickster

Focuses on dodging and agility.

• Dash - A quick dash in any direction. At higher Trickster levels, this can be done several times in a row.
• Wall Hike - Run up the wall, then kick off.
• Sky Star - A mid-air dash.
• Air Trick - Disappear and reappear above an enemy's head, ready to strike.

Swordmaster

Focuses on techniques for the Devil Arms.

• Rebellion Abilities
  • Prop Shredder - Spins the sword, repeatedly striking whatever's in front of Dante.
  • Aerial Rave - Slashes an enemy in mid-air, during a jump.
  • Sword Pierce - Throws the sword at an enemy; without the sword, Dante fights hand-to-hand.
  • Dance Macabre - Unleash a massive number of slashes at breakneck speeds.
  • Crazy Dance - Stick your sword into the ground during Dance Macabre and spin around it, kicking all enemies near you.
• Cerberus Abilities
  • Flicker - Whirl the flail around, hitting enemies in the immediate vicinity. Can be used in mid-air.
  • Crystal - Thrust the flail into the ground to create huge ice pillars.
  • Million Carats - Thrust the flail into the ground to creat a huge ice glacier surrounding Dante.
  • Ice Age - Encases Dante in a thick shield of ice, protecting him from all attacks.
• Agni & Rudra Abilities
  • Crossed Swords - Destroy enemies with an X-style sword slash.
  • Sky Dance - Swing both swords in mid air, then descend to the ground, spinning like a saw blade.
  • Crawler - Plunge your swords into the ground, unleashing a carpet of flame in the enemy's direction.
  • Twister - Spin your swords to create a vortex of fire and wind.
  • Tempest - Generate a flame vortex that burns everything in its path.
• Nevan Abilities
  • Slash - Attack enemies with the bladed section of your guitar.
  • Air Slash - Attack enemies with your guitar's blade while in mid-air.
  • Feedback - Whirl your guitar around your body, hitting nearby enemies.
  • Crazy Roll - Generate electricity while slashing enemies with your guitar.
  • Distortion - Attack enemies with a barrage of bats and blasts of lightning.
• Beowulf Abilities
  • Zodiac - Emit a charged ball of energy from your fingertips.
  • The Hammer - While in mid-air, smash your enemies to the ground.
  • Volcano - Slam the ground with your fist to create a small super-nova.
  • Real Impact - A highly focused, incredibly powerful uppercut that obliterates enemies.
  • Tornado - Knock the enemy into the air, then follow them, kicking hundreds of times at lightning speeds.

Gunslinger

Focuses on techniques for firearms.

• Ebony & Ivory Abilities
  • Twosome Time - Fires pistols in two different directions.
  • Wild Stomp - Fires pistols at a downed enemy, then kicks it away.
  • Rain Storm - Jumps into the air, blasting pistols down in circular motion, knocking down all enemies.
  • Charge Shot - Charges weapon, then fires off a magically imbued burst.
  • Rapid Shot - Quickly clicks off a large number of shots in a short period of time.
• Shotgun Abilities
  • Fireworks - Swings the shotgun around like nunchaku, firing in different directions.
  • Charge Shot - Charges weapon, then fires off a magically imbued burst.
  • Rapid Shot - Quickly click off a large number of shots in a short period of time.
  • Gun Stinger - Rams the shotgun into an enemy and fires a concentrated burst of buckshot.
  • Point Blank - Fires the shotgun while standing right next to the enemy, doing massive damage.
• Artemis Abilities
  • Multi-lock - Locks on to a single enemy and fires several lasers at them.
  • Sphere - Fires a giant orb of laser energy.
  • Acid Rain - Shoots multiple laser beams into the air which come raining down on enemies.
• Spiral Abilities
  • Trick Shot - Ricochets bullets off walls to hit multiple enemies.
  • Sniper - Targets an enemy's weak point and fires a high-damage shot.
  • Reflector - Fires a bullet that ricochets off nearby surfaces, then hits the enemy for massive damage.
• Kalina Ann Abilities
  • Hysteric - Fires a barrage of mini-missiles at the enemy.
  • Grapple - Fires the bayonet at an enemy, impaling them, then pulls them towards you.

Royal Guard

Focuses on absorbing enemy strikes and projecting the energy back.

• Block & Charge - Block enemy attacks, building up anger and adrenaline.
• Just Guard - By blocking at the precise instant just before an enemy's attack hits, Dante suffers no damage and gains more rage for release.
• Release - Release pent-up anger charged from blocked enemy attacks, dealing great damage.
• Just Release - By releasing at the precise instant just before an enemy's attack hits, Dante executes a counter attack that deals approximately three times more damage than a normal release.
• Air Block - Block in mid-air.
• Air Release - Release in mid-air.
• Ultimate - Block enemy attacks and convert the energy into health for yourself.

Quicksilver and Doppleganger styles must be unlocked in order to play with them.

Quicksilver

Allows Dante to slow down time while attacking at normal speed.

• Time Lag - Slows down time for enemies while you will still be able to move in real time. Devil Trigger consumptive. Ideal for taking down harder enemies, when surrounded or for earning extra Style Points.

Doppelganger

Allows Dante to utilize a shadow to double attacks.

• After image - Spawns a second shadow version of Dante. Also Devil Trigger consumptive. When active, this also allows a second player to control the shadow version of Dante for as long as the effect lasts. If inserting a second controller, and pressing start, 2 player mode will be available.

Difficulty modes

The U.S. version of DMC3 differs in terms of Difficuly with the original Japanese game, making the it quite a bit tougher to complete. "Easy" Mode was scrapped and replaced with "Normal" Mode. "Normal" Mode was replaced with the "Hard" Mode, and "Hard" Mode was replaced with the U.S. exclusive "Very Hard" Mode (later added to all versions of Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition).

"Dante Must Die" is the hardest difficulty mode in Devil May Cry 3. In it, the demons gain an attack boost, many number, a defense boost, in places an AI boost, and get to Devil Trigger. When one enemy is killed, every other enemy in the room Devil Triggers, for health regeneration, more attack, and more defense. Consequently, this is the mode where Devil Trigger Flux shines for its ability to kill many enemies at once. Bosses gain defense, attack, and speed, though they lack the Devil Trigger. While Heaven and Hell mode is unlocked after beating the game on Dante Must Die!, it is made far easier due to the fact that while Dante dies in one hit, the enemies do too, allowing you to kill them effortlessly by rapid Ebony&Ivory gunfire. This also works on all bosses.

Manga

The DMC3 manga is to be released in 3 parts, Code 1: Dante, Code 2: Vergil and Code 3: Lady, each supposedly putting the focus on the title character and their story. The manga is known to be a true part of the DMC story and serves to flesh out the background of the Devil May Cry series and fill a few of its plot holes and is not a remake of DMC3 but an all new prequel story. Most speculate that the mangas events are set 1 year before the events of Devil May Cry 3 based on a comment made by Dante in the game that the last time he and Vergil met was one year ago, but the manga is definitely set before DMC3 itself.

Code 1 has recently been released in Japan and America so we now know some of the basic story behind the manga. When Code 1 starts Dante has recently purchased his demon hunting "shop" but has yet to name it, and Vergil is meeting with Arkham for the first time, all setting up the characters for Devil May Cry 3. Dante is forced into a missing persons case promising a 4 million reward by his business partner Enzo and sets off to find a young girl called Alice, but the "boring" case takes a disturbing twist when Dante discovers that Alice isn't all that she seems and he ends up a guest in a warped parody of the mad hatters tea party hosted by a pair of demons. The story teaches us some all new things about the story of Devil May Cry but most importantly gives us the first ever insight into Evas death through a flashback to Dante as a small child of around 10. As well as giving that event a place in the timeline we also learn Dante went into hiding during the demon attack and when it was over believed both Eva and Vergil to be dead, only realizing his brother is alive during Code 1. How Vergil survived is unknown but japanese scans of Code 2 reveal we might get that answer also through Vergil's own rather nightmarish flashback.

Trivia

The English voice track is used in all releases of Devil May Cry 3, including the original Japanese release.

Awards

• Included on Game Informer's "Top 50 Games of 2005" list. Later recieved a game of the month award when the special edition was released.