Monthly Archives: December 2020
Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition Review
When I think about the sixth generation of gaming, one of the first things that comes to mind is the Devil May Cry series. It goes without saying that Devil May Cry had a huge impact on the beat em up genre and became the game that all other beat em up would be measured up against. However, I found that Devil May Cry 1 suffered from an identity crisis and Devil May Cry 2’s combat system suffered from some serious flaws, because of this I would argue that the series didn’t really start to flourish until Devil May Cry 3.
Devil May Cry 3 took the formula of the first two games and improved it drastically. The most notable improvement being the style system which allowed for multiple different playstyles for players to choose from, slightly altering their moveset to enhance their capabilities in whichever way they choose, bringing more flexibility and depth to the combat. There are 4 styles to choose from at the start and two more can be unlocked later on in the game.
Trickster is without a doubt the most useful out of all the styles as it improves the player’s movement capability and allows for snapper evasion which can be extremely useful against certain bosses. I find that the standard evasion used in the presious entries felt awkward to use at times as dodging forward or backwards causes Dante to become airborne which isn’t always ideal. Trickster alleviates this issue making it possible to move in any direction grounded and even evade in the air. Swordmaster grants players a more flexible moveset to utilize for each devil arm the player has. This is a very fun playstyle to use and it is my favorite as some of the moves made available with swordmaster are really fun to use and brings more variance to close range combat. Moves like Aerial Rave and Sky Dance in particular are extremely handy for staying airborne which can make it a viable alternative to Trickster in situations where air time is more important than evasion.
Then you have Gunslinger and Royal Guard which I didn’t really mess around with all that much. I find that Gunslinger is mostly pointless to use as unlike Devil May Cry 2, shooting enemies is typically not favored in Devil May Cry 3. It is basically the same as swordmaster but for guns, therefore while it does add a lot more flexibility, I don’t think is is meaningful as swordmaster by comparison simply due to the damage potential that swordmaster has which makes it a pretty poor trade off by comparison if you ask me. Royal Guard allows you to parry enemy attacks which requires really good timing, this style is clearly aimed towards skilled players and can be really effective if used well. It kind of works similar to issens in Onimusha though unlike Onimusha, guarding alone does not make you immune to enemy attacks and you can store your issens and release them for massive damage. It’s a bit more challenging to use though if you suck at timing your guards, it won’t be of much use to you, hence why I didn’t mess with it much myself.
On top of styles, Devil May Cry 3 offers 5 unique devil arms for players to use which can be acquired over the course of the game, unlike previous games you can swap between these weapons on the fly which allows for even more combo potential as well as the convenience of being able to swap to a new weapon without having to enter the menu. There are also 5 firearms for you to acquire as well which can also be swapped between. The only catch is that you can only equip 2 devil arms (and firearms) at a time, meaning that you can only swap between two of them in battle. I think the reason for this was to make it easier to cycle between weapons at the push of a button, though since the special edition version of the game allows you to play as Vergil who has 3 devil arms equipped at once, I don’t see why this couldn’t have been applied to Dante as well. Other than that, Devil May Cry 3 added some new abilities that were never brought back in later games such as the ability to body surf on top of downed enemies and spin on nearby poles to kick nearby enemies. I really enjoyed these abilities as they brought a lot of stylistic flair to the game that really made the game stand out from its competitors at the time.
While Devil May Cry 2’s combat felt sluggish, Devil May Cry 3’s combat is both fluid and snappy, making the gameplay loop feel tremendously satisfying. This also means that devil arms are useful again like they were in the first game as their damage output is enhanced by the attack speed increase. One thing that Devil May Cry games don’t get enough credit for is their simple controls. Being able to use a single directional input to perform different moves, completely nullifies any input complexity from the game and makes for a considerably more accessible experience. Don’t think that this makes the game easy though as the enemies all have different behavior patterns for you to learn which can be quite overwhelming in situations where mixed groups of enemies are present. On top of this, enemies tend to take off a large chunk of your health if you are unlucky enough to be hit by them, so being alert and carefully utilizing your styles is the key to victory here.
One thing that is somewhat bothersome is the way the camera is handled. Unlike Devil May Cry 1 and 2, Devil May Cry 3 offers limited camera control in some areas as opposed to just strictly fixed camera. This can be a nuisance at times as you’re not only forced to adapt to this change but at the same time there’s no designated button for camera fixing, forcing you to use the right analogue stick to adjust the camera’s positioning which can be really awkward when you’re in the middle of combat. This can sometimes make certain arenas difficult to fight in as they clearly insist on you utilizing the camera controls to get a better vision of the enemies around you. Not all areas are impacted by this issue so it isn’t a major flaw, though it is certainly one worth noting.
Devil May Cry 3’s story follows the philosophy of actions speak louder than words and this plays to the game’s strengths as the impressive choreography ties into the nature of the game extremely well due to the fact that it showcases the potential of Dante’s capabilities, encouraging the player to play in a way that mimics the action seen in cutscenes which makes them want to play better in order to create their own choreographic masterpiece in combat. On top of this, the rivalry dynamic between Dante and Vergil does a great job at pushing players to keep bettering themselves to overcome any tough foe that stands in your way. It’s a very simple, yet effective story that will leave a lasting impression on anyone fortunate enough to experience it. I really like how Devil May Cry 3 wants to make players of all skill levels feel welcome so long as they have the willingness and dedication to learn as opposed to games like God Hand which goes out of its way to punish and humiliate you for playing bad. I wish more games followed Devil May Cry 3’s example in this regard.
Let’s be honest, Dante surfing on his enemies is all the game’s plot really needs
Of course the story isn’t only method used to empower players, the style gauge returns from previous games and has been enhanced to allow for even more rankings. The style gauge doesn’t punish players who mindlessly button mash but it does reward players who perform different attacks by increasing the gauge, the gauge depletes over time so if you button mash then you will lose it all. The higher the style gauge, the more red orbs are given to you after each fight which can be used to purchase enhancements at statues. Simply the act of reaching a stylish rank in Devil May Cry 3 is satisfying in itself because it shows that you’re playing at a high level and this builds up the player’s momentum, causing their playstyle to become more varied in order to maintain their rank. In a way, it’s kind of the opposite of what would later be God Hand’s leveling system which makes the game more challenging for playing well as opposed to actually rewarding players for playing well, both systems kind of act as a foil to one another though I personally prefer Devil May Cry 3’s style system simply because I enjoy being rewarded as opposed to being challenged. I want to feel encouraged to keep playing better as opposed to being discouraged from doing so by making me have to go through tougher adversaries as a consequence of playing well. You can make a solid argument for both systems so don’t think that I’m downplaying God Hand’s leveling system, it’s just a matter of preference. I want to be rewarded for playing well because that’s how I am personally encouraged to play well and Devil May Cry 3’s style gauge is so damn encouraging that it changes the entire nature of the entire game for me.
The music on the other hand is not so encouraging as the lyrics of the main battle song “taste the blood” constantly berates you as you play. Despite this huge contrast to the atmosphere the rest of the game has, it kind of works the same way as the rivalry dynamic with Vergil. By making the player feel weak, players feel more satisfied upon overcoming obstacles. This only works due to the welcoming and encouraging atmosphere that this game creates because despite the odds stacking against you, Dante’s confidence in the story rubs off on the player and the accessibility of the game makes everything possible. The fast paced techno soundtrack really builds on this too as it creates an energetic atmosphere for players to synchronize with the actions they perform on screen. It’s a very careful balance that no other game manages to get right. Due to the insane difficulty that the game brings to the table, it’s easy to see how someone can give up quickly but Devil May Cry 3 goes out of its way to make damn sure you stick with it until the end by offering one of the most kinetically empowering experiences of all time.
Visually speaking, the animations are absolutely stellar, as is expected from a Devil May Cry game. I personally didn’t care much for the enemy designs in the first and second Devil May Cry games but Devil May Cry 3 does a fantastic job at illustrating them. A lot of creativity went into designing both their behavior patterns and their aesthetic appearances. There are some really unique enemies like the Blood-Goyles, the Dullahan and the Soul eater which each require a completely different approach to deal with compared to that of the hell variant enemies and their appearance does a great job at illustrating what they do and when they are vulnerable. The majority of the game takes place inside a huge tower called Temen-ni-gru which has a dark gothic appearance throughout. Despite this however, each and every section of the tower feels unique while still feeling as if it is still a part of the tower. While the levels do generally consist of a lot of the same greys and browns early on, I find that the game does a great job at mixing up the colour scheme in the later levels, keeping them fresh.
Some of the levels feature puzzles and platforming sections for players to navigate through. While this bothered me in the first game, I find that Devil May Cry 3 does a far better job at spacing them out with combat sections in between them to the point that they don’t stand out as much as the combat does. I never found any of them to be particularly aggravating personally, though there are a few tricky ones like the part where you have to jump across numerous moving blocks to reach the higher floors of the room.
Now you may be wondering about the differences between the original game and the Special Edition. The biggest difference being the difficulty as the original Devil May Cry 3 suffered from the usual Capcom difficulty shenanigans where normal difficulty was actually hard difficulty in disguise. The Special Edition rectifies this by making normal difficulty actually normal and adds some new difficulty levels for players to test their skills. As I mentioned before, you also get Vergil as a playable character who has 3 devil arms of his own as well as the dark slayer style which allows for teleportation. He plays almost exactly like he does in the boss fights against him. As useful as dark slayer is, I find that Dante’s trickster style is a lot easier to use and I also prefer Dante’s devil arms over Vergil’s personally. Nevertheless, Vergil is still a lot of fun to play as and if you aren’t playing the Switch version, the inability to switch styles isn’t real an issue with him since his Yamato aerial gives him air time and is arguably his most useful attack if you ask me. Vergil playthroughs are considered separate from Dante’s since you do not carry over anything from Dante’s playthrough so you have to start from scratch with him. Finally there is an optional boss fight which you will encounter 3 times over the course of the game. There’s not really any point to this fight unless you just want an extra challenge but it’s a pretty fun fight regardless.
As you can probably tell by now, Devil May Cry 3 is an exceptionally focused game that goes above and beyond what is commonly accepted in the genre. There isn’t a single thing that isn’t congruent with Devil May Cry 3’s vision, it is a game that is so off the wall that it single handedly established a trend, one that it still reigns over as the greatest of its kind today and that is why Devil May Cry 3 is the greatest 3D beat em up of all time. So grab your pizza, pick up your controller and play this fucking game already!!!
Story/Plot: Excellent
Visuals: Good
Gameplay: Exceptional
Music: Great
Lifespan: Decent Length
Difficulty: Hard
Would You Replay? Yes
Overall: Exceptional
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