Devil May Cry is undoubtedly one of the most influential gaming franchises within its respective genre. The hack and slash combat, hyper-stylish action, and gripping narrative saga about brotherly bonds, destiny, and demonic uprising has come to define this series - instantly recognizable traits boosted by a devoted fan following, even through some of its less than appealing moments. Today, we're aiming to rank all the Devil May Cry games in the saga from worst to best, including Ninja Theory's own spin on the formula. So sit back, relax, and let's rock.
5. Devil May Cry 2
At a time when sequels were constantly breaking new boundaries for gaming, along came Devil May Cry 2, which aimed to one-up its already acclaimed predecessor by taking gigantic leaps forward, both in gameplay and story. Unfortunately, it overshot its mark and landed in the mediocrity bin. Here, we see an aging Dante - with notably less enthusiasm and more brooding edge - retread familiar plot points from the first game. Dante must go to a location, figure out some mystery, and fight a nonsensical villain that couldn't be more obvious, even if you taped "I'm bad" on his forehead. The dialogue was horrendous, the story made little sense (why, Lucia?!) and the combat was a marginal step back for the franchise, riddled with countless bugs, poor hit detection, and abysmal controls. It's a slog to get through, and I don't recommend playing it since it actually has no impact to the overarching mainline story. At least, from what we know.
4. DmC: Devil May Cry
This was a difficult entry to really place on this list. DmC: Devil May Cry comes from the mind of Ninja Theory (those swell chaps that made Hellblade), so the anticipation was pretty high for this to succeed. When the reveal trailer released, though, there was an ocean of fans sighing at the sight of the remodeled characters and story elements. Dante, specifically, donned an emo haircut, and was ridiculed for his off-kilter style, despite somewhat retaining a cocky sense of humour. For the most part, DmC did surprise many people, but not through its bizarrely told and unnecessary narrative. The combat, to date, is still freaking fantastic, and stands above a lot of the entries on this list. The flexibility in its combat allowed various special weapons to be stringed together in one combo, making for some flashy, over-the-top, and insanely entertaining gameplay. It's a shame, then, that the poorly written story and characters bogged down the fun factor.
3. Devil May Cry 4
It's hard to follow up a near-masterpiece action title, but Devil May Cry 4 tried its best to, well, best its predecessor. Even though it never quite reached those dizzying, ambitious heights, Capcom still managed to produce a competently made and often exhilarating fourth installment. With the focus taken off of series protagonist, Dante, Nero had the stage to make a good first impression. It's still somewhat debatable among the community if he did, but thankfully, a good story and fantastic combat elevates it above most of its nagging issues. Players switch between Nero and Dante in the main campaign, never sidelining our favourite main hero but also, never undermining him either. It was a clever balancing act that Capcom mostly pulled off, though it's clear that Nero still needs some time in the cooker before fans can wholeheartedly accept him with open arms. Let's hope Devil May Cry 5 changes that.
2. Devil May Cry
Fun fact: Devil May Cry was initially born as a concept for Resident Evil 4. Game director Hideki Kamiya envisioned a completely different style of gameplay for the fourth entry in his horror series, but it eventually evolved into what we now know as the original Devil May Cry - a breath of fresh air in the hack and slash genre which kickstarted the entire series. Devil May Cry, for its time, was a groundbreaking title known for its absurdly fast-paced combat, flashy action, and unique art design which set it apart from its genre counterparts. The versatility in combat was astounding, presenting players with plenty of options and freedom to perform whatever stylish combos their hearts desired, with a wide range of weapons and tools at their disposal. Granted, it hasn't aged as gracefully as the other titles in the series, but it does still hold a very special place in the hearts of fans.
1. Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening
The Devil May Cry games have always been known for their challenge. They weren't unconquerable, but they were brick-hard. The third installment in the series, Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, emphasized that level of challenge by taking it to the next level, and then some. Confusing difficulty adjustments in Western/Eastern ports aside, Devil May Cry 3's notoriously intimidating challenge played a key part in solidifying its place in gaming history. Told as somewhat of an origins story, we meet a younger (and cockier) Dante as he goes up against his evil twin brother, Vergil. Not only did the combat get a significant boost in quality, but also its storytelling, direction, and overall quality. Devil May Cry 3 remains one of the best games of all time, and for good reason. It's ludicrously stylish, hard as nails, and incomparably satisfying, especially when overcoming a particularly nasty (but freaking awesome) boss battle. Devil May Cry has never been able to top its third installment in almost all aspects, but here's hoping that Devil May Cry 5 gives us that worthy successor.
To close things off, I present to you the music of Devil May Cry 3. Listen, listen again, and love it:
Devil May Cry 5 launches on March 8, 2019 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.