What can be said about Devil May Cry 3? It took the core tenets of DMC1, scrapped out everything DMC2 did or was, and created the standard of the genre to follow for the rest of time. One of the most confident sequels ever made, re-inventing and innovating on everything the first game did, it took the idea of spectacle combo focused action and just ran with it to space. When you find yourself running on walls to follow it up with a divekick, skating on an enemy while shooting others with your dual pistols, or killing a boss with a fucking electric guitar shredding slide, you know you have a real videogame in your hands.
To further elevate the cockiness and showboating of the combat, the team made the brilliant decision of going back in time and having us play a teenage version of Dante. If DMC1 felt like an awkward early step, and DMC2 a massive false move in the wrong direction, then DMC3 is where the franchise came into it's own and got it's sense of identity, away from it's RE4 prototype roots. Dante is such a fun time to be around with when he's styling on enemies, mocking bosses, or having any sort of dialogue with other characters. To top it off, DMC3 brings back his twin brother Vergil, a stoic and self serious foil to Dante, that creates some of the most memorable and iconic scenes in the franchise.
While the setting this time around can't match the atmosphere and vibe of the castle in DMC1, the demonic tower you explore for the most part in DMC3 still retains the gothic and religious aesthetic that gives the series it's unique downtime between fights, with some somber and creepy background tracks and noises that can be faintly heard as you move around. The latter games in the franchise would distance themselves from this aesthetic more and more, which is disappointing. The pacing of the game is perfect, starting you off from the streets and stripclubs before you enter the tower that you slowly go up and then down and back up again to hell, doling out new enemies, bosses and weapons at the right time. The backtracking never feels dull or inconvenient, as there's always something new and different everytime you pass a previous location.
In retrospect, if you have played DMC4 and DMC5, Devil May Cry 3 might feel dated and restrictive with it's weapon and style system, not allowing you to carry more than 2 weapons and 1 style at a time. But with the advent of PC ports that allow for mods, and the Switch version that allows for unlimited weapon and style switching, DMC3 rises up as the best in the series. Everything just clicks with this one. The combat, the setting, the characters, the story. By the time you defeat Vergil for the third time, and you fight your way through the credits, you will know you have played one of the best action games of all time.
To further elevate the cockiness and showboating of the combat, the team made the brilliant decision of going back in time and having us play a teenage version of Dante. If DMC1 felt like an awkward early step, and DMC2 a massive false move in the wrong direction, then DMC3 is where the franchise came into it's own and got it's sense of identity, away from it's RE4 prototype roots. Dante is such a fun time to be around with when he's styling on enemies, mocking bosses, or having any sort of dialogue with other characters. To top it off, DMC3 brings back his twin brother Vergil, a stoic and self serious foil to Dante, that creates some of the most memorable and iconic scenes in the franchise.
While the setting this time around can't match the atmosphere and vibe of the castle in DMC1, the demonic tower you explore for the most part in DMC3 still retains the gothic and religious aesthetic that gives the series it's unique downtime between fights, with some somber and creepy background tracks and noises that can be faintly heard as you move around. The latter games in the franchise would distance themselves from this aesthetic more and more, which is disappointing. The pacing of the game is perfect, starting you off from the streets and stripclubs before you enter the tower that you slowly go up and then down and back up again to hell, doling out new enemies, bosses and weapons at the right time. The backtracking never feels dull or inconvenient, as there's always something new and different everytime you pass a previous location.
In retrospect, if you have played DMC4 and DMC5, Devil May Cry 3 might feel dated and restrictive with it's weapon and style system, not allowing you to carry more than 2 weapons and 1 style at a time. But with the advent of PC ports that allow for mods, and the Switch version that allows for unlimited weapon and style switching, DMC3 rises up as the best in the series. Everything just clicks with this one. The combat, the setting, the characters, the story. By the time you defeat Vergil for the third time, and you fight your way through the credits, you will know you have played one of the best action games of all time.