10 Things You Didn’t Know about Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry is one of Capcom’s best-known series. In recent times, it has been receiving more interest because it is expected to see a new release in March of 2019, which is particularly notable because the last installment came out in 2013. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Devil May Cry:
1. Hack and Slash Third Person Shooter
There are a number of terms that can be used to describe the Devil May Cry series. For example, action-adventure is useful for describing the kind of content that interested individuals can expect. Likewise, hack and slash as well as third person shooter are useful for describing the combat.
2. Created By Hideki Kamiya
The Devil May Cry series was created by Hideki Kamiya, who has been involved in a number of Capcom’s most iconic series. Currently, Kamiya is with PlatinumGames, which he co-founded. As a result, it is no coincidence that some people might find the Bayonetta games to be more than a little bit familiar.
3. Inspired By the Divine Comedy
It would be an exaggeration to say that the Devil May Cry series was based on the narrative poem called Divine Comedy, but it can’t be denied that it has taken inspiration from said source. As for the poem, it has had a profound impact on people’s perception of hell, though it is amusing to note that it can be considered a very early example of self-insert fanfiction as well.
4. Focus on Stylized Combat
Much of the focus of the Devil May Cry series lies on stylized combat. In particular, players have strong incentive to pull off the most stylish combos possible, which require not just strings of attacks but also plenty of evades to keep their player characters from taking damage.
5. Has Survival Horror Elements
It is interesting to note that the Devil May Cry series started out as a survival horror project. Eventually, the plans for the first game changed, but there are nonetheless some remaining elements such as exploration and puzzle-solving that have managed to make it into the series. With that said, these elements tend to be downplayed because the main focus is on fast-paced action.
6. The Ranks Go Up to SS and SSS
Combos are ranked using letters in the Devil May Cry series. The rankings start at D for Dull, but they move up the alphabet to A before moving on to S. Eventually, the third Devil May Cry game added both SS and SSS as well, which is a common convention in Japanese pop culture.
7. Dante Is a Half-Demon
Generally speaking, the Devil May Cry games feature Dante as the main character, though they have always had other playable characters as well. Background-wise, Dante is supposed to be the son of a demon named Sparda and a human woman named Eva. Unfortunately, since his father was the one who stopped the ruler of the Demon World from conquering the Human World the last time around, this means that his family is in the cross-hairs.
8. There Are Two Series
Technically, the Devil May Cry series can be divided into two series, with the second being a reboot of the first. Unfortunately, the reboot met with something of a mixed response, so much so that it delivered a very hard hit to the chances of seeing a follow-up to it. For proof, consider how the next Devil May Cry game will be a direct sequel to the last installment in the first series, which came out even earlier in 2008.
9. Lots of Spinoffs
Unsurprisingly, Devil May Cry has had a lot of spinoffs. For example, there are light novels. Likewise, there was an anime in the late 2000s, though it wasn’t particularly long as these series go. Even the movie rights have been bought out, though so far, there is no sign of a Devil May Cry movie on the horizon.
10. Could Be Another Animated Show Next
Interestingly, Adi Shankar has announced that he has picked up the rights to make a Devil May Cry animated series. This is notable because he was the one who did the recent Castlevania series, which has performed very well. As a result, it will be interesting to see whether he can do the same for Devil May Cry or not.