Our Telegram group has always been very fond of Devil May Cry, particularly because of a certain individual we don’t name, so as soon as the opportunity arose to try Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition I decided to go for it. You must know that I am a newbie to the series, having never had a Sony or Microsoft console, so I was looking forward to trying what for many is one of the best chapters of the saga.
Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition is, as the name suggests, a re-release of the 2005 Capcom title that includes numerous additional modes, such as the ability to play the story with Vergil and the Bloody Palace. With the Switch version, further innovations have been brought, revealed during the last few weeks by the manufacturer of the game, but I will talk about these later.
Alright!
At the plot level, DMC3 is chronologically placed as the first chapter of the series, in fact we find the young Dante who has just arrived in his shop, still unnamed. Not even the time to open a shop, which are already starting to appear strange creatures and a mysterious tower, which acts as a portal between our world and that of the demons. I will not talk further about the history of the game, I will just say that, despite being a very side element, this is not completely trivial, but rather has a couple of unexpected twists.
How can you not adore these two
One of the best elements outside the gameplay are the characters, especially Dante, the half demon, and his twin brother and main antagonist, Vergil. The first is a hot-headed, bold and always ready to provoke his opponents (so much so that there is a button dedicated to this), but precisely this makes him immediately likeable and appreciable. With his way of doing, Dante immediately makes it clear that the game does not have too serious tones (even if it has its moments towards the end, showing us, for example, that “even demons can cry”), but rather points to exaggeration and student spirit as the main element, even in the gameplay. Vergil is the exact opposite, cold and stoic, and he is the perfect rival for our protagonist.
Sweet
How is Dante’s student spirit reflected in the gameplay? For better or worse, it can be found everywhere. If the series, and this chapter in particular, are not familiar to you, you should know that these are action games based on fast attacks and combos, which are associated with a score (from D to SSS) based on how many attacks you they manage to do without the enemy being able to respond. The game wants us to be stylish, so repeating the same actions over and over will not increase the points, but luckily there is a huge variety of weapons and moves that we can use.
Ah yes, one of the weapons is an electric guitar / scythe, why not
In addition to the Rebellion sword and the Ebony & Ivory pistols, we find in fact many other weapons, all extremely different from them and each with unique abilities, which are unlocked as you progress with the game and level up the styles .
SSStylish
Styles are one of the main mechanics of the game and were introduced into the series by Devil May Cry 3. Initially we will have four available, which are Trickster, Swordmaster, Gunslinger and Royalguard, but later we will get two more, Quicksilver and Doppelganger. Each of these styles offers different skills based on the level: for example Trickster allows you to perform a shot with invincibility, Swordmaster and Gunslinger instead unlock additional techniques for the sidearm and firearm respectively, while Royalguard allows you to parry attacks and then return the blow. The latter in particular completely changes the way of approaching the game, even without combining it with the other styles.
You heard right, in the Nintendo Switch edition , the free-style mode has been introduced , which allows you to change the style on the spot by pressing the corresponding button on the dpad. By doing so, it is possible to indulge even more in combat, combining the offensive power of the Swordmaster with the defense of Royalguard and Trickster for example.
We can’t forget Dante’s ability, the Devil Trigger . After a certain mission, Dante will unlock the ability to transform into a demon, greatly increasing his strength and speed. This will make it harder for enemies to parry your attacks, while you can do even longer combos. The duration of this technique will depend on your magical power, which you can increase by buying the respective power-ups. Don’t be stingy with this special technique: reloading the magical power is easy and you can activate it multiple times during the same boss battle.
Now I’m a little motivated
So we come to the focal point of the game, precisely the boss battles . The thing that immediately surprised me is that, despite the large number, these are very unique among them as regards the mechanics and the possible puzzles behind. In general, you can also face them calmly, waiting for the right moment to attack, unleash your combo and then run away. In short, great for novice players, but what if you are looking for a more interesting challenge? Don’t look elsewhere because DMC has thought of you too. Here, in fact, the system of points comes into play, to maximize which it will be necessary to attack constantly, obviously being careful not to be hit. Depending on the style you want to use, each fight will always be different and more or less difficult.
Every now and then they remember that they are brothers though
Honorable mention goes to the fights with Vergil , who being a half demon like us has at his disposal not only his weapons and his superhuman abilities, but also the Devil Trigger, which makes him extremely dangerous. They are extremely adrenaline-pumping battles, made of parries, dodges and counterattacks, and represent the pinnacle of the game’s combat system.
I loved this scene madly
Dope
In addition to the main story, there are also tons of things that can be done in Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition. First of all you can replay the various missions trying to get the maximum score, which I assure you is a great satisfaction of his. In addition to this you can replay the story with Vergil, who has his own gameplay, quite different from Dante.
If that’s still not enough for you, the Special Edition introduced the Palace of Blood 14 years ago, a series of battles against generic enemies and bosses one after the other. Here, too, the Switch version brings a novelty , namely the possibility of playing together with another person, one in control of Dante and one of Vergil. In short, now you can play this fantastic title with a friend, what else do you want?
This is one of the scenes that blatantly remained the same as the original game unfortunately
Clearly, no game is without defects, but this one has the only problem of being a bit of a child of its time: there are some cutscenes that are clearly the originals, in very low definition and not in HD like the rest of the game (and also there it is however noted that the title has a certain age). But the element that can really be annoying is the camera, especially with enemies that move a lot. These in fact risk ending up out of sight and the camera doesn’t move very quickly unfortunately, so you end up potentially being hit if you’re not too careful.
I admit to being terribly poor, but I’m sure I can improve if I put in the effort
Conclusion
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Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition is a fantastic action game, with deep gameplay and awesome boss battles. The characters are very charismatic, even if there are only four, and Vergil in particular is just perfect for how he is built before the fights. The very wide variety of weapons, styles and moves, combined with the many modes present in the game, greatly increases the hours that we can dedicate to ourselves, both alone and with friends. The only flaws are the camera which is sometimes annoying, the graphics sector, especially in certain scenes, which can be seen to be old and some typos every now and then. Not much compared to how fun and rewarding this game is.
JACKPOT / 10
- Very charismatic characters.
- Fantastic boss battles.
- The fights with Vergil are phenomenal.
- Lots of modes and lots of replay value.
- Lots of weapons and fighting techniques.
- The camera can be annoying in some situations.
- We note the age of the graphics sector, especially in certain settings.
Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition is a fantastic action game that will keep you entertained for hours, whether you want to play quiet games, or if you want to get the maximum score. And you can also play it with a friend!
