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Dante is a vibe. If you played the original game back in 2001, you remember the red coat, the massive sword, and that absolute "don't care" attitude that redefined action games forever. Dante Devil May Cry 1 wasn't just a spinoff of a rejected Resident Evil 4 build; it was the birth of the "Character Action" genre. It changed everything. Before this, 3D combat was clunky. It was slow. Then Hideki Kamiya and Team Little Devils decided that style mattered more than survival. Honestly, looking back at Mallet Island, it’s wild how much they got right on the first try.
The game starts with a bang. Trish crashes through a door on a motorcycle, stabs Dante through the chest with his own sword, and he just... stands there. He takes a bite of pizza? No, he just shrugs it off. That moment established who he was. He wasn't some brooding hero. He was a thrill-seeker.
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The Weird Resident Evil DNA in Dante Devil May Cry 1
You can still feel the ghost of Resident Evil in the hallways of Mallet Island. The fixed camera angles are there. The "Find the Lion Head to open the Blue Door" puzzles are there. It's spooky. But then you press the Triangle button. Suddenly, you aren’t running away from zombies; you’re launching a marionette into the air and juggling it with dual semi-automatic handguns.
The transition from survival horror to high-octane action was an accident. During the development of Resident Evil 4, producer Shinji Mikami noticed a bug where enemies would get launched into the air. Instead of fixing it, the team leaned in. They realized that keeping an enemy in the air was satisfying. It felt like a dance. This "juggling" mechanic became the cornerstone of Dante Devil May Cry 1. It’s why the combat feels so vertical compared to games like God of War or Ninja Gaiden.
Why Alastor is the Best Weapon in the Series
Fight me on this, but Alastor is the peak. Sure, Rebellion is iconic, but the way Dante acquires Alastor—being pinned to the floor by a lightning sword while a gothic choir screams in the background—is peak 2001. It gave you the Air Raid ability. Being able to fly around and shoot lightning bolts changed the pacing of the boss fights. It made you feel like a god, but a god that could still die in three hits if you played like a scrub.
The difficulty was real. If you played the Western release, you might remember it being harder than the Japanese version. That wasn't your imagination. Capcom bumped the difficulty for the US audience, making "Normal" feel like "Hard." It forced you to learn the systems. You couldn't just mash buttons. You had to learn the timing of the Stinger. You had to know exactly when to trigger Devil Trigger to regain health.
The Bosses That Defined a Genre
Phantom. Griffon. Nelo Angelo. These aren't just speed bumps; they're tests.
Phantom is the first real wall players hit. A giant lava spider that talks trash? It’s intimidating. But the game teaches you right there: jump on his back. Use the environment. It’s a logic puzzle masked as a brawl. Then you have Nelo Angelo. The rival fights in Dante Devil May Cry 1 are legendary because they are mirrors. He has your moves. He has your speed. When you finally realize who is under that armor, it adds a layer of tragedy to the campy action that the sequels often struggled to replicate.
The voice acting is... well, it’s 2001 Capcom. "I should have been the one to fill your dark soul with light!" is a line that lives rent-free in the head of every gamer over thirty. It’s cheesy. It’s over-the-top. But Dante sells it because he’s sincere. He’s a guy who loves his mom, misses his brother, and hates demons. It’s simple, and it works.
The Style Rank System
The "Stylish" meter is the most influential thing this game ever did. It gamified being cool.
- Dull: You're just hitting buttons. Stop it.
- Cool: Okay, you used a gun once.
- Bravo: Now we're getting somewhere.
- Absolute: You're starting to flow.
- Stylish: You are a god of combat.
It wasn't just about winning. It was about how you won. If you finished a fight with a "D" rank, the game basically told you that you were boring. That psychological push to switch weapons, vary your combos, and taunt your enemies is what separated DMC from the sea of button-mashers that followed.
Looking Back: What Most People Get Wrong
A lot of people think Devil May Cry 3 is where the series started. They think the first game is too "old" or "clunky." They're wrong. While the later games added Styles (Trickster, Swordmaster, etc.), the original has a purity to it. Dante's moveset is smaller, but every single move has a purpose. There is no bloat.
The atmosphere in the first game is also vastly superior to the urban settings of the sequels. Mallet Island feels like a character. It's oppressive. The music shifts from industrial metal to haunting ambient tracks seamlessly. It’s a gothic nightmare that Dante just happens to be vacationing in.
How to Play Dante Devil May Cry 1 Today
If you’re looking to dive back in, don't hunt down an old PS2. The Devil May Cry HD Collection is available on basically everything—PC, PS4, Xbox, Switch. It runs at a smooth 60fps, which is crucial for a game this fast.
Pro Tips for Newcomers:
- Buy Air Hike immediately. Double jumping is not a luxury; it’s a necessity for survival.
- Don't sleep on the Shotgun. The "Shotgun Twitch" (firing and then instantly moving/resetting) is an advanced tactic that lets you put out massive damage at close range.
- Learn to parry. You don't have a block button. You parry by attacking at the exact same time as the enemy. It's risky, it's hard, and it feels incredible when you pull it off against a Sin Scissors.
The legacy of Dante Devil May Cry 1 is everywhere. You see it in Bayonetta, you see it in Final Fantasy XVI, and you definitely see it in Elden Ring's more aggressive boss designs. It taught developers that players want to be challenged, but more importantly, they want to look good while being challenged. Dante didn't just kill demons; he made it an art form.
To truly master the game, you need to move beyond just surviving. Start a new save on the HD Collection and focus on your movement. Don't just run—jump, roll, and use the Kick 13 move to close gaps. Buy the "Purple Orbs" early to extend your Devil Trigger gauge, as this is your only way to heal without using items (which lowers your end-of-mission rank). Once you finish the game on Normal, Hard mode awaits, which completely reshuffles enemy placements and forces you to use the environment to your advantage. For the ultimate challenge, unlocking Dante Must Die mode turns every encounter into a high-stakes duel where one mistake leads to a Game Over screen. Experience the purity of the original mechanics before the series became overly complex with weapon-switching; there is a unique satisfaction in mastering the simple, elegant lethality of the Force Edge and Ifrit gauntlets.