It started as a Resident Evil sequel. That is the weirdest thing about it. Hideki Kamiya and his team at Capcom were trying to make Resident Evil 4, but the protagonist was too superhuman, the pace was too fast, and the vibe was just... wrong for survival horror. So they pivoted. They created Dante. They created the "Character Action" genre. Looking back at Devil May Cry 1 today, it is shocking how much of that original DNA is still stuck in the walls of Mallet Island. The fixed camera angles scream survival horror. The creepy, ambient silence between fights feels like a zombie game. But then the music kicks in—that industrial, pulsing techno-rock—and you realize you aren't the one who should be scared. The demons are.
Most people remember the red coat and the quips. Honestly, though, the first game is way more gothic and oppressive than the sequels. It’s lonely. You’re trapped in a massive, sprawling castle, solving puzzles that feel suspiciously like something Jill Valentine would deal with, except you have a giant sword called Alastor and two handguns that never run out of bullets. It’s a masterpiece of atmosphere that the series eventually traded away for pure, high-octane spectacle.
The Combat System That Changed Everything
Before this game, 3D action was clunky. It just was. Most games followed the "press a button, wait for animation to end" rule. Devil May Cry 1 introduced the concept of juggling. Legend has it a bug in Onimusha: Warlords allowed players to keep enemies in the air by hitting them repeatedly, and Kamiya thought, "Wait, that's actually the coolest thing I've ever seen."
In the first game, the combat is tight. Heavy. Precise. You don’t have the "Style Switcher" system from the later games where you’re cycling through four different stances mid-air. You have your sword, your guns, and your Devil Trigger. That’s basically it. But the depth comes from the timing. If you pause for a split second between swings, Dante performs a different combo. It isn't about memorizing a hundred different button inputs; it’s about rhythm. You've got the High Time to launch them, the Helm Breaker to bring them down, and the Stinger to close the gap. It's a language. Once you learn to speak it, you stop playing the game and start conducting a symphony of violence.
The "Style Rank" is the real genius here. It isn't enough to kill the monsters. The game judges you. It stares at you and asks, "Is that all you've got?" If you use the same move over and over, your rank stays at a pathetic 'D'. You have to vary your attacks, taunt your enemies, and stay aggressive to reach that elusive 'S' rank. It’s a psychological trick that forces the player to be creative. It turned "beating the game" into "performing for the game."
Mallet Island and the Resident Evil Shadow
The setting of Devil May Cry 1 is arguably the best in the franchise. It’s a cohesive place. Unlike the disjointed levels of DMC4 or the fleshy, repetitive towers of DMC3, Mallet Island feels like a real, ancient location. You go from the grand foyer to the murky sewers, then out to the coliseum and eventually into the literal underworld.
There’s a specific kind of dread in the first game that disappeared later on. Remember the Sin Scissors? Those ghostly entities that float through walls with giant shears? They’re terrifying. The way they laugh and clip through the environment feels unfair until you realize you can parry their blades with a well-timed slash. The boss fights follow this same logic. Phantom, the giant lava spider, isn't just a health bar. He’s a wall. He forces you to learn how to jump, how to air-raid, and how to find openings in a chaotic mess of fire and legs.
The game is short. You can probably beat it in five or six hours if you know what you’re doing. But it’s designed to be played twenty times. The difficulty tiers—Normal, Hard, and the legendary Dante Must Die (DMD)—change the game entirely. On DMD, enemies gain their own Devil Trigger. They become faster, tougher, and more aggressive. It stops being a power fantasy and becomes a survival test. One mistake and you're dead. This is where the game’s "expert" status comes from. It doesn't hold your hand. It expects you to get good or get out.
Why Dante Still Works (Even When He’s Cringe)
Dante in the first game is a bit different from the "wacky woohoo pizza man" he became in DMC3 and DMC5. He’s a bit more stoic. A bit more of a classic action hero. Sure, he still has that scene where he yells "Fill your dark soul with light!"—which is objectively one of the most awkward voice-acting deliveries in history—but there’s a sincerity to him. He’s a guy carrying the weight of his family’s bloodline. He’s the son of Sparda, the demon knight who woke up to justice and saved humanity.
The rivalry with Nelo Angelo is the emotional core of the game. Even if you don't know the lore going in, you can feel the tension. Every time that armored knight appears, the music shifts. The fights are honorable duels. When you finally realize who Nelo Angelo actually is—Dante's twin brother, Vergil, corrupted and enslaved—it adds a layer of tragedy to the button-mashing. It’s a simple story told through action, which is always more effective than twenty-minute cutscenes.
Technical Limitations That Became Features
The fixed camera is the most controversial part of Devil May Cry 1. Modern players hate it. They want to control the view with the right stick. But in 2001, that camera was used to frame the action like a movie. It created "blind spots" that the developers used to hide enemies or items, amping up the tension.
The limited moveset also works in its favor. In DMC5, Dante has so many weapons and styles that it can be overwhelming. In the original, you have Force Edge (or Alastor/Ifrit) and your guns. That's it. This limitation forces you to master the fundamentals. You learn exactly how many frames of invincibility your jump has. You learn the precise range of your shotgun blast. It’s a "purer" experience in many ways. It’s like comparing a high-tech multi-tool to a perfectly balanced katana. One does everything; the other does one thing perfectly.
Common Misconceptions About the Original DMC
A lot of people think DMC3 is the "real" start of the series because it’s a prequel. They skip the first one. That's a mistake. While DMC3 refined the combat, the first game has a much better sense of "weight." Dante's movements in the original feel more deliberate. When you hit a marionette with a Rebellion slash, you feel the impact.
Another misconception is that the game is "unfairly hard." It isn't. It’s just punishing. It demands that you pay attention to enemy tells. Every single attack in the game can be dodged or countered. If you're taking damage, it’s because you missed a cue. The "Yellow Orb" system—which acts as your lives—is definitely a product of its time, though. Having to restart a whole mission because you ran out of lives is a bit harsh by today's standards, but it makes every encounter high-stakes.
How to Play It Today (The Right Way)
If you’re going to jump into Devil May Cry 1 now, don't try to play the original PS2 version unless you have a CRT TV. The resolution is just too low for modern screens. The HD Collection is the way to go, available on basically everything—PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.
The Switch version is actually the most interesting one because it added a "Style Switching" feature to DMC3, though unfortunately, they didn't do the same for the first game. It remains a "pure" experience.
When you start, don't be afraid to use the guns. Eboni and Ivory are your best friends for keeping your style rank up while you wait for an opening. And please, for the love of Sparda, buy the "Stinger" move as soon as possible. It is the most important tool in your arsenal for closing distance and punishing enemies.
👉 See also: Release date for Banjo Kazooie: Why the 2026 Rumors are Heating Up
Actionable Steps for New Players
To truly appreciate why this game is a landmark, you have to approach it with the right mindset. It’s not a hack-and-slash where you mindlessly mash 'Square'. It’s a dance.
- Master the Jump: In DMC, jumping isn't just for platforming. It has "i-frames" (invincibility frames). If you time a jump right as an enemy attacks, you will pass through the attack unharmed. It's often better than dodging.
- Don't Ignore Ifrit: Everyone loves the sword, Alastor. It's fast and flashy. But Ifrit (the fire gauntlets) deals massive damage and allows you to "charge" attacks. It’s essential for bosses like Nightmare.
- The Shotgun Hike: You can cancel the recovery animation of the shotgun by jumping or dodging. This allows you to fire much faster than the game normally intends.
- Observe the Camera: Since you can't move the camera, use it. If an enemy is off-screen, they are generally less aggressive. You can "hide" from certain attacks by positioning yourself so the camera doesn't show the enemies.
Devil May Cry 1 isn't just a historical curiosity. It’s a tight, atmospheric, and incredibly rewarding action game that still holds up twenty-five years later. It’s the foundation of an entire genre. If you can handle the old-school difficulty and the occasionally goofy dialogue, you'll find a game that has more soul and character than almost anything released this year. It’s about the joy of mastery. It’s about the feeling of being a literal god of combat. And honestly, it’s still just really, really cool.
To get the most out of your first playthrough, focus on unlocking the "Air Hike" (double jump) as soon as it becomes available. It changes the verticality of the combat and makes exploration significantly easier. Once you've beaten the game on Normal, don't stop there—the real Devil May Cry begins on Hard mode, where you're forced to use every trick in the book just to survive the first room. Master the parry, learn the enemy patterns, and you'll see why Dante became a gaming icon overnight.