Hideki Kamiya didn't mean to create a new genre. He was actually trying to make Resident Evil 4. But the game he was building felt too fast, too kinetic, and honestly, way too "cool" for a slow-burn survival horror title. So, Capcom pivoted. They took that "Stylish Hard Action" concept and gave us Devil May Cry 2001, a game that fundamentally changed how we look at third-person combat.
It’s easy to look back now and think it's just a relic. You’ve got the fixed camera angles that can be a total pain. You’ve got the somewhat cheeseball dialogue. But if you actually sit down and play it today? It’s surprisingly tight.
Dante, our protagonist, wasn't just another action hero. He was a half-demon with a massive sword named Alastor and twin pistols called Ebony and Ivory. He had this swagger that felt earned, mostly because the gameplay forced you to earn it through the Style System. If you just mashed buttons, the game called you "Dull." If you played like a god, you were "Stylish." It was a feedback loop that rewarded creativity over simple survival.
The Resident Evil DNA Inside Devil May Cry 2001
You can still see the ghost of Resident Evil in the corridors of Mallet Island. The way the doors creak open. The heavy atmosphere. The fixed camera perspectives that sometimes hide enemies just out of sight. It’s all there.
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Shinji Mikami, the legendary creator of Resident Evil, was the producer, and you can feel his fingerprints on the tension. However, Kamiya wanted something different. He wanted a protagonist who didn't run away from the monsters. Dante ran at them.
The story starts with a woman named Trish crashing a motorcycle through Dante's front door. Typical Tuesday, right? She tells him about the return of Mundus, the demon king who killed Dante’s mother and supposedly his brother, Vergil. From there, it's a gothic descent into madness. The setting of Mallet Island is basically a character in itself—a sprawling, interconnected castle that feels lived-in and deeply cursed.
Why the Combat Felt So Weirdly Good
Before this game, most action titles were about "clunky" hits. You hit an enemy, they fall down, you wait. Devil May Cry 2001 introduced the "Juggle."
Ever wondered why you can shoot a falling enemy to keep them in the air? That was actually a bug in Onimusha: Warlords that the team decided to turn into a core feature here. It’s brilliant. You launch a Marionette into the air with your sword, then keep it floating with a barrage of bullets. It felt illegal back then. It still feels satisfying now.
The weapon variety was small but meaningful. You had the Force Edge, Alastor (the lightning sword), and Ifrit (the fire gauntlets). Each one felt distinct. Using Ifrit required you to time your button presses for maximum impact, a precursor to the complex fighting game-style inputs we see in modern titles like God of War or Bayonetta.
The Nightmare of Difficulty and the Mundus Fight
Let's be real: this game is hard. Like, "throw your controller across the room" hard if you're playing on Dante Must Die mode.
The boss fights in Devil May Cry 2001 are legendary for a reason. Phantom, the giant lava spider, isn't just a gear check; he’s a skill check. You have to learn his patterns, or he will flatten you in seconds. Then there’s Nelo Angelo.
If you know the lore, Nelo Angelo is one of the most tragic figures in the series. He’s a dark knight who mirrors Dante’s moves. Fighting him feels like a duel, not a monster hunt. The reveal of who he actually is—Dante’s twin brother, Vergil, brainwashed and armored up—is still one of the best "oh snap" moments in gaming history.
- Phantom: Teaches you to jump and stay mobile.
- Griffon: Teaches you how to use your guns effectively while dodging massive AOE attacks.
- Nightmare: A literal amorphous blob that forces you to manage environmental triggers while fighting for your life.
Then you get to Mundus. The final fight shifts genres entirely, turning into a rail shooter in the clouds before descending into a gritty ground battle. It’s chaotic. It’s over the top. It’s exactly what the game needed to be.
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The Legacy Nobody Talks About
We talk a lot about Dark Souls or God of War, but Devil May Cry 2001 is the father of the modern "Character Action" subgenre. Without it, there is no Bayonetta. There is no Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.
The game introduced the idea that how you win is just as important as if you win. The Style Meter—ranging from D to S—isn't just a score. It’s a psychological driver. It pushes you to take risks. You want that "S" rank, so you go for that risky parry. You try to switch weapons mid-combo. You taunt the enemy even when you’re at 10% health.
It’s about "Coolness" as a mechanic.
The Sound and the Fury
The soundtrack by Masami Ueda and Misao Senbongi is a wild mix of industrial metal, gothic choir, and techno. It shouldn't work. But when you enter a room and the heavy drums kick in as the puppets start twitching? It sets a mood that the sequels, as good as they are, sometimes struggle to replicate. The atmosphere in the original game is much darker and more "horror-adjacent" than the anime-inspired brightness of Devil May Cry 4 or 5.
Dante himself is also a bit different here. He’s more stoic. He cracks jokes, sure, but there’s a brooding quality to him. He feels like a man carrying a heavy burden, not just a wacky pizza guy.
What Most People Get Wrong About DMC1
A lot of critics today say the game is "clunky." Honestly? They’re usually just playing it wrong.
People try to play it like a modern brawler where you have infinite animation cancels. In Devil May Cry 2001, your actions have weight and commitment. If you swing that sword, you're committed to the swing. It’s about precision.
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The camera is the real enemy, granted. Having the perspective shift mid-jump can lead to some cheap deaths. But if you treat the game like a 3D fighting game rather than a standard adventure game, the "clunkiness" disappears. It's about rhythm.
Another misconception is that the story is "bad." It’s campy, yes. "I should have been the one to fill your dark soul with light!" is a line that has lived in infamy for decades. But the mythology it established—the war between Sparda and the Underworld—is rock solid. It gave Capcom a foundation to build a franchise that is still thriving today.
How to Play It Today (The Right Way)
If you want to experience Devil May Cry 2001 now, you’ve got options. The HD Collection is available on basically every platform, from PC to PS5 and Switch.
- Get a Controller: Do not try to play this with a mouse and keyboard. Just don't.
- Learn the "Stinger": Forward + Attack. It's the most important move in your arsenal for closing gaps.
- Don't ignore the guns: Bullets don't do much damage, but they keep the style meter from dropping and keep enemies stunned.
- Upgrade "Air Hike" first: Double jumping is a literal lifesaver in boss fights.
The game is short. You can beat it in about six to eight hours on your first run. But it's designed for replayability. The real game starts on Hard and Dante Must Die modes, where enemy placements change and the AI gets significantly meaner.
The impact of this 2001 masterpiece cannot be overstated. It was a lightning-in-a-bottle moment for Capcom. They tried to make a sequel (DMC2) and famously stumbled, proving that the magic of the original wasn't easy to replicate. It took bringing in Hideaki Itsuno for DMC3 to truly find that spark again.
But even with the technical brilliance of the newer entries, there is something raw and atmospheric about the first game that remains untouched. It’s a gothic nightmare wrapped in a leather trench coat. It’s a game that knows exactly what it is: a stylish, brutal, and unapologetically cool experience that defined an era.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans and Newcomers
If you’re looking to dive back in or try it for the first time, start by downloading the HD Collection. Focus on mastering the "Alastor" move set before moving to "Ifrit," as the lightning sword is much more forgiving for beginners. Pay close attention to the sound cues; most enemies in this game have a specific noise they make right before they attack, which is crucial since the camera might not always show them. Finally, don't be afraid to use your "Devil Trigger" (Dante’s demon form). It’s not just a "super mode"—it regenerates your health, which is the only way to heal without using rare items that hurt your final score. Go in, get that S-Rank, and remember why we fell in love with this genre in the first place.