Devil May Cry

A great hack & slash game that maintains a thrilling action and an interesting adventure. A reference of the genre that creates a great hellish atmosphere thanks to the beasts that roam the dark stages with dark music.

Like many ports of some of the big games from the past two console generations, the appeal of Devil May Cry is that it's now available in portable form. There's nothing new here to tempt older fans otherwise, but what they'll find here is familiar. The switching of aspect ratios is odd, and the fixed camera angles and more puzzle-oriented focus will throw off some people, but for everyone who hasn't done so before, this is still a solid action game that's worth checking out.

Devil May Cry’s appearance on Switch should be regarded as an essential installment of modern gaming history. Its genesis in Resident Evil, unconscious evolution of the beat ’em up genre, and conception of stylish-action showcase the fierce innovation demonstrated by the PlayStation 2 in 2001. In 2019, the primordial Devil May Cry may be more frustrating than fun, but what it lacks in comfort it corrects with prestige.

Much like Onimusha: Warlords before it, Devil May Cry preserves all the things that made it great in 2001, while systematically crystallising all of its faults. It’s a shame it wasn’t given the remake treatment gifted to Resident Evil and Resident Evil Zero – or even have some form of ‘remastering’ to optimise it for Nintendo Switch – but for fans of the series who hold fond memories of slaying demons and attaining that elusive ‘S’ rank, you can now enjoy Dante’s inaugural adventure in handheld form.

All of which is to say, Devil May Cry isn’t a great game by today’s standards — but, if you look at it through the perspective of 2001, you can see why it blew so many people away. It probably doesn’t stand up if you’re directly comparing it to more modern action games, but if you go in hoping for a slice of history that’s still playable, then it’ll do the trick.