Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening (デビルメイクライ3) is the second sequel to Devil May Cry, starring the cocky hero Dante. This is a prequel to the first game.
Capcom, stating that they have learned much from the flop of the first sequel, has announced the second sequel at Eł 2004. Its first trailer at Eł was well received by fans disappointed with the second game, with the return to the original graphics style and the classic personality of Dante from the first game. Upon release, most fans agree that the third game to the series is equal, if not superior, to the first great game.
The third game in the series is a prequel, taking place before the establishment of the Devil May Cry agency and before Dante is aware of his devil lineage. Unlike the first game (where he was briefly mentioned), the third game focuses heavily on the dysfunctional relationship between Dante and his twin brother.
The development team consisted of staff from both of the previous two games. Yuji Shimomura is the action director, who also served the same position in Ryuhei Kitamura's cult action movie Versus.
Allusions in the Devil May Cry series
Exactly like the first game in the series, this part has allusions to The Divine Comedy that was written by Dante Alighieri. Dante Sparda is the main protagonist of the game, whilst the author Dante is the lead character in his own book. Vergil Sparda is a good example of how Dante in the book is close to the roman poet Virgil, whereas in the game, he is his evil twin brother. In the book, Virgil was not evil, but his soul guided Dante through Hell, which can be seen as an aesthetic metaphor with the game, where Vergil chooses to live in Hell, and later confronts Dante in battle there. Cerberus being the gatekeeper of the Temen-ni-gru (in the game) in the third mission, is also an example wherein comparison, Dante meets Cerberus in the third circle in Canto VI of Inferno. Although briefly mentioned in the book, Mary is here a character called by Dante Lady. All these characters are not based in an accurate way on their historical counterparts. The seven deadly sins are mentioned in the game as well. There are allusions to many other sources, but The Divine Comedy stands as the most prominent one. Other examples are Agni and Rudra, Beowulf Ambrosia, Devils Ifrit, Alastor et cetera.
Arguably, the Devil May Cry series has many connections to Christianity, but they are not in a strict and canonical way. The complete absence of God and Jesus is an example of that, and it is more likely that Devil May Cry series will be further based on demonology, mythology and The Divine Comedy, rather than religion. Beatrice is also included in the DMC series. In Devil May Cry, a female character named Trish is present in the game. She guides Dante to a castle in Mallet Island, and later on, in the Underworld. In the game, Trish is basically short for Beatrice, because in italian, the trice part is almost pronounced Trish (Bay-ah-treech-ey).
Castlevania similarities
There are many similar traits between the Devil May Cry series and the Castlevania series. Both games have been accused to be spin-offs of each other in game play, locations and stories. The most notable Castlevania game from which Devil May Cry series take inspiration from is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (SotN). That was the very game Devil May Cry was compared to when released. Ironically, when the prequel to SotN, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (LoI) was released, it was generally compared to Devil May Cry. A few examples are:
- Alucard and Dante are both of human heritage, and vampiric/demonic heritage, they both wield swords, and hunt their respective non-human heritage. Both have white hair. Both are more or less immortal and can use magic.
- Maria Renard and Lady. Lady's real name is Mary, and Alucard/Dante run upon them every now and then throughout the course of the game. They are both non-playable characters, and serve as bosses in the game (Maria in Saturn version). Maria's and Lady's mission is to destroy the evil castle/tower, and they are both looking for a relative that has gone evil.
- Cerberus and Doppelganger serve as bosses in both series and games. Although some might consider it a cheap way of imitating SotN with Cerberus, Capcom's intention was most likely to stick faithful to the Comedy roots more than Castlevania in this case.
- Bosses that have been good but for some reason converted to being evil. These are Vergil and Richter Belmont, both share some history with the protagonists.
- Dante in DMC3 and Leon Belmont in LoI are both vocally powered by the same voice actor Dave Wittenberg[1].
- Nevan and Succubus are bosses that are very sexy female demons. They both are practically naked, and show their breast, and are familiar with Dante's/Alucard's fathers.
- Slogra and Gaibon /Agni and Rudra are four bosses, which co-operate against Alucard/Dante.
- Holy water can be used as a powerful and fiery weapon against enemies.
Weapons
Devil May Cry 3 features a large arsenal, comprised of both guns and melee weapons.
Guns
- Ebony & Ivory - Dante's two handmade pistols with an unbelievable rate of fire.
- Shotgun - Powerful sawn-off shotgun with a large spread. Good at knocking enemies back.
- Artemis - Demonic laser weapon that can target several enemies at once.
- Spiral - Very powerful sniper rifle with a slow rate of fire.
- Kalina Ann - A huge rocket launcher.
Devil Arms
- Rebellion - Dante's massive sword. It was a memento from his father; its power dormant until awakened by Dante's blood. Dante begins the game with this weapon.
- Cerberus - Ice powered, three-pieced flailing weapon similar to a Nunchaku. Dante earns this weapon by defeating the ice guardian.
- Agni & Rudra - Two swords Dante wields at once. Agni is fire elemental and Rudra is wind elemental. Dante earns these weapons after defeating the Fire Room guardians of the same names.
- Nevan - A demonic electric guitar that summons bats when Dante plays it.
- Beowulf - A powerful set of gauntlets and greaves blessed with sacred power.
Styles
The biggest change is the new combat system, which allows Dante to choose one of six different styles of combat in each mission, which enable him to use special techniques related to the style's focus. The four default styles, with moves, are:
Trickster
Focuses on dodging and agility.
- Dash - A quick dash in any direction. At higher Trickster levels, this can be done several times in a row.
- Wall Hike - Run up the wall, then kick off.
- Sky Star - A mid-air dash.
- Air Trick - Disappear and reappear above an enemy's head, ready to strike.
Swordmaster
Focuses on techniques for the Devil Arms.
- Rebellion Abilities
- Prop Shredder - Spins the sword, repeatedly striking whatever's in front of Dante.
- Aerial Rave - Slashes an enemy in mid-air, during a jump.
- Sword Pierce - Throws the sword at an enemy; without the sword, Dante fights hand-to-hand.
- Dance Macabre - Unleash a massive number of slashes at breakneck speeds.
- Crazy Dance - Stick your sword into the ground and spin around it, kicking all enemies near you.
- Cerberus Abilities
- Flicker - Whirl your nunchucks around, hitting enemies in the immediate vicinity. Can be used in mid-air.
- Crystal - Thrust your nunchucks into the ground to create huge ice pillars.
- Million Carats - Thrust your nunchucks into the ground to creat a huge ice glacier surrounding Dante.
- Ice Age - Encases Dante in a thick shield of ice, protecting him from all attacks.
- Agni & Rudra Abilities
- Crossed Swords - Destroy enemies with an X-style sword slash.
- Sky Dance - Swing both swords in mid air, then descend to the ground, spinning like a saw blade.
- Crawler - Plunge your swords into the ground, unleashing a carpet of flame in the enemy's direction.
- Twister - Spin your swords to create a vortex of fire and wind.
- Tempest - Generate a flame vortex that burns everything in its path.
- Nevan Abilities
- Slash - Attack enemies with the bladed section of your guitar.
- Air Slash - Attack enemies with your guitar's blade while in mid-air.
- Feedback - Whirl your guitar around your body, hitting nearby enemies.
- Crazy Roll - Generate electricity while slashing enemies with your guitar.
- Distortion - Attack enemies with a barrage of bats and blasts of lightning.
- Beowulf Abilities
- Zodiac - Emit a charged ball of energy from your fingertips.
- The Hammer - While in mid-air, smash your enemies to the ground.
- Volcano - Slam the ground with your fist to create a small super-nova.
- Real Impact - A highly focused, incredibly powerful uppercut that obliterates enemies.
- Tornado - Knock the enemy into the air, then follow them, kicking hundreds of times at lightning speeds.
Gunslinger
Focuses on techniques for firearms.
- Ebony & Ivory Abilities
- Twosome Time - Fires pistols in two different directions.
- Wild Stomp - Fires pistols at a downed enemy, then kicks it away.
- Rain Storm - Jumps into the air, blasting pistols down in circular motion, knocking down all enemies.
- Charge Shot - Charges weapon, then fires off a magically imbued burst.
- Rapid Shot - Quickly clicks off a large number of shots in a short period of time.
- Shotgun Abilities
- Fireworks - Swings the shotgun around like nunchaku, firing in different directions.
- Charge Shot - Charges weapon, then fires off a magically imbued burst.
- Rapid Shot - Quickly click off a large number of shots in a short period of time.
- Gun Stinger - Rams the shotgun into an enemy and fires a concentrated burst of buckshot.
- Point Blank - Fires the shotgun while standing right next to the enemy, doing massive damage.
- Artemis Abilities
- Multi-lock - Locks on to a single enemy and fires several lasers at them.
- Sphere - Fires a giant orb of laser energy.
- Acid Rain - Shoots multiple laser beams into the air which come raining down on enemies.
- Spiral Abilities
- Trick Shot - Ricochets bullets off walls to hit multiple enemies.
- Sniper - Targets an enemy's weak point and fires a high-damage shot.
- Reflector - Fires a bullet that ricochets off nearby surfaces, then hits the enemy for massive damage.
- Kalina Ann Abilities
- Hysteric - Fires a barrage of mini-missiles at the enemy.
- Grapple - Fires the bayonet at an enemy, impaling them, then pulls them towards you.
Royal Guard
Focuses on absorbing enemy strikes and projecting the energy back.
- Block & Charge - Block enemy attackes, building up anger and adrenaline.
- Release - Release pent-up anger charged from blocked enemy attacks, dealing great damage.
- Air Block - Block in mid-air.
- Air Release - Release in mid-air.
- Ultimate - Block enemy attacks and convert the energy into heath for yourself.
Quicksilver and Doppleganger styles must be unlocked in order to play with them.
Quicksilver
Allows Dante to slow down time while attacking at normal speed.
- Time Lag - Slows down time for enemies while you will still be able to move in real time. Devil Trigger consumptive. Ideal for taking down harder enemies, when surrounded or for earning extra Style Points.
Doppleganger
Allows Dante to utilize a shadow to double attacks.
- After image - Spawns a second shadow version of Dante. Also Devil Trigger consumptive. When active, this also allows a second player to control the shadow version of Dante for as long as the effect lasts.
See also
External links
