In its latest go-around in the Devil May Cry series, Capcom chose to divert from the usual design brought on by its internal team and, instead, turned to Ninja Theory, the developers behind Heavenly Sword and Enslaved, to give the formula a shot. The end result turned out to be a whopping success, with a combination of remarkable visuals and gameplay, which the player can mix up between demon and angel attacks – along with Dante’s staple sword and guns combination.
But one startling factor that a few players managed to miss out on (mostly by skipping through the cinemas) is the story. There’s an interesting tale behind why Dante is the way he is, and how his newfound ally Kat and his brother Vergil tie into it. And just when you think it’s going to end the way you imagine, a nice twist comes near the finale that leaves you in an unexpected fight to the finish.
For this week’s Spoiler Alert, we look at the story aspect of DMC: Devil May Cry, and what makes it stand out so well. As you probably guessed, there are spoilers abound in this article, so if you haven’t played it yet, we advise that you do so first before reading on.
The central story takes place in Limbo City, a place that, unbeknownst to a huge amount of the population, is controlled by demons. A king by the name of Mundus oversees all, with the help of his concubine Lilith, as well as full control over an energy drink called Virility and a propaganda-spewing Raptor News Network, which isn’t afraid to trash those it considers its enemies, with the controversial Bob Barbas at the helm.
In the midst of all this is a young man named Dante, who finds himself stumbling into Limbo following a night of drinking and sex. He’s warned of being in danger by a strange entity, only to come under attack by demons – namely a large Hunter type. Shortly after crossing its path, he manages to recover his sword and twin pistols, his long-time weapons, and lay waste to it, only to have it call him “Son of Sparda” as it fades away…which confuses him.
The girl who warned him beforehand turned out to be a psychic named Kat, who, like Dante, can see Limbo for what it really is. She’s part of a group known as the Order, dedicated to exposing the world for the nightmare it really is. Leading this group is Vergil, who actually happens to be Dante’s brother…and leads him to do a little exploration on who he really is.
He finds the answer at a mansion called Paradise, which has been run down, but manages to harbor a few secrets about his past, as he’s able to see visions of himself as a child. It turns out he not only learns of his relation to Vergil, but also how he came to be with his acquired demon and angel powers.
It turns out that he is actually the offspring of Sparda and Eva…who were, in fact, demon and angel. They were warned multiple times that their kinds could never fall in love and have offspring (kind of a twisted variant on Romeo and Juliet), but they proceeded anyway. Dante and Vergil turn out to be spawned Nephilim, capable of bringing down Mundus. Enraged by their coupling, the demon king acted out and killed Eva, and following the disappearance of the sons, banished Sparda to a demonic realm.
After seeing this – and becoming enraged by Mundus’ actions – Dante vows to bring down the order of the demons. He begins at the Verility factory, where a huge demon-like creature, Poison, watched over its manufacturing, but eventually dies in its rotating fans; and the Raptor network, where he fights a virtual version of Barbas’ head before finally putting bullets into him and ending his regime. After helping an elder demon by the name of Phineas, Dante acquires the “Devil Trigger” ability, which will serve him well later on in the game.
Shortly following the downfall of the Network, Dante finds the Order under attack. He gets there in time to find Kat and Vergil still alive, but they get separated when a SWAT team takes her away. He and Vergil escape to figure out what to do next – and it ties in with Lilith.
After a battle with her and her mutated baby, Dante offers Mundus to trade her for Kat, but Vergil kills Lilith and her child, making the demon king that much more enraged. Kat is rescued, and provides a way into Mundus’ stronghold, Silverstack Towers, to fight him. Using power from a nearby Hellgate, Mundus almost seems unbeatable. However, Vergil is able to close the gate and stab Mundus in the back – which enrages him even further and grows him to an enormous state. The brothers eventually bring him down, lowering his shield to the world and fusing the real world and Earth together, allowing humans to see the demons in plain sight. (Not a pretty sight, but had to be done.)
Just when you think the story has reached its conclusion, Vergil has revealed what he really wants to do – revealing himself as the final boss in the game. With Mundus out of the way, he feels nothing can stop him from ruling humanity, with Dante by his side. Dante, having formed a bond with Kat and caring a bit more for the human race, refuses, leading to an all-out battle between the two brothers. With the help of the “Devil Trigger” capability, Dante manages to overcome Vergil, but Kat begs him to stop before he kills him completely. Vergil, disgusted by his brother’s love for the human race, vanishes through a portal.
Dante, feeling the after-effects of “Devil Trigger”, finds that his hair has turned white (as in previous games) and his eyes are glowing with demon power. But Kat, who has stayed by his side, assures him that he’s still who he is, the Son of Sparda. Or rather, “Dante…nothing more, nothing less.”
DMC: Devil May Cry is a marvelous action tour-de-force, and this story sets up the eventual downloadable content that’ll be coming, starting with Vergil’s Downfall, which releases on March 5th. (You can play the free Bloody Palace DLC in the meantime.)
DMC: Devil May Cry is available now for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Published: Feb 25, 2013 04:49 pm