Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, known in Japan as simply Devil May Cry 3, is an action-adventure hack and slash video game directed by Hideaki Itsuno, developed and published by Capcom, released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2 and ported to Microsoft Windows in 2006. The game is a prequel to the original Devil May Cry, with a younger Dante. It introduces new combat mechanics with an emphasis on combos and fast paced action. The story is told primarily in cutscenes using the game's engine, with several pre-rendered full motion videos. Set a decade before the events of the first Devil May Cry in an enchanted tower, Temen-ni-gru, the story centers on the dysfunctional relationship between Dante and his brother Vergil. The gameplay in Devil May Cry 3 consists of levels ("missions") in which players battle enemies, carry out platforming tasks and solve puzzles to progress through the story. The player's performance in each mission is graded from D through C, B and A, with top marks of S and SS. Grades are based on time taken to complete a mission, the number of red orbs (game currency, obtained from defeated enemies) gathered, "stylish" combat, item usage and damage received. Stylish combat is the performance of a series of attacks while avoiding damage, and is tracked by an on-screen gauge. The longer a player attacks without repetition and evades damage, the higher the score. The gauge registers "Dope" after a few attacks, progressing through "Crazy", "Blast", "Alright", "Sweet", "SShowtime" to peak at "SSStylish". If Dante receives damage, the style rating falls; if the gauge is "Crazy" or below, it will reset. Devil May Cry 3's battle system allows a player to link attacks, with each weapon having a set number of attacks. The Devil Trigger enables the player's character to assume a demonic form. This alters the character's appearance, increases attack and defense, restores health and enables special attacks. This is a departure from the previous titles, where Dante draws power from weapons and items he procures throughout the game. The Devil Trigger state lasts as long as there is energy in the Devil Trigger gauge; the gauge rises by attacking (or taunting) enemies in normal mode, and falls when using the Devil Trigger transformation or other abilities using Devil Trigger power (such as the Quicksilver and Doppelganger styles, described below). The Devil Trigger mode is not available to Dante until one-third of the way through the game, while Vergil (playable in the special edition) has the ability at the outset. In Devil May Cry 3, Dante can switch between all 4 currently equipped weapons (two guns, two melees) mid-combo on the fly. Allowing for far greater combat freedom and variety than in previous Devil May Cry games. The other major difference from previous Devil May Cry games is Devil May Cry 3's combat system, which allows a player to choose one of Dante's four combat styles; each style has a different focus and techniques. Style selection is available at the beginning of each level and during gameplay at checkpoints. The styles are Trickster, for dodging and agility; Swordmaster, with abilities for swords and other weapons; Gunslinger, with firearms techniques and Royal Guard, which allows a player to repel attacks with a button press (storing energy for retaliation). Later in the game, a player accesses two additional styles: Quicksilver (slowing enemies, while the character attacks at normal speed) and Doppelgänger (creating a shadow double who fights alongside Dante). A second player may control the shadow double by pressing "Start" on a second controller. A two-player mode, similar to the Doppelgänger style, is accessible while Dante and Vergil battle Arkham. In the special edition Vergil has another style, Dark Slayer, which is similar to Trickster.

Devil May Cry 3 (Special Edition)

Platform
steam

Region
Worldwide