This Week In Retro: DmC Devil May Cry (Patreon)

January 15, 2013: What's in a name?

by Diamond Feit

I cannot think of an artistic medium more driven by and yet more adverse to change than video games. Technological advancements, digital distribution, and decades of shifting tastes have all altered the format substantially from whence it began, yet at the same time, certain genres and franchises continue to operate on the same basic principles in 2023 as they did in 2003, 1993, or even 1983.

When it comes to change, both sides have their own reasons to resist embracing new concepts or products. Video game companies dislike change because change costs money; investing in higher-spec hardware, replacing old art assets, and getting the word out to customers all require major investments with no guaranteed results. Video game fans have a financial stake as well (pursuing the latest and greatest software isn't cheap) but there's also the issue of comfort. If you love football and buy Madden every year, you're going to have certain expectations that must be met to keep you coming back. If the next version removed play calling or used generic names instead of star athletes, that wouldn't sit right with millions of players looking for an authentic NFL simulation.

This means that change, when it comes, tends to be incremental. Small adjustments, updates, or revisions over time can subtly smooth over rough edges or replace unpopular design choices. Once upon a time, every Super Mario game had to be cleared in a single sitting and only afforded players a limited number of continues. A few years later, persistent save data became standard, allowing players the means to keep their place even when all their lives were lost. Eventually, this led to a de-emphasis of "lives" as a finite resource, as later games gave players more and more 1-ups to ensure even a novice would never run out. Finally, in 2017, Super Mario Odyssey removed that function outright because no one needs to see a "Game Over" screen while relaxing in their own home.

In that light, consider this week’s topic a cautionary tale about attempting too much change in one spurt and the deleterious effect that can have on even the most popular of properties. 10 years ago, Capcom opted to put a new spin on one of the company’s most recognizable (albeit recent) creations with the release of DmC Devil May Cry. The decision to reboot the series and give its leading man a total makeover proved to be, if I’m being generous, highly divisive.

Devil May Cry debuted in 2001 as an accidental spin-off of a spin-off, a project that might have turned into Resident Evil 4 if director Hideki Kamiya had not insisted on making a stylish action game instead of sticking with survival horror. While the first Devil May Cry certainly had spooky environments that would have fit right in with Spencer Mansion or Rockfort Island, its protagonist was anything but the typical zombie killer. With his chalk-white hair, long red coat, and wielding a pair of guns as well as a giant sword, Dante fit in perfectly with the new 21st century aesthetic: He had skills, he had looks, and he knew it.

As a PlayStation 2 exclusive, Devil May Cry sold well, and Capcom rushed sequels into production. While opinions of each subsequent release varied, sales remained consistent even as the series went multi-console in 2008 with Devil May Cry 4. Unfortunately, “consistent” doesn’t fly when it comes to capitalism, as Capcom looked at other third-person action brands and wondered why Dante wasn’t moving as many units as Kratos. This convinced the higher-ups in Japan that the series needed a fresh perspective, so they turned to Capcom USA and asked them to "explore a new direction for Devil May Cry."

Lest we forget, the late 00s were a tumultuous time for Capcom. While the company continued to deliver hit after hit, these successes came alongside a number of high-profile flops, particularly when it came to targeting a global audience. For every Resident Evil 5 or Monster Hunter Portable 3rd that set new sales records, there were expensive bombs like Shadow of Rome, Bionic Commando (2009), and Dark Void.

Amidst these swings and misses, Capcom selected UK developer Ninja Theory to revamp Devil May Cry. Rumors regarding the relationship began circling in 2010, with Capcom finally confirming the deal during that fall’s Tokyo Game Show. Yet while fans anticipated that the new game would be Devil May Cry 5, the project instead turned out to be a reboot, one that wiped the slate clean and starred a very different version of Dante than the one that Capcom created.

The news broke via a gritty reveal trailer starring a raven-haired young man. As he slew monsters with ease by shooting and slashing them, the action kept cutting to that same man trapped in a cell covered in bruises. An off-screen interrogator asked the prisoner again and again to state his name, building to the big reveal in the final seconds: “My name is Dante.”

The online reaction to DmC Devil May Cry, while purely speculative, was swift and ruthless. Ninja Theory had only released a handful of big-budget games by this point, so fans viewed their lack of experience as a red flag. The title threw a lot of people, as they struggled to understand why an apparently successful series like Devil May Cry even needed a reboot; four multi-platinum games in seven years typically indicates a thriving franchise, not one in danger of becoming stale.

Most of all, no one was happy with the all-new Dante. Even though the trailer lasted barely two minutes and this version of Dante seemed just as capable as the previous incarnation, Devil May Cry die-hards had already made their minds: No matter what this guy claimed, he couldn’t possibly be the “real” Dante. Take a gander at those initial trailers posted to YouTube in 2010 and you’ll see 12-year-old comments using every epithet and slur under the sun to deride Ninja Theory’s hero. Ironically, the directive to redesign Dante came from Capcom Japan, not anyone in the United States or Ninja Theory, so all the fan vitriol directed at the incoming developers (including death threats) was woefully misplaced.

As news and previews of DmC trickled out over the next two years, Capcom and Ninja Theory tried to mitigate the fans' hostile first impressions. At multiple press events, journalists who actually played the game came away with plenty of positive impressions, only for the comments underneath their articles to feature knee-jerk complaints from people still upset about the whole concept. A demo version released in 2012 finally let anyone and everyone experience DmC for themselves, with one feature in particular turning a lot of heads: When Dante builds up enough strength to activate Devil Trigger mode, his hair changes from black to white and his clothes gain a red hue, giving his appearance a more classic look. Whether this was always in the cards or added after the blowback, no one can say, but it felt like the developers were trying to meet the fans halfway.

DmC Devil May Cry finally launched on January 15, 2013 to widespread critical praise and—surprise surprise—sold millions of copies across consoles and PC. A 2015 remaster for PS4 and Xbox One sold another million copies. Yet mere millions weren't enough for Capcom, since DmC's total haul came in just under what Devil May Cry 4 had managed before this entire ordeal began. After giving the franchise a few years off, Capcom announced Devil May Cry 5 in 2018, returning the series to its original canon and bringing back a number of familiar faces, including original recipe Dante. The DmC universe and "Emo Dante," as so many had derisively called him, was officially dead. Well, "dead" might be too harsh: The so-called Definitive Edition of DmC remains available on all recent PlayStations and Xboxes as well as Steam, where it runs quite smoothly on the Steam Deck.

As a relative outsider to the series, I took this week's anniversary as an opportunity to give DmC an honest try and so far, I love what I see. The game eases players into its world of demons and angels, gradually introducing Dante's various abilities and explaining who he is and why he alone has such a knack for thrashing the forces of Hell. The combat feels fast and fluid with loads of options for knocking enemies away or drawing them in for another blow. And the guns—they're not very strong but there's a palpable thrill to tapping the fire button and stun-locking a monster mid-air while you walk towards its writhing body and close in for the kill.

If you loved Devil May Cry prior to 2010 and viewed DmC as an affront to everything you cared about, you have my condolences. The existence of Devil May Cry 5 proves you have nothing to worry about though; "old" Dante is here to stay and the rebooted version cannot hurt you anymore. But if you played and enjoyed DmC on its own terms, the news is less good, as both Ninja Theory and Capcom have clearly moved on to other projects.

The lessons we can take away from the saga of DmC are twofold. First, the decision to "explore a new direction for Devil May Cry" absolutely drew more eyeballs to both the reboot and the series as a whole. In that regard, DmC performed its role beautifully, whether the fans liked it or not. Second, just because your own creation doesn't get as much attention as work made by someone else, that's not a sign telling you to drop everything and chase after someone else's fans; good advice for billion-dollar corporations and independent creative folks alike.

Diamond Feit lives in Osaka, Japan but is forever online, sharing idle thoughts about video games, films, and dessert.