Devil May Cry as a series offers a wide array of experiences within the style-centered hack-and-slash action genre, but what was never quite captured again was the intimate, gothic demon hunter, Dante, of the first game in the series.
Of course, playing as Dante in other games the player similarily hunts demons. Where DMC1 truly hones the sense of being a demon hunter is the necessity of learning how to attack specific demons. The players knowledge about the patterns and weaknesses of demons is just as important as the weapons themselves. Along side the limited resources and confines of the gothic castle on Mallet Island, Dante (the player) must display his “demon hunter knowledge” to successfully navigate the reoccurring enemies and bosses. Within the game’s menu, Dante even keeps a journal that updates as the player has certain interactions with enemies.
Some enemies like Nightmare require strategies that are counter to mindless hack-and-slash action. His cores must be hit, but they weaken with the number of strikes received rather than the amount of damage dealt; breaking a core makes the boss more difficult, so the player must note each attack should be as powerful as possible to reduce the number of hits.
Overall, the difficulty of the first DMC game is not reliant on a weak main character or unfair power-scaling but the competency of the player; if you’re playing a demon hunter, you’d best think like one!
