{"id":25645,"date":"2026-08-17T23:00:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T04:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/retromaggedon.com\/?page_id=25645"},"modified":"2026-08-17T23:00:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T04:00:23","slug":"devil-may-cry-ps2-review","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/retromaggedon.com\/index.php\/devil-may-cry-ps2-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Devil May Cry (PS2) Review"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Devil May Cry (PlayStation 2) Review<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Devil May Cry Home Page<\/a><\/td>PS2 Game Catalog<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I should have been the one to fill your dark soul with liiiiight!!!!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

~by tankMage (August 2026)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Score: 90\/100 (Excellent)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devil May Cry was quite a sensation when it was released in the second half of 2001. With fast paced action, upgradeable skills, modern (for the time) graphics, and difficulty levels that added a lot of replay value, DMC gave gamers a lot to talk about. Dante, a demon-human hybrid, was the sort of ultra-cool hero that was just right for the 2000s. All in all, it was the perfect formula for a hit video game as well as a great selling point for the PlayStation 2, which was still early in its lifespan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is often said that Devil May Cry started life as a Resident Evil title, but was transformed into its own franchise late in development. While I couldn’t find details aside from the director (Hideki Kimiya) stating that the game evolved into its own thing as they developed it, it’s pretty clear DMC started life as something else. Anyone who has played a Resident Evil game from the 1990s or early 2000s will recognize the series’ signature style in many aspects of Devil May Cry. At the same time, many new elements are layered over the classic RE model, which makes the atmosphere feel like a mishmash of ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devil May Cry can be a lot of fun, but it’s also really rough around the edges. The controls are very clunky (there’s that Resident Evil DNA for you) in combat. A lot of the visuals used in menus feel very rough and often don’t match the rest of the graphics. Capcom also reused a lot of bosses and areas in a ploy to make the game longer… gotta love that pading. Oh, the the voice acting is cheesy as it gets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have admit that I kind of love all of DMC’s flaws. Sure, it may give players hand cramps and there’s something almost amateurish about the way the game is presented. But it’s also brilliant at times and shines with enthusiasm. In a world where games are so polished they lack soul, Devil May Cry is a relic of an industry that was still blossoming and experimental ideas were still embraced.<\/p>\n\n\n

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This is Sparda!!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Players are greeted with a rather silly opening monologue which tells the story of a good demon named Sparda who ruled the underworld with justice. I had to take a few minutes to wrap my head around that one, though I will say it’s an original concept. Soon we meet Dante, a demon hunter who owns an office called (you guessed it) Devil May Cry. I suppose the name is a play on “Devil May Care”. It’s certainly catchy, but it doesn’t make sense. Maybe Dante figures he can possibly make the Devil cry?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless, a scantily clad woman named Trish plows into Dante’s office with a motorcycle, then proceeds to try to kill him. Dante doesn’t die easy, so she hires him to investigate a creepy castle on Mallet Island. Trish ditches Dante almost right away when they arrive at the castle, so our main man has to explore the place alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plot goes pretty much as you would expect. Dante wanders around Mallet Island, slaying various demons. He also uncovers some secrets of his past on the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plot drags a lot until the final few acts where things really heat up. The slow story progression would hurt some games, but Devil May Cry does such a good job at setting the stage in the beginning and delivering the payoff at the end that I don’t see how it would have worked any other way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The presentation is also very campy. Yet these things are what make DMC so special. The people who created the game took risks and they paid off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s also worth noting that Devil May Cry is strongly influenced by Dante’s Inferno, though this shouldn’t be surprising what with the protagonist being named after the famous poem. One would think they laid the allusions to Dante’s Inferno on pretty thick, but there isn’t a ton of overlap and the game is very much its own thing.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Dante has a really strange way of acquiring new weapons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Not bad looking for an early PS2 title!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s an old clich\u00e9 that developers often needed a few years to get good at making graphics for new consoles. Devil May Cry is a good example of that rough look that many early PS2 titles had, yet it’s still very detailed and nice looking in many ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dante explores some really ornate areas in the castle and its surroundings. Even in 2026 I was impressed by some of the scenery. A lot of imagination went into this game and it shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Capcom also did a really good job of designing and animating Dante and many of the castle’s denizens. Sure, Devil May Cry can’t compete with later PS2 games, but it sure can hold its own against its contemporaries when it comes to character design and animation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The graphics were so good, Capcom decided to recycle them quite a bit. Dante backtracks a lot throughout his adventure and even visits a mirror world, which is basically just a repurposed section of the castle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also have to say some of the bosses looked pretty bad, particularly Griffin, who looked like a giant chicken blob. They also reused a lot of bosses in rematches, then went a step further and put old bosses in another boss fight. This is pretty standard behavior for Capcom. If you’ve ever played a Mega Man game, you know how much they love boss rematches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dante Must Die<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devil May Cry’s gameplay feels like a strange fusion of Onimusha and a Resident Evil game. Combat is the main focus with evil creatures nipping at Dante’s heels in almost every area, however, there are few simple puzzles and item hunts sprinkled in for variety. Combat feels good, Dante can combo with melee weapons, blast away with guns, and easily switch between weapons. At the same time, enemies have to be handled with care, because even weak creatures hit hard on Normal Difficulty and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boss fights are tough from the get-go. The first boss, a giant lava spider named Phantom, can easily steamroll new players and they only get tougher from there. While the bosses are often reused, they also return with new tricks that make them a bit more interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Players can buy restorative items and new skills with Red Orbs dropped by enemies at various points in the game. Items are really valuable to the point of being over powered in lower difficulties. Dante can buy Holy Water that damages everything (including bosses), an item that makes him briefly invincible, and even health upgrades at the shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skills are tied to the two melee weapons Dante finds. One is a blade called Alastor and the other is a pair of claws named Ifrit. Both weapons are fun to use and feel unique thanks to their movesets.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Speaking of weapons, Dante also gets a few ranged weapons. He starts with a pair of handguns called Ebony & Ivory, which actually remain fairly useful throughout the game, and finds several other ranged weapons like the shotgun. Maybe it’s just the way I play, but I find myself relying on the guns a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dante’s coolest gimmick is his Devil Trigger, which allows him to briefly turn into a demon. He hits extra hard, moves faster, regenerates health, and gains access to special skills in demon form. The type of demon he turns into varies with his weapon, which was a nice touch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I said earlier, the gameplay can be fairly challenging even on Normal Difficulty and it only gets more brutal from there. Dante Must Die (the highest difficulty) is notorious for being unforgiving. One of the most brilliant aspects of Dante Must Die is how the devs made it harder by giving certain foes their own Devil Triggers rather than simply increasing their health and damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite being notoriously punishing, Devil May Cry is actually easy to cheese on most difficulties, including Hard Mode. Players willing to grind the Red Orbs that serve as cash can buy loads of the useful items I mentioned earlier and use them to brute force their way through the game. That said, DMC scores players on their time at the end of each mission and gives them a Red Orb prize based on their score, so new players will likely feel pressured to rush instead of grinding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the most part, the game flows very well and its strengths make it fun to play. It’s mission based setup gives players clear goals, which makes it feel very well realized. I only played through on Normal Difficulty, but I wanted to replay it right away after finishing it, which says a lot for the quality of the gameplay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2000s Techno and Cheesy Voice Acting<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe it’s just a matter of taste, but I think the music is kind of bad. It’s that clacky techno music that was considered super cool in the late 90s and early 2000s. To be fair, some of the techno from that era was truly great, but that’s not the case with DMC’s soundtrack. Maybe it’s because it doesn’t mix well with the medieval castle setting or it just seems like the game was trying to be the Matrix. Either way, the soundtrack doesn’t work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, the ambient sound is great. When Dante first sets foot in the castle you can hear all sorts of creepy sounds as well as distant classical music. The sound effects are very good as well, particularly those used in combat, which give the action a lot of its gusto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, we gotta talk about the voice acting. It’s not good and I love it. In all fairness, it’s a few steps up from the office intern quality voice acting in many earlier Capcom games, but it’s still amateurish. Trish is probably the worst of the bunch with her flat line delivery, though Dante didn’t win any awards for his performance either. In fact, Dante’s actor is responsible for the now famous “I should have been the one to fill your dark soul with liiiiiiight!” line which had me cracking up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m beginning to wonder if Capcom were well aware of the buzz games like Resident Evil got for their acting and decided to play it up a bit. Capcom certainly had the money to hire more competent actors, even if they were fresh out of school, but why do that when you can pay some poor schmuck peanuts and have everyone talking about the funny lines in your games?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Either way, I really enjoy the acting. Sure, it’s bad; it’s also funny and makes the game more endearing. Being able to joke about terrible lines was part of the fun of being a gamer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Controls from Hell<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You know what sucks about this game? The controls. For some reason, Capcom came up with one of the strangest, most awkward control schemes and said “This is good!” Imagine pushing Triangle to jump, while mashing the Circle and Cross buttons AND having to hold R1 to target the enemy. It’s rough. It’s not so much that having to hold and tap so many buttons is a problem, it’s the way everything is positioned. Jumping with Triangle just feels weird. Triangle is generally one of the least used face buttons, yet this game requires you to jump and roll with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It took me about four missions to really get accustomed to the controls, but the game gets easier once you get a feel for them. Devil May Cry also deserves some praise for allowing players to switch between melee weapons with R3. It would have been nice if they did the same with the guns, but I guess that’s asking for a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Water, water everywhere…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a few areas where Dante has to travel underwater. The rules for underwater sections are really inconsistent. The first time Dante submerges, the game maintains its usual third-person view. Dante moves and fights normally while slowly losing health the first time he’s underwater. Skip ahead a few missions and the game switches to a first person view when Dante takes a dip. He doesn’t lose health nor can he attack until he finds a special weapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rules are really odd and I was a bit confused the second time Dante went swimming, because I thought he was slowly losing health when that wasn’t the case. Overall, water areas don’t really fit well into the game and it would have been nice if Capcom handled them differently. Switching perspectives worked OK in the days of 8-Bit games, but it doesn’t jive well on systems like the PS2. It’s also nice if the rules remain the same. Everything would have been fine if Dante had to swim around in and couldn’t use normal weapons in ALL of the underwater sequences. Why they didn’t do that is a bit of a mystery, but my guess is they came up with new ideas for water missions and didn’t have time to change the first water section they created, so they just left it as is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final Thoughts<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devil May Cry is a ton of fun if you like challenging action games, though I will say it’s fairly approachable on Normal and even Hard Mode. It’s rather rough presentation may work against it at times, yet it is also part of its charm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most fascinating aspects of this game is its legacy. DMC spawned a series and you can see its influence on games like God of War, which blatantly copied Onimusha as well. I’ll even go as far as to say this title may have had some influence over the Souls series, but that’s just a hunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you like campy, fast paced action, you’ll love Devil May Cry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You got to the end of my Devil May Cry review, thanks!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RetroMaggedon.com \u00a92026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Devil May Cry (PlayStation 2) Review Devil May Cry Home Page PS2 Game Catalog I should have been the one to fill your dark soul with liiiiight!!!! ~by tankMage (August 2026) Score: 90\/100 (Excellent) Devil May Cry was quite a sensation when it was released in the second half of 2001. With fast paced action, … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-25645","page","type-page","status-publish"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/retromaggedon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/retromaggedon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/retromaggedon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retromaggedon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retromaggedon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25645"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/retromaggedon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25645\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/retromaggedon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}