Devil May Cry

Much like Onimusha: Warlords before it, Devil May Cry preserves all the things that made it great in 2001, while systematically crystallising all of its faults. It's a shame it wasn't given the remake treatment gifted to Resident Evil and Resident Evil Zero – or even have some form of 'remastering' to optimise it for Nintendo Switch – but for fans of the series who hold fond memories of slaying demons and attaining that elusive 'S' rank, you can now enjoy Dante's inaugural adventure in handheld form.

Devil May Cry harkens back to simpler times, offering fun hack and slash action that you don’t need to take too seriously. Capcom treats us to some very cool environments as we wander across the spooky Mallet Island, smashing through some excellently designed enemies along the way, and what gets in the way can mostly be put down to inexperience on the developers’ part. The fixed camera angles that served them so well in the past are a real pain this time around, and the slow and deliberate menu system detracts from the fluid pace they were going for. This debut entry offers a fun peek back at the origins of a popular franchise; it might be fun for fans of the modern entries or videogame historians, but the average man in the street probably isn’t missing out by not revisiting it in 2025.

Fill in the masterpiece and the unique.

Like many ports of some of the big games from the past two console generations, the appeal of Devil May Cry is that it's now available in portable form. There's nothing new here to tempt older fans otherwise, but what they'll find here is familiar. The switching of aspect ratios is odd, and the fixed camera angles and more puzzle-oriented focus will throw off some people, but for everyone who hasn't done so before, this is still a solid action game that's worth checking out.

For the title that essentially originated the modern hack 'n' slash genre, Devil May Cry holds up tremendously well.

Being able to button mash my way through different portions, had me tense like I was fighting for my life, trying to get through hoards of these creatures. While difficulty may have been somewhat unbalanced, the game was so much fun to dive back into. It was wary about going into the very first title in the series almost two decades later, but it’s epic plot, amazing cast of characters, it’s incredible lead, and no doubt it’s fun in exploration just makes this game a classic that every gamer should experience. Devil May Cry, is timeless.

Devil May Cry for Nintendo Switch is a cult action game with great style, deep atmosphere and a fascinating adventure elements. Even after 18 years it is good to play. So it's really a shame that Capcom has not fixed all the problems with bugs and sell the game with a high price and without DMC 2 and DMC 3. Outdated PS2-graphics in HD looks tolerable in portable format, built-in achievements is nice addition, but until the publisher does not reduce the cost at least twice, it is better to spend money on something else.

"Young Dante is the star of an old game."

Devil May Cry was the pioneer for character action games and despite being released 18 years ago, it still manages to stand tall among more contemporary counterparts. It certainly shows its age, most specifically in the dated platforming and at times jarring camera changes. Yet, when it comes down to pulling off combos and looking cool as hell, it hits the mark, still feeling fresh all these years later.

Devil May Cry is an action-packed masterpiece that mostly stands the test of time. Now that you can play it on-the-go, fans and newcomers alike should definitely check it out.