'Devil May Cry', A Look Back On the Franchise

With Devil May Cry 5 receiving so many incredible reviews with many claiming that "Capcom is back" in a big way, there might be some newcomers coming into the franchise rife with demons and family strife. For those looking to catch up on the long history of Dante and co., this small guide will help you get the most out of your DMC journey!

The original Devil May Cry made its debut back in 2001 and centered around Dante and his trials against Mundus, the Prince of Darkness. Since Dante is the Son of Sparda, this character housed some serious demonic power which aided him in his war against the evil hordes looking to conquer.

The gothic style of the first game made it an instant hit and players were intrigued when they met other characters, including Dante's win Vergil and Tris -- a demon that took on the guise of Dante's human mother.

From there, Devil May Cry 2 arrived a year later, though the decision to have Dante accompanied by Lucia was met with mixed reception. Lucia was a key m ember in a guardian clan with additional demonic powers to bring to the mix. Between the two of them, they were able to take down Arius - a manic businessman housing the demonic presence of Argosax the Chaos.

Devil May Cry 3 then arrived in 2005 with Dante's Awakening. This time, the focus was primarily on Dante and the tension between him and his twin Vergil and set 10 years before the events seen in the first game of the series. For an edge against his brother, Vergil decided to partner up with a scholar of demonology, Arkham, a character that murdered his own wife. From there, Vergil brought back a tower that held Sparda's power, the tower of Temen-ni-gru.

As one would expect, Arkham betrayed Vergil in a power bid for Sparda's offering. This caused Vergil and Dante to team up with the addition of Lady and ultimately ended in the defeat of the mad scholar. The ending resulted in seeing Vergil go head-to-head against Mundus before Devil May Cry 4 put us in the shoes of Nero, the main character of the most recent entry with Devil May Cry 5.

The fourth game made its debut in 2008 and gave us Nero. Nero is Holy Knight in the Order of the Sword and his tale began directly after the events in Devil May Cry 2. Taking place in Fortuna, we see Dante Killing Sanctus before Nero's very eyes, which activated hidden powers kept within Nero. When the twist was revealed about Nero's order, Nero was then taken captive by Sanctus and held captive by a massive weapon of Sparda, though Dante eventually came to his rescue in order to defeat Sanctus.

And that's where we are now - Devil May Cry 5, a game set after the events of 4, bringing Nero once more back into the spotlight alongside a colorful cast of characters to save Dante and the world once more.

Devil May Cry 5 is available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

"With no spoilers, the story is also one of the better ones seen in the franchise to date. The pacing is intense so that even those that aren't necessarily fans of the traditional style of combat won't be left behind. The familiar nods to previous games is also apparent throughout the title's progression and the heavy metal soundtrack only adds to the pure glory that Devil May Cry 5 brings to the table," reads a snippet from our full review.

"Overall, the latest entry is one of the best games yet from the series. It has the music, the cinematic drama, the addictive combat, the personal flair, and characters that you will just genuinely love. It's safe to say that Devil May Cry 5 definitely delivers on its promise to be loyal to fans while still providing an entirely new experience at the same time."

Sound off in the comments below about what you think of the series as a whole, or hit me up over on Twitter @DirtyEffinHippy!

-----

Have you subscribed to ComicBook Nation, the official Podcast of ComicBook.com yet? Check it out by clicking here or listen below.

In this latest episode, we talk Arrow coming to an end, new Avengers: Endgame footage shown, a HUGE Captain Marvel discussion & so much more! Make sure to subscribe now and never miss an episode!