The hack-and-slash genre owes much to Devil May Cry. Although it wasn't the first game of its kind, the 2001 PS2 classic from Capcom is credited for creating the stylish action, or character action, subgenre. It nailed many details right away, and its appealing characters and setting marked the start of a beloved franchise. A Devil May Cry 2 was quickly put into development, and in the two decades since then, Devil May Cry has spawned a successful game series and several imitators that are massively popular in their own right. With Devil May Cry 5 being considered by its fans to be one of the best action games ever, Devil May Cry stands as a hallmark of excellent video game design.
It wasn't always like that, however. On January 25th, 2003, the aforementioned sequel came out. Devil May Cry 2 featured three distinct playable characters and two campaigns spread across two discs. It had set out to surpass Devil May Cry 1 in every way, and while DMC2 was certainly bigger, no member of the community would call it better. The game was an unmitigated disaster, lacking everything that made the first game so appealing. Fortunately, this didn't kill the series, and the existence of a terrible Devil May Cry 2 has helped DMC and the action genre as a whole grow.
Devil May Cry 2 Is A Mixed Bag
One of its biggest positives is that Devil May Cry 2 had good presentation for its time. The designs of its protagonists Dante and Lucia both hold up, and many point to this Dante outfit as their favorite. Most of DMC2's graphics compare well to DMC1's, carrying forward the dark atmosphere with interesting splashes of color. Its music is also fondly remembered, at least for those who bothered to go back and listen to it. Devil May Cry 2 carried on the lesson of important presentation that DMC1 had taught, though unfortunately it hadn't learned anything else.
For one, the story and writing just didn't work. Dante is at his most brooding in this title, even compared to the notoriously edgy DmC: Devil May Cry reboot. He barely speaks throughout the game's runtime, and only has a couple memorable lines right at the end. In addition, it's not clear why Dante is even present, unlike in every other title where his involvement is immediately justified. The only way to make the plot come together is to play through Lucia's campaign, and she feels like a less charismatic retread of the first game's Trish. Stylish action fans are usually adamant that a mediocre story is the least of a game's problems, but as the recent Bayonetta 3 has shown, even they have their breaking point.
Devil May Cry 2 Is A Showcase In Poor Combat Design
Unfortunately, DMC2's story really was the least of its problems. Its opening minutes can be enjoyable, as each character starts with their full moveset, only missing a few ranged weapons and Amulets for their Devil Trigger. The addition of an evasion button that enables running up walls is interesting, and sets the stage for future combat maneuvers. Even so, any goodwill the game builds falls apart when combat starts. Out of the whole series, DMC2 is the only entry where combos are determined by holding a direction at certain intervals instead of delaying button presses, leading to frequent misinputs. The camera and lock-on are also so stiff that they can make normal fights harder than they should be. With the most punishing style-grading system in the franchise, players will feel opposed by DMC2 at every step.
That's not even getting into the worst issues, which can be summarized as Devil May Cry 2 being too easy. Guns and other ranged weapons are simply better than everything else. They stun, launch, and juggle common foes, as well as whittle down bosses from a safe distance. Enemy AI is awful, struggling to hit a slow-moving player throughout the game. The fact that all new melee weapons and weapon upgrades only increase damage, while their equivalents in DMC1 added new moves, just adds insult to injury. The cherry on top is Dante's Desperation Devil Trigger, a low health-only technique that renders him fully invincible and capable of shredding any enemy. From all of these mistakes, two vital lessons emerged: action games must offer mechanical progression, and a challenge to match it.
What Devil May Cry 2 Gave To Future Games
Devil May Cry 2 was the product of an inexperienced arcade development team being assigned a 3D project that lived or died in its finer details. When it became clear internally that DMC2 was a disaster, the rising star director Hideaki Itsuno was tapped to salvage the project. Despite only spending six months on the game, he was the only credited director, leaving a mark of shame that led to Devil May Cry 3 receiving his full attention. Ironically, Devil May Cry 2 is the game to thank for how great Devil May Cry 3, 4, and 5 became under Itsuno's watch. Many other games likely benefited from such a high-profile failure, giving them a template for what not to do.
To its credit, some things from Devil May Cry 2 did stick around. Improved movement abilities and gun tricks became Trickster and Gunslinger Styles in future titles. The gun-switching button became a regular feature, and grew to encompass the player's entire armory by DMC5. Most aren't aware of this, but modern action games also owe DMC2 for introducing the iconic Bloody Palace gauntlet mode.
Many players also might not know that Trish's appearances in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition were directly inspired by DMC2. Trish inherited her moveset from DMC1 Dante, which changed fights significantly and was a lot of fun. Finally, the Desperation Devil Trigger came back in DMC5 as Sin Devil Trigger, proving that there is still a place in the skill-oriented stylish action genre for flashy screen-clearing attacks. It's still not worth playing as anything more than satisfying curiosity, but Devil May Cry 2 ended up being good for its franchise and genre in the end.
Devil May Cry 2 is available on PC, PS2, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.