Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition (NSP, XCI) ROM + v1.0.1 Update

Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition takes players on a journey before the events of the original game, where Dante confronts his twin brother, Vergil, who aims to unlock a portal to the demonic realm, and Dante holds the key. With the addition of selectable combat styles like Swordmaster and Gunslinger. This action-packed classic adds a new level of strategy to the stylish gameplay that the series is famous for. This edition of Devil May Cry 3 includes all of the Special Edition content, which lets players experience the game as Vergil, as well as exclusive bonus features available only on the Nintendo Switch. Set before the original Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition follows Dante’s journey as he battles his evil twin brother in a final confrontation. Along the way, you’ll encounter both formidable foes and unusual characters. When attacking, you can choose to use short-range, long-range, defensive, or evasive play styles. Each system has its own set of gameplay features, and you can choose to power up your favorite style for increased special attack abilities. The Special Edition adds the ability to play as Dante’s nemesis Virgil and a survival game mode.

GAMEPLAY

The gameplay in Devil May Cry 3 consists of levels, and missions, in which players battle enemies, carry out platforming tasks, and solve puzzles to progress through the story. The player’s performance in each mission is graded from D through C, B, and A, with top marks of S and SS. Grades are based on the time taken to complete a mission, the number of red orbs (currency obtained from defeated enemies) gathered, “stylish” combat, item usage, and damage received. The game tracks stylish combat by an on-screen gauge, which is the performance of a series of attacks (“combos”) while avoiding damage. The longer a player attacks without repetition and evades damage, the higher the score. The gauge registers “Dope” after a few attacks, progressing through “Crazy”, “Blast”, “Alright”, “Sweet”, and “SShowtime” to peak at “Stylish”. If Dante receives damage, the style rating falls; if the gauge is “Crazy” or below, it will reset. Devil May Cry 3’s battle system allows a player to link attacks, with each weapon having a set number of attacks.

Devil Trigger is a mechanic which enables the player’s character to assume a demonic form. This alters the character’s appearance, increases attack and defense, restores health, and enables special attacks. This is a departure from the previous titles, where Dante draws power from weapons and items he procures throughout the game. The Devil Trigger state lasts as long as there is energy in the Devil Trigger gauge; the gauge rises by attacking or taunting enemies in normal mode and falls when using the Devil Trigger transformation or other abilities using Devil Trigger power. The Devil Trigger mode is not available to Dante until one-third of the way through the game, while Vergil, playable in the special edition, has the ability at the outset. The other major difference from previous Devil May Cry games is Devil May Cry 3’s combat system, which allows a player to choose one of Dante’s four combat styles; each style has a different focus and techniques.

Dante can switch between all four equipped weapons (two guns, two melees) on the fly, allowing for far greater combat freedom and variety than in previous Devil May Cry games. Style selection is available at checkpoints and the beginning of each level. The styles are “Trickster”, for dodging and agility; “Swordmaster”, with abilities for swords and other weapons; “Gunslinger”, with firearms techniques; and “Royal Guard”, which allows a player to repel attacks with a button press (storing energy for retaliation). Later in the game, two additional styles become unlocked: “Quicksilver”, slowing enemies, while the character attacks at normal speed; and “Doppelgänger”, which creates a shadow double who fights alongside Dante.

A second player may control the shadow double by pressing “Start” on a second controller. A two-player mode, similar to the Doppelgänger style, is accessible while Dante and Vergil battle Arkham. In the special edition, Vergil has another style, “Dark Slayer”, which is similar to Trickster. The Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition version of the game makes some changes to the gameplay. Along with making Vergil a playable character, other changes included an additional survival mode called “Bloody Palace” (which originally appeared in the second game) with 9,999 levels; a Jester fight early in the game, with optional fights later; a “Turbo Mode”, increasing game speed by 20 percent; an easier GOLD mode “continue” feature, allowing a player to revive a character or restart a lost fight, and rebalanced difficulty levels.

Vergil’s gameplay differed from Dante’s; although Dante was weaker than Vergil in terms of skills and combos, he was easier to control. Because of the game’s space limitations, not all of Vergil’s moves were included in the special edition. Vergil has one style, “Dark Slayer” (similar to Dante’s “Trickster” style), with evasive maneuvers that can be leveled up twice like Dante’s four styles. He has three weapons: a katana known as Yamato, Beowulf gauntlets and greaves, and the Force Edge broadsword. Vergil has two ranges of attack: “Summoned Swords” (creating magical swords for a variety of effects) and “Judgment Cut” (creating spheres of force). The new boss is Jester, a character encountered several times in first-edition cutscenes but not fought. In Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition, he is a boss who may be fought three times. The Nintendo Switch version of Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition added the ability to switch between styles at any point during combat.

PLOT

Devil May Cry 3 starts with Dante’s yet-unnamed shop in the early 1990s. A mysterious man, Arkham, arrives with an invitation from Dante’s brother Vergil in the form of a demonic attack. After Dante defeats a group of demons, a huge tower erupts from the ground nearby, eclipsing the sprawling city of Angels (Los Angeles) surrounding it. Sensing that Vergil is on top of the structure, Dante interprets this as a challenge. He begins fighting more demons during his journey, some of which become his weapons once defeated. Dante is attacked by a woman on a motorcycle who turns out to be Mary, Arkham’s daughter, who wants revenge on her father for causing her mother’s death.] It is revealed that Arkham works for Vergil; they plan to take Dante’s half of their mother’s amulet and use its power on the tower to connect the human and demonic worlds.

After several battles and an encounter with a being named Jester, Dante reaches the tower’s summit and battles Vergil. Vergil defeats Dante by stabbing him with his sword, Rebellion, steals his amulet and leaves. Dante’s blood releases a seal on Rebellion, causing Dante’s dormant demonic powers to emerge, and he sets out in pursuit, only to be swallowed by a giant whale-like demon. After escaping from the beast, Dante catches Vergil in a control room in the tower’s basement, where Vergil cannot reactivate the tower. The brothers fight again until they are interrupted by Mary and Jester. Jester reveals himself to be Arkham, who has manipulated them all to reactivate the tower to reach the demonic world. There he plans to steal the Force Edge, the dormant form of Sparda’s sword with his power, using it to rule a demon-infested Earth. The tower transforms as the spell is broken; Arkham is carried to the summit, and Vergil disappears in the confusion.

Dante battles his way back up the tower, fighting Mary for the right to pursue Arkham. He is victorious, and Mary lends him her most powerful weapon. Reaching the summit, Dante crosses to the demonic world and catches Arkham, who has by now assumed Sparda’s demonic form. Overwhelmed by power, Arkham transforms into a blob-like creature and attacks Dante. During their fight, Vergil reappears, and the brothers work together to expel Arkham from the demonic world. Weakened, Arkham lands on the tower where Mary finds him. She renounces her name and calls herself Lady, a nickname given to her by Dante because she refused to tell him her name, before killing him. In the demonic world, Dante and Vergil fight for ownership of the Force Edge and the amulet halves. After Vergil’s defeat, he remains as the portal closes, vanishing with his half of the amulet. Dante meets Lady outside the tower. They become friends and begin a partnership as demon slayers; Dante ends up naming his shop “Devil May Cry”. A scene after the credits shows Vergil in the demonic world, weak but determined, as he charges into battle against his father’s old foe Mundus.