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For some, Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition’s most attractive feature will most likely be the option to play as the original DMC3 antagonist; Dante’s twin brother Vergil. This may even be the game’s main selling point for some, and rightfully so. Vergil is not simply a mere reskin of Dante but rather a unique, and in some regards, superior character. As one would expect after battling this relentless foe during the original DMC3, Vergil has his own style (dubbed Darkslayer), his own exclusive Devil Triggers, even his own weapons. Vergil’s trademark katana, the Yamato, is his archetype weapon but right off the bat he also has access to the Beowulf gauntlets and the Force Edge (which he can dual-wield with the Yamato), thus creating a completely original moveset from that of Dante. These three weapons can be cycled through on the fly, similarly to how Dante played, barring one very significant aspect that arguably makes Vergil the superior brother. While Dante was able to cycle through two melee weapons at once, Vergil can cycle through all three, giving him the opportunity to stretch Devil May Cry 3’s branded custom combo system to a ridiculously deep extent.

Vergil carries no firearms, but this doesn’t stop him from wielding his own unique ranged weapon. When unleashing a ranged attack, Vergil manifests an ethereal sword and propels it across the screen at its intended target. Multiple sword projectiles can be summoned and shot in rapid succession, recreating Dante’s barrage of pistol firepower, only with wraithlike blades instead. Red orbs can be spent to level-up Vergil’s sword projectiles’ rate of fire, and even the ability to manifest several swords at once and command them to form a deadly buzzsaw-like circle around his body.

The second major addition to Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition is the option to increase the gameplay speed to 120%. According to Hideaki Itsuno, a 120% speed increase was the fastest a person could play and still remain in complete control. He stated that if the game speed was ramped up any faster, players would not be able to manage the additional speed added when in demonized Devil Trigger form (which utilizes quicker attack and running speeds than its human counterpart). What this slight, yet somehow significant speed boost accomplishes is purely advancing the already insane nature of DMC3’s hectic game mechanics to new, unprecedented levels of chaos. I’d like to think it’s a nod to Treasure’s own “chaos-mentality” derived from classics like Gunstar and Guardian Heroes. By sheer statistics alone, the speed boost does sound rather insignificant, but when surrounded by five or six charging foes on Dante Must Die mode, bodies fly across the room at blinding speeds and combos get pulled off in mere milliseconds. And yes, this makes the more intricate, multi-weapon combos more difficult, but once you give Turbo mode a try, you’ll no doubt find the game’s original speed to feel sluggish, and ultimately inferior, by comparison.

The Special Edition ultimately comes off as a significantly deeper game than the original simply because of the near excessive amount of overall content. This is mainly due to the amalgamation of two entirely unique and complex playable characters, a profound fighting system set loose without confines in a proper survival mode, and the addition of new, supplementary options. But another aspect plays a noteworthy role despite its trivial nature. Every time you finish a previously unfinished game mode you unlock something new. DMC3:SE continually presents the player with an ongoing sense of progress; finishing the game for the first time truly comes off as merely scratching the surface. Completing normal mode takes a back seat to completing everything because it’s more accessible (and possible) now, but also because there’s simply reason to. Not only are new costumes thrown at you at a constant pace to keep your next run-through just slightly fresher that expected, but the costumes themselves actually ramp up in prestige with each progressive difficulty setting. For example, completing Vergil’s normal mode unlocks what is essentially his default costume sans his coat; nothing exceptional, but then again neither was the accomplishment. Completing Vergil’s hard mode, however, unlocks “Corrupt Vergil” a historic, sophisticated outfit not unlike Dante’s own Legendary Dark Knight costume. The kicker is the Devil Trigger for this costume is none other than Nelo Angelo, the vicious, corrupt knight from the first Devil May Cry, complete with a totally new moveset. Even still, the unlockables continue to escalate upon completion of the successive difficulties, only from here on out, these aren’t mere unlockables, these are rewards. Completing the “new” very hard mode (more on that later) unlocks the previously definitive unlockable from the past games: Super Dante/Vergil. These are, at first sight, similar versions of their initial counterparts, yet they possess one notable difference; infinite Devil Trigger. So where could it possibly go from there? Upon completion of the infamous Dante/Vergil Must Die modes, you are granted control of a walking god; infinite DT versions of Corrupt Vergil or LDK Dante, depending on which brother you chose to accomplish this impressive feat with. For those not in the know, this essentially grants you control over a proper playable Sparda or Nelo Angelo which, believe it or not, are even more powerful than their Super Dante/Vergil equivalents. It’s Capcom’s own way of saying, ‘you just completed one of the most difficult tasks in contemporary gaming. Here’s your reward.’ If that’s not fan service, I don’t know what is.

But the fan service doesn’t stop there. Players finally get the chance to beat the hell out of Jester, something the fans were left wanting, but never got out of the original DMC3. Furthermore, as each cutscene is unveiled, they are added to a new feature called the Demo Digest, which lets you view all the game’s insanely over the top, yet borderline absurd cutscenes in succession. Admittedly, it’s not much of an extra compared to some of the aforementioned, but watching all DMC3’s cutscenes in sequence is definitely an experience. In addition, Special Edition contains some minor tweaks thrown in for good measure. For example, the Dullahan enemy no longer aimlessly drifts about like the mere destructible obstacle it was in DMC3. Now, it ruthlessly chases you, and has become a more formidable foe that just the fodder it was in the original. The game’s load times have also been slightly improved, although they’re still relatively time-consuming for a game this late in the current-gen timeline.

It should be noted that while all the high-end difficulty of last year’s Devil May Cry is retained, the game is an overall easier package due to the inclusion of a new, easier mode and a new, easier (albeit optional) continue system. This, however, is only true if your experience with DMC3 was via an American copy. Conversely, for those who played the Japanese version, the Special Edition has a new, very hard mode and a new, optional, more difficult continue system. Sounds confusing? Well, it is…Kind of. The thing is, DMC3:SE has adopted the Japanese difficulty settings. I.E:. America’s easy was Japan’s normal and America’s normal was Japan’s hard. Japan never had a very hard difficulty which is now introduced in the Special Edition. However, this new very hard difficulty was actually available in American copies; it was just masquerading as “hard mode”. The continue system has been expanded to include both countries’ systems. At the start of a new game, you may opt for Japan’s super forgiving Gold Orb system which implements both infinite continues that restart you at the last door you came through as well as purchasable gold orbs which revive you on the spot; or you may choose America’s more challenging, yet infinitely more enjoyable Yellow Orb system comprised of only purchasable orbs that restart you at the last segment before you died. While the inclusion of a new harder difficulty, as opposed to a new easier difficulty, would have been more ideal for the American audience, ask yourself: what could possibly be more legitimately challenging than the game’s own Dante Must Die mode?

An issue that the Devil May Cry series has always struggled with was its own camera. In place of a generic, behind the back “follow cam", the series has always opted for a more artistic camera that is made up of pseudo-static angles mixed with occasional tracking shots. The aforementioned generic camera is no doubt less problematic, but as I stated in my original Devil May Cry review, it would have detracted from the experience. Devil May Cry is all about style, and distancing any aspect of the game from this mentality, even something as trivial as the camera, would be damning. Here, a trade-off was obviously made; style over substance. In my mind, it was no doubt the correct decision, even though it’s virtually impossible to play through Devil May Cry 3 and not struggle with the camera at least once. Although I must admit that I’m disappointed to not see some form of improved camera system, at the very least providing you with the option to always utilize the right analog stick (in DMC3, the right stick controlled the camera, but only in specific environments). But unfortunately, the camera remains the same, and perhaps the only aspect of Devil May Cry 3 that was not improved in one way or another.

And lastly, the only tangible thing missing from DMC3:SE is Dante. Before you click send on that eloquently worded hatemail explaining that Dante is still playable (for the record: he is, of course), hear me out. In the original DMC3, you would duel Vergil several times throughout the course of the game. Conversely, while going through the Special Edition as Vergil, one would naturally expect these boss fights to have you squaring off against Dante. Instead, they still have you pitted against Vergil. The odd thing is that his model was re-skinned with a red coat to make it look like it was Dante, despite this clone (or “Vante” as he has been dubbed by the DMC fan base) retaining Vergil’s Yamato and moveset. It’s a simultaneously annoying and baffling aspect of the game that simply has no real solution apart from creating a Dante enemy AI from scratch. Is that too much to ask? Perhaps. In this reviewer’s eyes, however; perhaps not.

According to Hideaki Itsuno, Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition was virtually the game the developers wanted DMC3 to be initially, but were forced to cut back due to time restraints. Envisioning the end result of SE in place of the original DMC3’s release is astonishing. Avoiding the ‘what could have been’ debate, at least we now have this seamless revision. It may be a year late, but it’s definitely still appreciated. Sure, Special Edition has a few inconsistencies and a few loose ends that probably should have been tied up, but they are ridiculously insignificant compared to the game’s remaining content. From a hardcore gamer’s perspective, which is this site’s intention, it would be utter blasphemy to grant Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition with anything less than instant classic status. This is the epitome of gameplay implementation in its purest form.

Rating	The rating scale in detail
8.5	+/- An odd grouping of slightly above average models combined with a handful of jaw-dropingly gorgeous environments thrown in randomly throughout the adventure. ++ Meticulously detailed textures. ++ While it’s sometimes hard to notice because of the game’s particularly fast pace, the animation is exceptionally fluid.
8.4	+ Excellent sound effects and voice acting. +/- The gothic/metal hybrid soundtrack is hit or miss. The main theme is excellently orchestrated, though it’s heard far too infrequently.
9.6	++ A printout of the code that makes up DMC3’s fighting engine can be found hanging on a wall of the Metropolitan, right between a Rembrandt and a Cézanne. - Despite its style, the camera is a burden and ultimately hinders gameplay.
9.0	++ The same exceptionally stylish chaos that the DMC series has become know for; a virtual orchestra of onscreen combat. There’s much love in this violence. + While it may have been accomplished better in the original DMC, the gothic atmosphere is outstanding. + Excellent character development and design. - The absurdity of a few of the game’s cutscenes drops the score down a notch (the scene where Dante acquires the Nevan weapon is a train wreck).
9.7	++ An insane amount of content for a straight up action title. ++ Thinking up new combos and implementing them in a full-fledged game or simply in the Bloody Palace is always a rush. ++ Two playable characters who are still individually deeper from a gameplay standpoint than most contemporary games containing a singular hero. - Despite being a relatively insignificant issue, I would like to have seen fewer repeating environments.
9.4	Simply put, Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition is a superior version of one of the best action games of this generation.