A profoundly misunderstood classic that manages to impresses when stacked up against other games of the time, and effortlessly clears most modern attempts at being a satisfying action game. Even beyond the innovation on display (nobody was doing it like Capcom back in the late 90's/early 2000's) I'm consistently swept off my feet at how enjoyable this game is, even after around 8 personal playthroughs and 21(!) years of further innovation and inspiration in the medium. Dante may be a tad heftier than your modern action protag, but it has the side-effect of forcing you to constantly stay glued to encounters in a way I haven't really seen before. You must consider every step you take and every action you make, it's electrifying. I don't have any ill will towards Itsuno for reinventing the series like he did --who wouldn't after being tasked with scraping together the scattered remains of the last title and still having it come out like crap-- but there's still something here that later entries still have yet to recapture for me. It may not have the glitz and glamor of it's many sequels, but what you get instead is one of the most well considered, tightly paced, and highly rewarding gaming experiences out there.

Reviewed on Jun 07, 2022


10 Comments


1 year ago

Sexy baby
So real
need more dmc1 lovers in this world

1 year ago

It’s one of my personal favorites, I love when dmc1 gets love! Really unique vibes on this game, there’s truly nothing like it

1 year ago

@poyfuh 🤝

1 year ago

Godlike game. More people need to see the light.

1 year ago

@JetSetSet DMC1 fills my dark soul with light

1 year ago

I think the best thing about this game compared to the sequels is how paired back it is. A super expressive system like DMC gives the designers the ability to go ham and add stuff that exists for the sake of just being cool to do and fun to learn how to apply in combat. Even so, there's something to be said about the way this game contextualizes it's more limited moveset by putting you in scenarios where everything matters. Ironically, this allows the game to feel much more varied than the sequels at times. In dmc5, you'd only ever use Round Trip because it's cool and fun on its own. That has its own value, but in dmc1 it can completely turn a battle to your favor if applied correctly.

1 year ago

Also you should really play the PS2 version of this game if you haven't, the lack of the smooth motion blur on certain attacks makes the game feel jank as hell in the HD version, not to mention the loss in atmosphere.

1 year ago

thank you for this fr. think more ppl need to experience dante must die. prolly still kamiyas best hard mode imo.