Another short little actually this and LiEat weren't made in RPG Maker but the similar Wolf RPG Engine RPG Maker experience with a surprising amount going for it! I played the original version of the game, not the 2020 remake on Steam, but it remained a really lovely experience!

Its visuals are quite good for one of these games. If you told me this was the remake's graphics, with its uniform art style and nice hand-drawn cut-ins and character portraits, it'd be totally believable (the remake is even a good step above this and looks really good looking). It greatly elevates the game's really unsettling vibes and left me rather creeped out at points. In general the game is really well put together, above many of its peers.

Despite a short length, the story told had just enough meat to it to keep me hooked onto it, with an ending that really caught me off guard and creeped me out. Various details about the mansion the game centers around are dropped throughout that change the way I reflected on earlier parts very effectively, adding to the permeating creepiness.

The gameplay itself is fairly standard, exploring the mansion filled with various puzzles to solve. Most of the puzzles were perfectly fine, though a couple rather contrived ones forced me to a guide and exclaim "how the fuck was I supposed to figure that out". I'm calling out the puzzle where I had to deliver an imprisoned lady's eyeballs ripped from her head by heading back upstairs, filling up a bucket I acquired previously in a courtyard pond, using it to douse the fireplace in another room, and dropping the eyeballs in a hole behind the fireplace that I am 95% sure does not logistically line up with where her cell was located beneath. But besides that and one or two other puzzles, no real issues!

The game doesn't leave anything behind that will keep me really thinking about it months from now, but it still provided a good, bitesized, creepy time! The fact I'd be willing to pay for the remake the re-experience it even more improved, which I couldn't even say for Ib--one of my favorites of the RPG Maker bunch--feels like a testament to the game's quality.

To put it simply, this game is perfection. Mechanics, movement, combos and weapons have never been blended into a game as well as Devil May Cry 3 has managed to accomplish. This game rewards the player who chooses to spend their time learning the in’s and out’s of this game thoroughly through gameplay.

The game has evolved the combat that was present in the original game to a new standard that can only make every subsequent sequel chase to replicate. The combat feels tight and responsive but not stiff and restrictive. The lock-on system present is perfect, you can change direction in your combo to a snap and the dedicated lock-on button compliments this perfectly. You will never run into the issue of doing a move you didn’t want to do or lock onto an enemy that you didn’t want to hit. The camera is also a big improvement from the original, it isn’t perfect by any means but is almost never a hindrance on gameplay as much as it was in the first game. Weapons are all unique and very fun to use and learn how to effectively use them. On subsequent playthroughs it is always fun to choose which weapons you will carry to optimally eliminate the enemies present in the mission with the elemental weakness system. Rebellion is a great all around tool that allows you to perform pretty much any action you would want from a melee weapon, Cerberus is a fun fast-paced weapon that shreds through enemies in 1 on 1 encounters; the swinging of the nunchucks also allows to protect yourself from projectiles if timed right, Agni and Rudra are a good heavy weapon that is great for tankier and slower enemies, Nevan is the perfect crowd control tool against fodder enemies that can thrown out to easily get SSS combos with Jam Session, Beowulf are very fun gauntlets that have slow startup on moves but can easily dish out the most damage in the game especially paired with jump canceling. The guns are also balanced here to be a keep away tool that can be used to dish out more damage while also not being too powerful to incentivise you to never use the melee weapons. On that note, jump canceling is a great tool that experienced players can use to always stay in the air and keep enemies in the air as a result and deal massive damage. The on the fly weapon switching is also perfected from Devil May Cry 2 and the mission structure, enemies and level design have been perfectly balanced to create a good balance of picking and choosing what weapons to take in while also giving you enough freedom to customize how you want to play each mission. The new style system is also the best thing the game added and creates even more depth in choices already present with the combat. Trickster allows you to move in the air easier and be able to dodge better, this is perfect for keeping your combos in the air while also allowing you to cancel out of moves into a dash that has longer invincibility and goes further than the standard dodge roll. Gunslinger is a great tool to keep enemies away and extend combos. Swordmaster is an extremely fun style to use and is my preferred go-to style; it allows you to use more special moves and be able to create extremely stylish combos and deal more damage. Royal Guard is a tool that gets extremely better with practice, at first the style is relatively limited in use but as you level it up, it easily opens the game up and allows you to obliterate enemies and bosses with correct timing on parrying attacks, it rewards the player who studies the attack patterns and behaviors of every enemy in the game. Quicksilver slows down time, primarily used to make more flashy combos and get more damage in a bosses window of attack. Doppelganger summons a Devil Trigger clone of Dante in Rebellion form, once again used for flashy combos and doing more damage, can also be used to damage with two different weapons at once. Another great detail to note is the taunt system. With a higher style rank, you gain access to a more flashy and flamboyant taunt that also gains tons of Devil Trigger gauge. Everything in this game incentivizes you to play better and more stylishly. Speaking of Devil Trigger, the system is new and improved here. It drops the customization from Devil May Cry 2 in order to provide a more balanced tool that allows you to strategize when and how you use your Devil Trigger. You gain faster movement speed, reduced damage, you can tank through certain attacks. You also gain certain effects from which weapon you are using when you are in Devil Trigger. For example, Rebellion is an all around stat boost, Cerberus increases your attack speed, Agni and Rudra enhances your elemental properties, Nevan allows you to fly in the air and use the exclusive Air Raid move, Beowulf improves your defense. This game's combat system is perfect and is so much fun to explore and improve your game. The game also has insane replayability and experienced players can eventually beat the game in one sitting with no difficulty.

The level design is also the best in the series, the mission variety is vast and creates a unique experience for every mission. It still has the interconnected level design present from Devil May Cry and its roots from Resident Evil while also having a fair share of linear levels that creates a nice blend between both. Whether you are traveling through the Temen Ni Gru solving light puzzles and obtaining key items, or fighting enemies inside of a leviathan's intestines, or defeating enemies in and around Dante’s shop, or fighting chest pieces in hell, every mission is unique and very fun to go through. The game could do without the platforming, it obviously was not made for it.

The soundtrack is also incredible, each track is very memorable. Some standout tracks are the theme that plays in Mission 1(Raising the Devil), Dante’s Battle Track 1 (Taste the Blood), Cerberus’s theme literally saying it wants you dead, Nevan’s theme, the theme that plays while you are making your way through the Underworld, every Vergil fight (especially his last battle), and the classic Devils Never Cry track.

An often overlooked aspect of this game is the narrative and how the characters intertwine with the narrative. It is much deeper in depth than most people give it credit for. The game explores the themes of responsibility, family ties, and sacrifice. Dante evolves from being a typical teenager who doesn’t give a damn about anything going on to eventually realizing that he has an important job to fulfill in society and to protect those who he loves and cares for. Lady and Dante also compliment each other in the narrative, Lady initially believes that every demon is completely incapable of having emotions but after she meets Dante, she realizes that there may be demons out there who do have a soul and are willing to protect humans while Dante realizes the importance of family and fulfilling his purpose has mentioned before. Arkham is also a great villain. He is a master manipulator and should deserve some credit for being able to manipulate Dante, Vergil, and Lady into doing what he wants them to do. Too bad his boss fight isn’t great. Vergil is the best rival character in video game history and enhances the narrative beyond belief. He is power hungry while also not being evil. His quest for power isn’t to rule the world, he is beyond traumatized from his childhood (this event is explained in DMC5 and in the manga) where he was left stranded without power. He vowed to never be powerless again so that is why he will obtain it no matter what. He initially kicks your ass and questions if Dante’s ignorance of his demonic power is right. He also replicates the player's journey in this game, he improves as you improve with each fight, gaining new tools and moves as you gain new tools and moves. It all culminates in the final showdown between them where Vergil, obsessed with power, chooses to deny his humanity because he views it as a weakness while Dante over the course of the game chooses to accept both his human and demonic sides, balancing his soul and is able to beat Vergil.

Speaking of that final fight, it is not just the best final boss fight of all time, but is the best boss fight in all of gaming. Both Dante and Vergil had been learning new skills and obtaining new weapons which all builds up to the final battle where both Dante and Vergil are at the peak of their powers. Vergil is a tough boss fight, you will get your ass kicked until he forces you to learn all of his moveset and where and when you can attack him. The environment and soundtrack that plays during the fight are both impeccable as well, it makes it the most memorable fight in all of Devil May Cry apart from the other fight with Vergil in Devil May Cry 5.

There is so much more I can talk about the game but I believe it is better to experience it first hand. Capcom and Itsuno made a gem of a game that will withstand the test of time as not only one of the best action games of all time, but one of the best games of all time.