History YMMV / DevilMayCry1

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbZBK-d1Ga0 "Living Cave"]] sounds similar to Music/{{Vangelis}}' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbZBK-d1Ga0 "End Title"]] theme from ''Film/BladeRunner''.

* ParanoiaFuel: Sin Scissors are great in making you paranoid. Their ability to phase through walls would make you want to avoid tight spaces and move around an open area instead, and their creepy laughter will still persist in the background for a significant time even if they're already dead. The latter makes you feel wary and urges you to check the environment if there's still a Sin Scissor around even if there's actually nothing to fear anymore.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: When it first came out, ''Devil May Cry 1'' was lauded for its fast action and deep gameplay, and rightfully so, as it basically [[TropeCodifier set all the foundations]] of the modern StylishAction[=/=]HackAndSlash genre, three years before ''VideoGame/GodOfWarI'' and ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden''. Almost two decades later, not everything about ''[=DMC1=]'' has exactly aged well, to the point that veteran fans even recommend newcomers to start with ''[=DMC3=]'' or ''[=DMC5=]'' instead since they offer more options to start from, and the combat mechanics in those games are deeper and faster. Once you've tried the other ''DMC'' games, it's also easier to notice the EarlyInstallmentWeirdness of this game (Many of which are gameplay-related mechanics made [[AntiFrustrationFeatures more user-friendly]] in the next installments).

* CheeseStrategy: At least during initial playthroughs, Alastor's Air Raid attack is commonly abused to cheese most encounters, even boss fights. Being able to fly above enemies (many of which don't have anti-air attacks or can't easily reach you) while firing fast {{hitscan}}-esque beams makes these fights a joke. Its main downside (Dante can only use it in Devil Trigger form) can be mitigated by players saving up the Devil Trigger gauge to [[SpamAttack use this attack and nothing else]], and extending its duration with Devil Stars. It's gotten to the point where if one is having a hard time beating this game, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPXvGW658FA they'd be reminded to try using Air Raid]].

* CheeseStrategy: Alastor's Air Raid attack is commonly abused to cheese tough encounters, even boss fights. Being able to fly above enemies (most of which don't have anti-air attacks or can't easily reach you enough) while firing fast-hitting {{hitscan}}-esque beams makes these fights easier than intended. Its main downside (Dante can only use it in Devil Trigger form) can be mitigated by players simply saving up the Devil Trigger gauge to [[SpamAttack use this attack and nothing else]], or extending its duration with Devil Stars. It's gotten to the point where if one is having a hard time beating this game, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPXvGW658FA they'd be reminded to try using Air Raid]].

* CheeseStrategy: Alastor's Air Raid attack is commonly abused to cheese tough encounters, even boss fights. Being able to fly above enemies (most of which don't have anti-air attacks or can't easily reach you enough) while firing fast-hitting {{hitscan}}-esque beams makes these fights easier than intended. Its only downside can be mitigated by players simply saving up the Devil Trigger gauge to [[SpamAttack use this attack and nothing else]]. It's gotten to the point where if one is having a hard time beating this game, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPXvGW658FA they'd be reminded to try using Air Raid]].

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbZBK-d1Ga0 "Living Cave"]] sounds similar to Vangelis' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbZBK-d1Ga0 "End Title"]] theme from BladeRunner.

* ThatOneLevel: Mission 17 contains a tight hallway that's filled with several Marionettes and Fetishes, a section where you must time your attacks to deflect fireballs, a LightAndMirrorsPuzzle that can be difficult to control with a keyboard on the PC port[[note]]A lever has to be moved by rotating it with the same inputs used to move Dante. This mandatory section is clearly meant to be played comfortably with a controller[[/note]], a tricky platforming section immediately after said puzzle that's [[CameraScrew made more difficult by the static camera angles]], and a boss fight against [[ThatOneBoss the third phase of Nelo Angelo]] in the end. Dying to Nelo Angelo, especially on higher difficulties, forces you to repeat everything beforehand if you want to challenge him again.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6soHrMUyFv8 "Space Ocean"]] from ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' was likely sampled from or at least was the inspiration for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-AAu0Osxms "Fate"]].

** In Dante and Trish's first encounter, she attacks him by [[CarFu throwing a bike at him]], which he blasts apart easily. In [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry5 fifth game]], Dante acquires a pair of chainsaw Devil Arms which can transform into a bike after defeating the demon Cavaliere Angelo. [[spoiler:And the cherry on top is that Trish herself was being used as a LivingBattery for Cavaliere before Dante defeated it]].

** According to WordOfGod from Hideki Kamiya, some development details, and an extracted texture file, the official name of the [[ChekhovsGun biplane]] is "Karnival", yet it's still widely remembered as "Carnival".
** In some fan forums and lore discussions, Trish is thought to be a clone of Eva, or is Eva herself revived as a demon. These aren't true because Trish is a demon and Mundus specifically created her to resemble Eva in order to trick Dante in going to Mallet Island. The games never described Trish as a "clone", and there aren't evidences to support the claim that Eva is BackFromTheDead. A contributing factor to this misconception comes from the SignificantDoubleCasting of the two characters.

** In ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'', V's familiars Griffon, Shadow and Nightmare are based from the original Shadow, Griffon, and Nightmare demons Dante fought in Mallet Island, but are actually [[spoiler:manifestations of Vergil's trauma from his time as Nelo Angelo]]. However, that game brought a retroactive misconception that claims Shadow is a major boss in ''[=DMC1=]''. While it's true that Griffon and Nightmare are major bosses in this game, the Shadows are {{Miniboss}}es or BossInMookClothing at best (there are several Shadows in Mallet Island and they don't even have a dedicated boss lifebar). This misremembered detail is attributed to both the long SequelGap between ''[=DMC1=]'' and ''[=DMC5=]'', and the NewbieBoom effect of the latter game.
* CompleteMonster (LightNovel prequel): The vicious swordsman known only as [[BloodKnight Gilver]]--revealed in ''[[VideoGame/DevilMayCry5 Before the Nightmare]]'' to be an EvilKnockoff of [[Characters/DevilMayCryVergil Vergil]]--is an [[PsychoForHire ice-cold mercenary]] who shares the elegance and arrogance of the son of Sparda but none of his noble qualities. Rising through the ranks of Bobby's Cellar, Gilver cemented himself in the criminal underworld by slaughtering everything in his path, leaving trails of mutilated corpses in his wake. Gilver's massive body count and sadism inspires many other hitmen to return to the old days where wanton destruction was the norm. While initially a nasty rival obsessed with beating Dante, Gilver is in truth a demon supremacist who has been summoning them to wreak havoc around the city and personally murdering Dante's friends to isolate him, showing his true colors by feeding the entirety of Bobby's Cellar to demons as his way of starting a plan to merge both worlds and let the hellish dimension consume all of humanity.

** In the finale, Dante mocks Mundus's vow to return to the human world someday, saying "Goodbye! And when you do come back, give my regards to my son, will ya?". This statement becomes hilarious when taken literally, as [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry4 later]] [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry5 installments]] reveal that not only is Dante [[CelibateHero still single after several years]] in the canon, [[spoiler:his brother Vergil is the first to have a son, Nero]].

** Drama clearly wasn't the writing staff's forte in this game. Take this line of Dante which became [[MemeticMutation memetic]]. For bonus points, Dante's voice cracks very unmanfully right at the end, like he was suddenly struck with reverse puberty.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: When it first came out, ''Devil May Cry 1'' was lauded for its fast action and deep gameplay, and rightfully so, as it basically [[TropeCodifier set all the foundations]] of the modern StylishAction[=/=]HackAnd genre, three years before ''VideoGame/GodOfWarI'' and ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden''. Almost two decades later, not everything about ''[=DMC1=]'' has exactly aged well, to the point that veteran fans even recommend newcomers to start with ''[=DMC3=]'' or ''[=DMC5=]'' instead since they offer more options to start from, and the combat mechanics in those games are deeper and faster. Once you've tried the other ''DMC'' games, it's also easier to notice the EarlyInstallmentWeirdness of this game (Many of which are gameplay-related mechanics made [[AntiFrustrationFeatures more user-friendly]] in the next installments).

* RelationshipWritingFumble: Director Creator/HidekiKamiya [[https://twitter.com/PG_kamiya/status/26073831156 tweeted]] that it wasn't his intention to portray Trish as Dante's love interest (although his response that she's ''more'' than that is open to interpretation). In spite of this, there was enough romantic subtext in some of their more touching scenes later on that Trish is still a popular partner for Dante among shippers. It doesn't help that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRKVEM-a2lg the staff roll theme]] is titled "Dante & Trish ~ Seeds of '''Love'''."

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: When it first came out, reviews lauded ''Devil May Cry 1'' for its fast action and deep gameplay, and it has the right to be, since it basically [[TropeCodifier set all the foundations]] of the modern StylishAction[=/=]BeatEmUp genre, three years before ''VideoGame/GodOfWarI'' and ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden''. Almost two decades later, not everything about ''[=DMC1=]'' has exactly aged well, to the point that veteran fans even recommend newcomers to start with ''[=DMC3=]'' or ''[=DMC5=]'' instead since they offer more options to start from, and the combat mechanics in those games are deeper and faster. Once you've tried the other ''DMC'' games, it's also easier to notice the EarlyInstallmentWeirdness of this game (Many of which are gameplay-related mechanics made [[AntiFrustrationFeatures more user-friendly]] in the next installments).

* HilariousInHindsight: In the finale, Dante mocks Mundus's vow to return to the human world someday, saying "Goodbye! And when you do come back, give my regards to my son, will ya?". This statement becomes hilarious when taken literally, as [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry4 later]] [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry5 installments]] reveal that not only is Dante [[CelibateHero still single after several years]] in the canon, [[spoiler:his brother Vergil is the first to have a son, Nero]].

* HilariousInHindsight: In the finale, Dante mocks Mundus's vow to return to the human world someday, saying "Goodbye! And when you do come back, give my regards to my son, will ya?". This statement becomes hilarious when taken literally, as later installments reveal that not only is Dante [[CelibateHero still single after several years]] in the canon, [[spoiler:his brother Vergil is the first to have a son, Nero]].