Line #7 YMMV/DevilMayCry1


1	* BreatherLevel: Mission 5 is a short TimedMission where you must reach a specific door before the Melancholy Soul expires in three minutes. There's only one mandatory fight and the objective is just a few rooms that you need to backtrack. If you are quick, this can be over in less than two minutes. This is quite a breather as it's sandwiched between two lengthy missions that have their own challenging boss fights.
2	* CameraScrew: The game frequently changes the camera angle mid-jump, which makes some boss battles or platforming sections harder than intended. The key to your survival is that the game doesn't realign your controls until you land, so you need not jerk the controller around. The third fight with [[spoiler:Griffon]] is nearly unwinnable on higher difficulties because of this.
3	* 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://youtu.be/dPXvGW658FA?si=bTS1Xcl-Rb8rc724&t=689 they'd be reminded to try using Air Raid]].
4	* CommonKnowledge:
5	** Phantom is mostly remembered as "the giant magma/lava spider from ''Devil May Cry 1''", though that description is just partially correct. While it's true that Phantom is a [[GiantSpider giant arachnid with a spider-shaped body]] that has multiple eyes and limbs, many forget that [[MixAndMatchCritter he also has]] claw-pincers, and a [[BewareMyStingerTail scorpion-like tail with a stinger]].
6	** According to [[WordOfGod 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".
7	** In some fan forums and lore discussions, Trish is thought to be a clone of Eva, or is Eva herself revived as a demon. Neither of these are true -- 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 is no evidence to support the claim that Eva is BackFromTheDead. A contributing factor to this misconception comes from the SignificantDoubleCasting of the two characters.
8	** Although later games repeatedly mention and establish that Dante and Vergil are twins, ''[=DMC1=]'' never actually used the words "twin" or "twins" when it brings up Dante's relationship with Vergil, contrary to popular belief. Instead, Vergil is just referred to as Dante's "brother" in this game. ''[=DMC3=]'' is [[NewerThanTheyThink the first game in the series]] that describes Vergil as Dante's "twin" via some dialogue lines and Vergil's Boss File.
9	** In ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'', V's familiars Griffon, Shadow and Nightmare are based on 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 Bosses In Mook Clothing]] 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.
10	** A common misconception is the idea that Sparda turned on demonkind in defense of humanity specifically [[LoveRedeems because he fell in love with Eva]]. However, the opening narration establishes that the war between humans and demons was 2000 years ago, as opposed to the war raging for that long and only ending within living memory. Sparda ended the war by defecting and defeating the demon king, Mundus. The first game is clearly meant to take place in contemporary times as seen with the motorcycle Trish rides and the neon sign of Dante's Devil May Cry building.
11	* 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 he is modeled after 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.
12	* DemonicSpiders: Shadows. They're fast, hit hard, can't be damaged by melee attacks, and can only be finished off by [[AttackItsWeakPoint attacking a core]] which is revealed briefly after a certain amount of damage -- plus they're spiteful enough to try a TakingYouWithMe, which you have to run around like a headless chicken for upwards of 10 seconds to avoid. Have fun trying to [[ThatOneSidequest beat three of them at once]] on [[HundredPercentCompletion a 100% run]]. It should be noted that there ''is'' [[AchillesHeel a (fairly simple) trick]] for inflicting significant damage upon them in record time: if the Shadow uses its spike thrust attack, Dante can jump on top of the spike with good timing and then unload with his handguns/shotgun, which normally is enough to trigger the Shadow's pre-death TurnsRed state. However, [[GuideDangIt it took years for many players to discover it was possible to land on the spike without being harmed, let alone deal critical damage from that position]], and the trick [[https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/445101-devil-may-cry/49745460 has no effect]] when you're playing on [[HarderThanHard Dante Must Die]].
13	* DifficultySpike: The game is pretty simple for the first two stages... and then Phantom shows up at the end of the third stage and mauls you. If you can get past him, the next stages offer harder platforming sections and tricky non-boss enemies such as the Shadows and Death Scissors.
14	* EventObscuringCamera:
15	** The FixedCamera angles can be confusing depending on where they are placed, but usually, the camera faces the door where you just came from, so you have to walk several steps further when you enter a room before knowing what you're about to deal with.
16	** Some fights against gigantic bosses are made more challenging because of the camera angles, especially when you're locked-on. For example, the camera would look down when you fall off the platform during [[spoiler:the second phase of Mundus's fight]].
17	* FanNickname: [[FanNickname/DevilMayCry See here]].
18	* GameBreaker:
19	** Shotgun Hiking. With [[DoubleJump Air Hike]] and a shotgun, you can endlessly jump and juggle an airborne target until it dies or when you mess up the trick. This isn't [[GoodBadBugs a bug]]; it's an exploit.
20	** The Sparda sword [[PowerUpLetdown seems pointless]] because it uses Alastor's moveset but lacks a Devil Trigger [[EleventhHourSuperpower until the final boss]]. [[GuideDangIt What the game never tells you]], however, is that Sparda ''always'' deals the extra damage Alastor does during Devil Trigger. This may not seem like a good tradeoff, but it helps tremendously on Hard and ''especially'' on [[HarderThanHard Dante Must Die]], where Dante does not gain health while in Devil Trigger, and the damage of Dante's attacks while in Devil Trigger does not scale up with the difficulty. That Air Raid you used to slaughter enemies on your first playthrough barely scratches even the basic mooks. Melee becomes your main method of dealing damage, and always having the extra damage by using Sparda makes getting through DMD significantly less frustrating.
21	** Ebony and Ivory's damage output is outclassed by all the other guns, but like Sparda above, they become significantly more useful than the other guns on higher difficulties. The pistols give you a significant amount of air control, and using it to help evade attacks that will take off half your lifebar, or to more easily get into melee range is far more useful than a little more ranged damage.
22	* GenreTurningPoint: In 2001, the BeatEmUp genre, moribund since the mid-'90s, went 3D with ''Devil May Cry 1'', the game that [[TropeCodifier popularized]] the StylishAction genre of video games, revived the HackAndSlash for a new generation, and served as the inspiration for games like the ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' revival, ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'', and ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' (a CreatorDrivenSuccessor from Creator/HidekiKamiya).
23	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: According to motion artist Tomoya Ohtsubo from the ''[=DMC1=]''-focused interview section of the ''3142 Graphic Arts'' artbook, Trish ended up being popular overseas, likely because [[EveryoneLovesBlondes having a "long blonde hair is a guaranteed hit"]].
24	* HilariousInHindsight:
25	** After retrieving the amulet of Nelo Angelo, Dante recalls a moment where he and Vergil fought over chocolate on their birthday. Although it's PlayedForDrama in this game, the later games reveal that the brothers fight over little things so often, and those had a bigger impact on Vergil. In ''[[VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening DMC3]]'', Vergil still tries to take the amulet of Dante even when they're in the demon world, but Dante just jokingly responds "No way, you got your own." And as revealed by the in-game "Old Man's Diary" document in ''[[VideoGame/DevilMayCry5 DMC5]]'', it got to the point where Vergil developed a habit of writing his name on things to make them "truly his".
26	** In the finale, Dante mocks Mundus's vow to return to the human world someday with the retort "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 canon, [[spoiler:his brother Vergil is the first to have a son, Nero]].
27	** 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 was being used as a LivingBattery for Cavaliere when Dante defeated it]].
28	* ItWasHisSled: Nelo Angelo is Vergil, due to [[BreakoutVillain the character's popularity]] and [[ChekhovsGunman importance in later games]]. This plot point is also one of the most commonly [[ContinuityNod mentioned]] or [[MythologyGag referenced]] events in later games.
29	* MemeticMutation: [[Memes/DevilMayCry See here]].
30	* {{Narm}}:
31	** 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. To top it all off, the echo repeats the voice crack.
32	---> '''Dante:''' "I should have been the one to fill your dark soul with ''liiiiiiiiiiiight''!"
33	** Just before then, there's Mundus's EvilGloating.
34	---> [[CaptainObvious "So sad that humans will always be humans!"]]
35	* NauseaFuel: The [[UnexpectedGameplayChange underwater sections are played in first-person view]], but the screen's "fish lens"-like distortion visual effect can make the player dizzy from motion sickness for a while, especially if they quickly move the camera around. As pointed out in a [[https://youtu.be/pMhem6M5gWc?t=22 comparison video]], the ''HD Collection'' version is more likely to induce discomfort in these sections than the original [=PS2=] graphics, likely because the HD version simulates a fluctating wave effect, while the clearer and brighter graphics make the brown-and-blue color palette more evident.
36	* OnceOriginalNowCommon: 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).
37	* 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 [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEwqRjIwM3Y 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.
38	* PlatonicWritingRomanticReading: 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'''."
39	* SignatureLine: Dante's "I should've been the one to fill your dark soul with liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!" as he cries over [[spoiler:Trish's apparent death]], from the game's SignatureScene.
40	* SignatureScene: Dante crying over Trish's death is the most memorable scene from this game because it's a tear-jerker, {{Narm}}, and a [[MemeticMutation meme]] in one package.
41	* SlowPacedBeginning: After a few steps, the game starts by forcing you to jump around the lifeless opening foyer of a castle and find 45 Red Orbs [[CashGate to unlock a door]] before meeting and fighting the first {{mook}}. And if you die enough times on the first mission to try the game's MercyMode, you have to do the first few segments again, including the aforementioned sequence. Thankfully, most of the games that followed did not do this and opted for an ActionPrologue instead, recognizing what the majority of players bought the game for.
42	* SpecialEffectFailure: For some reason, the ''HD Collection'' remaster is filled with these, containing so many graphical, transparency, and audio errors that there's [[https://youtu.be/pMhem6M5gWc a video]] compiling everything that was lost from the [=PS2=] original.
43	* SpiritualAdaptation: With its gothic atmosphere and eerie feel (helped by some holdover elements from [[DivorcedInstallment its origins as]] one of the prototype versions of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4''), ''Devil May Cry'' is often thought of as the best 3D ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}''-esque ever made.
44	* SuspiciouslySimilarSong:
45	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-AAu0Osxms "Fate"]] features the same sample pack as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6soHrMUyFv8 "Space Ocean"]] from ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' and thus sound frighteningly similar.
46	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbZBK-d1Ga0 "Living Cave"]] sounds similar to Music/{{Vangelis}}' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP63BRzKmB0 "End Title"]] theme from ''Film/BladeRunner''.
47	* ThatOneAttack: If you get swallowed by Nightmare, you're sent into a demonic dimension where you must fight several [[DemBones Sargassoes]] and one of the previous bosses to get out. However, this also doubles as Nightmare's AchillesHeel. Escaping from this dimension deals a sizable portion of damage to Nightmare's health bar, and also makes the light switches needed to keep Nightmare solid last longer for the rest of the battle. However, [[ItOnlyWorksOnce you can only be swallowed up by Nightmare once]], as all subsequent attempts to eat Dante simply result in a normal bite.
48	* 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 [[EventObscuringCamera 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.
49	* ThatOneSidequest: The secret mission "The Three Beasts" wherein you have to slay the Shadow demons. Not only was this taxing to first-time players (and Shadows [[DemonicSpiders are no joke]]), but this is the only mission in the game in which you literally have one shot per playthrough (unless you re-loaded the entire level to try again). In it, the three beasts circle Dante and can quickly overwhelm and kill him. Fast, cat-like reflexes and a steady eye on the entire battlefield are needed to prevail.

Context YMMV / DevilMayCry1