History VideoGame / DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening

** The beginning of Arkham's speech at the end of Mission 15 is based on part of the poem "Au Lecteur" [[note]]"To the Reader" in English[[/note]] by French poet Charles Baudelaire.

* AllThereInTheManual: According to the ''3142 Graphic Arts'' artbook, Arkham got the scars and the disfigured left side of his face when the ritual that sacrificed his wife ended up failing.

** At the end, when Lady sees Dante, she asks him if he is crying and he says "Devils never cry", reminiscent of the words at the end of ''1'' and ''2''.

* ReplayMode: The ''Special Edition'' has a "Demo Digest" feature where the player can replay the cutscenes of completed levels. Ever since, this became a staple feature of the next games in the original continuity, albeit with a different name ("Story Theater" in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'') or menu placement (Gallery > Story in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'').

* ReplayMode: The ''Special Edition'' features a Demo Digest mode where the player can replay the cutscenes of completed levels. Ever since, this became a staple feature of the next games in the original continuity.

* ReplayMode: The ''Special Edition'' features a Demo Digest mode where the player can replay the cutscenes of completed levels. Ever since, this became a staple feature of the next games in the franchise.

* TitleDrop: "Devil May Cry" is the name of Dante's demon-hunting business, but though Dante has a habit of dropping the phrase "Devils never cry" OnceAnEpisode, it's not until the end of this game where Lady tells Dante in response to that, "Even a devil may cry when he loses a loved one." [[AnachronicOrder Chronologically]], this would be the first time the phrase is mentioned.

* IdleAnimation: Dante would scratch his head in annoyance, cross his arms, and tap his foot impatiently.

* DenserAndWackier: While the game as a whole is darker than ''1'' and ''2'', Dante himself begins to showcase his now-trademark irreverent sense of humor in this game, likely as a response to ''2'' where he was constantly dead-serious. Compared to ''1'', where he mostly had a few one-liners, ''3'' features scenes such as Dante [[ItMakesSenseInContext fighting off demons shirtless while eating pizza, riding a missile like it was a skateboard, and using a motorcycle like a set of nunchucks to fight demons while riding up the side of a tower]].

* ReducedToDust: Most of the demon mooks dissolve into sand upon defeat, particularly the Hell types.

* WhyAmITicking: Hell Wraths. Stay too close to them after damaging them enough and they'll explode.

* ThemeNaming: The Seven Hells are named after each of the seven deadly sins.

--->'''Lady:''' You've heard of it, haven't you? The legend of Sparda? When I was young, my father would tell me stories about it. Long ago, in ancient times, a demon rebelled against his own kind for the sake of the human race. With his sword, he shut the portal to the demonic realm and sealed the evil entity off from our human world. But since he was a demon himself, his power was also trapped on the other side. I never believed it. I thought it was just a child's fairy tale. I discover that the so-called legend wasn't a myth at all. Sparda existed. How do I know? Well... I met the sons of Sparda - Both of them. Though the same blood of their father flow through their veins, the two battled each other fiercely like arch enemies. It seems as if they drive some twisted pleasure from this brotherly fighting. But in the end... only one was left standing.

** In the ''[[UpdatedRerelease Special Edition]]'' of ''3'', beating "Hard" mode unlocks "Very Hard" (a mode not present in the original version), which further unlocks the "Must Die" mode, and so forth.

** Gigapede, while also losing the lifebar and one of its attacks (due to the cramped hallways it attacks you in), is otherwise not degraded; it just ''feels'' like it is because, again due to the location it attacks you in, it's inevitable that you will AttackItsWeakPoint if you decide to fight it.

* GameMod: Apart from the various cosmetic mods, there's a Style Switching Mod which gives you the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin ability to switch styles on the fly]] ''[=DMC4=]''-style and makes the questionable PC port of this game run better. The Nintendo Switch port incorporates an official Style Switching feature into gameplay (known as Freestyle Mode), as well as the ability to swap through all weapons on the fly with the right control stick. The option to play with the original fixed loadout for your style and weapons is also available.