Moonlighter (2018)

October 28, 2018October 28, 2018 / stephensopinions / Leave a comment

Currently, there are a slew of indie games available and many independent developers struggle to stand out. In the case of Moonlighter, the uniqueness stems from the games concept. Developer Digital Sun has created a dungeon crawler with an emphasis on shopkeeping. You play as Will, a merchant who has a propensity to delve into local dungeons and fight monsters to gather resources to sell on the marketplace. Is the concept alone enough to make Moonlighter stand above the rest, or does it fail to shine in a saturated marketplace?

I quite like the concept of Moonlighter as it puts an interesting twist on the standard formula of dungeon crawling. In most top-down adventure games you explore dungeons to gain experience, new equipment, and the progress further into the game. In Moonlighter, you tackle dungeons to collect items dropped by slain monsters. After filling up your inventory, you return back to your shop and spend 5-10 minutes selling the goods to accumulate wealth. You can use the gold acquired to renovate your shop, upgrade the town, and buy new equipment. As you get better equipment, you can delve deeper into the dungeons to fight harder monsters and eventually take on the boss of each dungeon. This is an extremely addictive feedback loop of dungeon crawling, selling the loot, upgrading your gear, and then going back to dungeon crawling. Each one of these cycles only takes about 20-30 minutes, so it is easy to hooked and play hours at a time.

After playing through some difficult games recently like the Devil May Cry series and Shenzhen I/O, Moonlighter was a much-needed wholesome experience. The gameplay is not overly tough, and the shopkeeping aspect of the game is a nice cooldown period between dungeon runs. Just relaxing in your store and watching townsfolk come in and buy goods is just a chill experience. This combined with the extremely well-done pixel art and calming music makes for a charming game. Moonlighter is an easy game to get into, and I found it to be a nice and relaxing game.

I wish that Moonlighter was a bit more innovative or at least went a little more in depth with the mechanics it had. As it stands, the game only really has 2 aspects: dungeon crawling and shopkeeping. I wish these were a little more fleshed out, as they are both fairly rudimentary. Dungeons are randomly generated, so each run will be different from the last. There are 4 different dungeon themes that get progressively more difficult: Golem, Forest, Desert, and Tech. Each dungeon has 3 floors and a boss at the end. The further you get in each run the better loot will become available. The problem is that all 4 of these dungeons are extremely similar. Just a reskinned background and tougher enemies. Once you complete the first dungeon, you have mostly seen everything Moonlighter has to offer. I wish each dungeon has its own unique twist to differentiate them from one another.

Other then the similarity between dungeons, Moonlighter also struggles in gameplay depth. Combat as a whole is extremely basic, sure there are 5 different types of weapons, but actually battling enemies is not complicated. Each weapon has a basic attack and a special function such as a shield, or spear charge, or charged punch. For the most part, I never used the special ability of any weapon and just spamming the basic attack was enough to defeat any enemy. I didn’t expect much innovation in combat, but I did expect more from the other half of the game. The shopkeeping is pretty barebones, and there is very little interaction with the town. Selling items mostly consists of just setting prices and chasing away the occasional thief. There is a little supply and demand that affect prices, but again the interaction is minimal. The biggest disappointment is that there is little to no gameplay revolving around the town. I really wish you could interact with the townspeople, explore the surrounding area, or do really anything. The town’s entire purpose is for the player to sell their loot and gear up for future expeditions. I did not expect anything incredibly innovative, but I wish Moonlighter just had more.

Other than its lack of innovation, Moonlighter has a few other minor issues. First and foremost, a few technical issues occurred during my playthrough. The game crashed twice and once I got stuck in a wall. These hiccups never destroyed significant progress, but its still a technical flaw. Hit registration feels a little off at times, sometimes my weapon would phase right through an enemy and other times a hit would register twice, dealing extra damage. Other than that, I feel there were some wonky balance issues as the game got closer to the end. I began making ludicrous amounts of money and I had no issues buying whatever I wanted from a single loot run. I only had to go into the games 4^th dungeon three times total, when in the previous dungeons I had to do them seven to eight times to get fully upgraded. Maybe I just got better at optimization, but I think the gold amounts were just out of balance. Lastly, the sales box and banker upgrades are both entirely worthless and I have no idea why they were even included.

I think Moonlighter does do enough to make itself a worthwhile experience. Its not going to blow anyone’s mind, and it isn’t an innovative game. Still, the addicting progression loop and calming design made it an enjoyable game. I quite liked Moonlighter, I just wish there was a little more. Better combat, dungeon variety, or a more interactive town would have gone a long way to make Moonlighter more complete. It is for these reasons I give Moonlighter a 7/10. It’s not a revolutionary game, but its fun all the same.

Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening (2005)

October 28, 2018October 28, 2018 / stephensopinions / Leave a comment

While Devil May Cry was a major success and defined the action genre, Devil May Cry 2 was a disappointing flop. Hideaki Itsuno was brought on as director for the last few months of the development of Devil May Cry 2 to try to salvage the disaster. Fortunately, Itsuno felt so bad about Devil May Cry 2 that he took on the role of director for Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening to make up for it. Itsuno and his team went on to make one of the greatest action games of all time as Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening lives up to the legacy of the original game. Fast-paced action, stylish combos, an engaging story, and a variety of playstyles culminate into the experience that is Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening.

Ultimately, the most crucial element to the Devil May Cry series, and all action games, is its combat. The genre lives off of the high-octane, adrenaline pumping, gripping battles. Luckily, Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening surpasses all expectations in this regard, and blows both of its predecessors out of the water. Dante’s moveset is similar to the original Devil May Cry, but with a few extra elements. Most notably, there are 4 different “styles” the player can choose from that greatly alter how the game is played. Trickster, Swordmaster, Gunslinger, and Royalguard are the 4 main styles that the player can delve into, as well as the Quicksilver and Doppelganger specialty styles that become available later in the game. Trickster focuses on evasiveness and dip, duck, and dodging out of danger. Swordmaster goes all in on offense, allowing the player to extend their combos. Gunslinger is all about amplifying your firearms. And Royalguard is primarily about parrying enemy attacks and striking back. As you play as a certain style, you will level it up and unlock more abilities in that category. The interesting thing to me is that styles are tied to a single button, meaning that switching styles only minimally changes the controls, but that one button drastically changes the pace and style of gameplay.

Other than the addition of styles, Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening has a few other improvements to combat. A wide array of weapons is added to Dante’s arsenal as the game progresses. New melee weapons and firearms add even more variety to how the game can be played. Furthermore, you can equip 2 melee weapons and 2 firearms at the start of each mission and switch between them at will. This allows for some incredibly intricate combos as you switch between your weapons of choice. There are also a few mechanically complex techniques that can be executed such as jump cancelling to further increase a player’s mastery over the game. Another seemingly minor improvement is the clarification of the style gauge. Devil May Cry is all about racking up big combos and watching your style meter increase, and with this game there is a style bar that you can watch increase and decrease depending on your actions. In previous games, you would only see the overall grade and not the meter filling up. This addition provides much needed clarity and lets the player understand how the combo system works.

It is obvious that Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening is a marked improvement over its predecessors in the realm of combat, but what about the other aspects? Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening makes a huge leap forward in the storytelling and narrative in the series. While it remains to be lovably cheesy, its use of only 4 key characters and their encounters is worth looking forward to. Dante, Vergil, Lady, and Arkham all have vastly different motivations and ideas of what should be done with a sealed demonic power. As these characters progress through the demonic tower, their clashing motivations make their meetings all the more memorable. The level design is infinitely better than Devil May Cry 2, but I consider it weaker than the original Devil May Cry. Most of the game is spent climbing and exploring a tower. You repeatedly revisit areas and loop through the entirety of the tower two or three times. The major issue that I had was that it was occasionally confusing to find my way around this gargantuan structure. The tower constantly shifts and changes from level to level, so you never really get familiar with its layout. Also, there were a few platforming sections that did not really fit with the rest of the game.

A staple to the Devil May Cry series is the challenging boss fights. Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening maintains this tradition, and many of the game’s best moments are contained in boss battles. First and foremost, there are 20 missions total in the game and 14 boss fights. The developers went out of their way to include as many fights as possible. Even better, the vast majority of these clashes are well-designed, challenging, and memorable. Only two or three of these fights can be considered weak by comparison. Unfortunately, the penultimate boss is an unmitigated mess with a host of issues. Its an ugly, amorphous blob with hard to read attacks. Worse still, the control scheme changes in the second half of the fight, so you have to relearn how to play the game on the fly. Luckily, other than this disastrous globule, most of the other boss fights are enormously enjoyable and the pinnacle of the series.

While Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening redefined the action genre, it is not without its own faults. One of the biggest downfalls of this game was its enemy design. Enemies fall into 2 categories in this game: combo fodder, or annoying. Combo fodder are enemies that pose very little threat to the player and exist primarily for the player to unleash their fury with little retaliation. Annoying enemies are enemies that give the player small windows for attack or just kind of get in the way. Ideally, enemies in action games should be a healthy mix between these subsets. They should be strong enough to fight against the player a pose a very real threat, but they player also gets opportunities to unleash devastating combos against the enemy. The original Devil May Cry struck this balance superbly, every enemy had a few tricks up their sleeve that the player needed to be aware of. You could absolutely demolish hordes of enemies if you knew how to, but a misstep would lead to taking some punishing damage. It’s a good thing that combat in Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening is so inherently fun, or fighting the massive amount of combo fodder enemies would grow tiresome quite quickly.

The other issue I have with Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening is something that has been embodied throughout the whole series, and I would consider it a double-edged sword. I am talking about the replayabilty of Devil May Cry games. These games are made to be replayed a multitude of times, and are generally considered better on subsequent playthroughs. This is because you keep all moves, styles, items, and upgrades as you progress to higher difficulty levels. On the first playthrough of the game, you will most likely only master 1 of the 4 styles and not be fully upgraded. But as you keep playing, you master the games systems and test out all of the tools in Dante’s arsenal. Furthermore, you get the option to play as Vergil after beating the game once. On one hand, this replayability is fantastic as it allows players to keep playing after they beat the game. However, I think many people generally do not replay games so soon after completing them. Maybe a few years later, but by that time you will have mostly forgotten how to play the game and would have to start fresh anyway. Moreover, the first time you play the game you are missing a lot of features since you are not fully equipped. It is an obviously intentional design choice that has some merit, but also some hefty drawbacks.

Its difficult for me to decide which I like better: the original Devil May Cry or Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening. The original had better level and enemy design, and it was an innovative game at the time. Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening builds off of the success of the original, but its addictive and gratifying combat make it a contender for best in the series. Either way, it is evident that Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening redefined what action games could be. Even with some notable flaws, Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening remains one of the greatest action games ever developed.

SHENZHEN I/O (2016)

October 26, 2018October 26, 2018 / stephensopinions / Leave a comment

As a genre, puzzle games have a few major problems. Namely replayability, singular solutions, and the ever-frustrating feeling of “I must be missing something”. Zachtronics is a developer that creates extremely unique puzzle games that eliminate all of these pitfalls. Zachtronics does this by basing their games in reality, such as chemistry, production lines, or in the case of Shenzhen I/O, programming and electronics. I will admit, Zachtronics games are extremely niche, but if you enjoy problem solving, they will scratch that itch. As a computer science student, Shenzhen I/O drew me in as I was curious how a game could make the obtuse language of Assembly enjoyable.

Shenzhen I/O is set in the technological hub of Shenzhen, China. The player is tasked with designing and programming electronics to control a variety of products. You can use microcontrollers, logic gates, RAM, and a few other components to achieve the task you are given. When I said that Shenzhen I/O was niche, I meant it. Instead of a standard tutorial, you are given a 45-page manual as a PDF to read through. Only a few pages are useful, the rest are jargon or in Chinese, so you have to sift through to find pertinent info. Luckily, the programming language is fairly simple and there are not too many parts to figure out how to use. The game starts fairly slow and lets the player learn the basics before moving on to complicated challenges.

While I believe that Shenzhen I/O was made for people with some prior knowledge of programming, it could be picked up by beginners. The language implemented has only a few basic commands that are not too hard to learn. The game also highlights any syntax errors for you. For the most part, Shenzhen I/O only focuses on the fun parts of programming such as logic and problem solving and skips the rote memorization that usually accompanies learning a new language.

Shenzhen I/O also is fairly forgiving as it is easy to diagnose issues. To test a solution to make sure it works, there is a verification tab that compares your output to the intended output. The program runs, you can follow it line-by-line to understand where and how something goes awry. I wish test runs worked this way in real life. On the flip side, much of the problem solving in Shenzhen I/O stems from the limited resources given. You can only have a maximum of 14 lines on any microcontroller, there are limited ports, limited space on the board, and some aspects operate in ways that require a workaround. You have to figure out methods to shave off a line or two to fit another action, or how to string controllers together in a way to complete a complex action. In this regard, Shenzhen I/O makes me appreciate the real-life tools that are available.

What I love most about Shenzhen I/O is that it avoids the most common issues with puzzle games. Every puzzle in Shenzhen I/O has a wide array of solutions because the player writes the code and places the components. If you get stuck on a problem, you can tackle it with a few different methods. This solves the issue of “getting stuck” and that nagging feeling of “I must be missing something”. Furthermore, after completing a challenge, there are leaderboards for cost, power, and lines of code used. This encourages players to replay puzzles and optimize their solutions to minimize these factors. Going back to redo a puzzle and making my solution more efficient was some of the most fun I had in the game. The fact that Shenzhen I/O utilizes programming to design puzzles is what makes the problems so interesting. It allows for dynamic problem-solving rather than searching for a singular solution.

Other than the extreme niche nature of Shenzhen I/O, it has one other major flaw. Zachtronics squeezes out every last drop of potential from Shenzhen I/O, and puzzles get increasingly difficult as you approach the end. As the problems get more complex, so do player solutions. You spend disproportionately more time on the endgame puzzles than the rest of the challenges. If one of your ideas ends up not working, you have to scrap hours of work. Problems become more restrictive rather than offering freedom like the earlier challenges. This issue of extreme difficulty appears towards the end of the game and in the bonus campaign primarily. The bonus campaign is the where the game got frustratingly difficult for me. Luckily, those additional levels are entirely optional, but I still found them far too challenging, complex, and restrictive to be enjoyable.

Furthermore, the game for the most part stops introducing new components and concepts about halfway through. With some more tools to learn and work with, these post-game puzzles could be more bearable. There are only so many things you could do with the barebones tools you are given. By the end of the game these ideas have been exhausted. These bonus puzzles are more like combinations of previous problems that you need to squeeze into extremely limited space.

While Shenzhen I/O is very obviously a niche title, I found myself to be in that niche. While the concept of a programming puzzle game may turn some people away, it is the greatest asset of the game. Programmable puzzles are what offer such creative solutions. You are not confined to a single solution. It is for these reasons I give Shenzhen I/O a 9/10. If you are at all interested by the concept of Shenzhen I/O, it is an absolute must play. Not everyone will enjoy it, but those who are in its intended audience will absolutely love it.

Devil May Cry 2 (2003)

October 13, 2018October 13, 2018 / stephensopinions / Leave a comment

Anybody who is familiar with the Devil May Cry series knows that Devil May Cry 2 is the black sheep of the series. After the astronomical success of its predecessor, Devil May Cry 2 was developed under strange circumstances and it shows in the final product. For an unknown reason, a completely different team developed Devil May Cry 2 and it obviously suffers with gaggle of issues. Devil May Cry 2 is inferior in every way to its predecessor, and in many ways feels like an incomplete game.

The gameplay is enormously important in an action game, and for many reasons Devil May Cry 2 is an unmitigated mess. Dante is inexcusably slower than his previous iteration. Furthermore, gravity behaves strangely as you stick in the air longer than you should. The camera, which was the main issue in the original game, is somehow worse. It is no longer static and follows Dante around, but it often time is shifts enemies out of view. Another key issue is that the game automatically locks you on to the nearest enemy, which occasionally leads to frustration as you try to attack a boss but the game forces you to hit non-threatening enemies. Also, weapon variety was stripped down for the most part, now there are three very similar iteration of a basic sword, there may as well have only been one. To be honest, there may as well be no melee combat at all because of how ridiculously powerful the guns are.

Devil May Cry is all about being stylish and flashy, but there is no incentive to do that in Devil May Cry 2. Enemies take similar damage from guns as they do melee attacks, so there is no reason to put yourself in melee range and risk being hit. Furthermore, the enemy AI is so horrendously bad that if simply stand still and hold the shoot button most of the time no monster can even get close to you. To make matters worse, when comboing an enemy with the sword, at the end of the combo they will be knocked far across the screen. This means you have to chase down the opponent, which resets your style meter and is simply annoying. Worst of all, a large portion of enemies (and even bosses) can basically only be damaged by guns. You can try to hit them with melee strikes, but they are often times out of reach. All of these factors play into the biggest weakness Devil May Cry 2; it is just flat out boring. Holding down the shoot button does not make for compelling gameplay, but that is what Devil May Cry 2 mostly consists of. This style of gameplay is brain-dead and easy, which Devil May Cry should not be.

The original Devil May Cry was not renowned for its level design, which is why it is bizarre that Devil May Cry 2 is astonishingly worse. The original game had the player navigating a mansion and collecting keys to unlock new passageways and areas. If the player ever got lost, the mission screen would contain a tip and the map would usually point out where to go. While Devil May Cry 2 does not have the player progressing through one giant interconnected area, it still manages to be more confusing. Even though each level is linear and seemingly simple, sometimes the objective is never explained. There are no map objectives or mission tips, you just have to figure out what you are even supposed to be doing. Furthermore, the levels are far more open than the original game, meaning that a large portion of time is spent just walking from place to place.

Enemy variety is woefully sparse compared to the game’s predecessor. There are some enemy types that are just scaled up in health and changed in color. Enemies rarely get more challenging to fight, they just take longer to kill. The bosses are the worst of it. They have gargantuan health bars that are only tickled by your attacks. The only method of dealing substantial damage is by building and activating devil trigger. Most of the bosses are forgettable, but some are so bad that they are legendary. The hilariously uninspired “infested helicopter” is the obvious example of ineptitude. Essentially, this boss can rarely hit the player, but the player can only really damage it through gunfire. It is a 5-10 minute affair of simply holding the shoot button. The only good boss in the entire game is the final boss, the rest are either boring and forgettable or offensively bad.

The thing that makes it evident that Devil May Cry 2 was a rushed mess was its disastrous story. The story is not something that I really care too much about in Devil May Cry, but the lack of any cohesive plot is what indicates that something went terribly wrong in development. There’s very few cutscenes or dialogue or any semblance of logic as to what is happening. You just kind of travel to a bunch of random locations for really no reason. Dante, who is supposed to be a cocky protagonist was completely silent and uninspired. Again, I am not expecting a whole lot of narrative genius in a Devil May Cry game, but the utter absence of any sort of storytelling was just odd. Devil May Cry 2 just feels like it was released a year before it was ready.

While it should be apparent that Devil May Cry 2 is an unmitigated disaster, it does introduce a few interesting things. First, there are two playable characters, each with their own campaign. The campaigns are very similar, but the I like the idea of having a new character with a new moveset. Another interesting addition was that the player has a few new parkour movements such as wall running. Lastly, if they player is low on health and activates devil trigger, they enter “majin form”. This new form is extremely powerful and gives you an option to blast through enemies if you are desperate and low on health. That’s about it for the positives.

Nobody really knows what happened during the development of the disappointing Devil May Cry 2. The original game has become a classic and inspiration for an entire genre. But for some reason, a different team made the follow up game. Devil May Cry 2 is enormously disappointing and offers very few positive aspects. If you do pick up the Devil May Cry Collection, which includes Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 2, and Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening, you can safely skip right over Devil May Cry 2. Trust me, you won’t miss much.

Devil May Cry (2001)

October 3, 2018October 3, 2018 / stephensopinions / Leave a comment

It is well known that Devil May Cry is the grandfather of action games. This game defined the genre and many series today owe their existence to Devil May Cry. While it is a slightly dated game at this point, it still holds up in many aspects. I was genuinely surprised how satisfying and thrilling the gameplay from a 17-year-old game is even compared to modern games. At the very least, all action game players should play through Devil May Cry just to pay homage.

The history of Devil May Cry is fairly interesting, it was originally supposed to be a Resident Evil game, but the developers shifted focus part way through development. They wanted to highlight combat and action rather than horror and suspense, and thus Devil May Cry was born. The roots of Resident Evil are evident, as many aspects of that series is present. Collecting items that essentially function as keys to unlock the next area is an obvious holdover from Resident Evil. It is a solid system that makes the player feel clever when they figure out where to use the item, even if it is obvious. Luckily, it is rarely confusing to figure out where to go next. Devil May Cry guides the player through hints so the player is not left frustrated trying to progress onward.

At the heart of Devil May Cry is its stylish combat. Satisfying sword slashes stringed together with rapid fire gunshots defines the series. The satisfaction when hitting an enemy through visual and audio feedback is phenomenal. Juggling enemies in the air and slaying hordes of hellish creatures fulfills the fantasy of being a badass demon hunter. Devil May Cry is flashy in all the best ways. Even the corny story adds to the enjoyment. Devil May Cry feels like an action flick, complete with cheesy one liners and over dramatic dialogue.

For a 17-year-old game, Devil May Cry has surprisingly deep combat. This is mostly because there are just so many options how to play the game. A variety of weapons and guns to mix and match allows the player to develop their own style. At the center of the combat is “devil trigger”. Devil trigger is built up by dealing or taking damage, and when the gauge is filled enough it allows the player to briefly enter an empowered state. Devil trigger makes the player do more damage, regenerate health, and use special attacks. Furthermore, Devil May Cry has a new game+ option to replay the game on higher difficulties to refine your skills. The base difficulty is already fairly challenging, especially towards the end, but the higher difficulties are very well designed. Instead of only simply increasing enemy health and damage, they revamped enemy layouts in many of the areas. Devil May Cry is a game that is meant to be replayed.

The aspect that surprised me the most about Devil May Cry was its intricate enemy design. While there were limitations that prevented the developers from putting more than one type of enemy on the screen at any given time, this was hardly noticeable due to the quality of the creatures. Visually, contextually, and mechanically, the enemies in Devil May Cry shine. Each archetype boasts a variety of attacks and maneuvers that the player needs to become accustomed to. Enemies can block, dodge, and interrupt your combos, which makes even the simplest encounters nontrivial in execution. The hellish abominations that infest the narrow hallways of Devil May Cry are a cornerstone in the game’s success.

Devil May Cry takes a lot of inspiration from arcade games, mainly in its ranking system. After each mission the player receives a grade based on their combos, damage taken, and speed. This encourages the player to improve their technique, as you are rewarded with “red orbs” for receiving high grades. You can use these orbs the purchase new attacks, upgrades, and items. It was clever to lock some combat techniques behind in-game currency, because it alleviates the barrier of entry that many action games have. Starting a new action game can be daunting because you have to learn a plethora of combos, but Devil May Cry starts simple and lets the player unlock new attacks at their own leisure.

While Devil May Cry has some great aspects carried over from Resident Evil, a fatal flaw was brought along as well. The camera is an issue that has plagued game developers since the dawn of 3D technology in the late 90s, and it is especially bad in Devil May Cry. The stationary camera is a holdover from Resident Evil and it clashes with the fast-paced action. The camera is at its worst when you change from one angle to another, leaving you disoriented and moving in the wrong direction often times. The other issue with Devil May Cry is that it does a poor job at introducing the bread-and-butter mechanics that the player will need. Things like juggling, standard combos, and even shooting are not explained anywhere. I would recommend looking up a quick guide to explain controls if you want to play Devil May Cry. Lastly, Devil May Cry is a product of its time, it is a little clunky to control at times. You cannot change direction in air, and Dante (the main character) is rather rigid. It is far smoother than most games of its age, but is a lot less fluid than more modern games.

To be honest, games from the late 90’s and early 2000’s are usually too dated for me to enjoy fully. The advent of 3D technology was a rough transition for the gaming industry, yet somehow a few games from that time period manage to overcome those issues. Devil May Cry is one of those games. While it definitely is a product of its time with problems such as its camera or lack in fluidity, Devil May Cry is so polished and tightly designed in every other facet that it is easy to look past its age. When I started Devil May Cry, I expected just to play it to become familiar with the series and to understand the roots of the action genre. Instead, I thoroughly enjoyed Devil May Cry and was incredibly impressed by the attention to detail and thoughtful design that was implemented. Once I played Devil May Cry, it was apparent why it spawned an entire genre.