Devil May Cry is often considered to be the king of the action hack-and-slash genre, combining tight and focused high-speed gameplay with a compelling story about the demon slayer Dante and his constant run-ins with the monsters of the underworld. Despite being so popular, the Devil May Cry series isn't actually that accessible, with many of the games encouraging the player to figure out long and chaotic combos on their own, as opposed to holding their hand through the experience.
This is ultimately what makes the core gameplay of these games so rewarding, but it's clear that some were designed to be just a little more brutal and unforgiving in their overall challenge than others. While every Devil May Cry game is centered around the stylish combat, they each have their own mechanics and systems which make them unique, but these can also end up drastically ramping up the difficulty, which is either a good or a bad thing depending on perspective.
10 Hardest Devil May Cry Bosses, Ranked
While slaying groups of demons isn't usually too much of a challenge in the Devil May Cry games, the bosses are a whole different story.
6 Devil May Cry 2
Players Can Complete All Of DMC2 Only Using Dante's Handguns
Devil May Cry 2 is the black sheep of the series, often being mocked for its clunky gameplay and dialogue, but while there are a few interesting story elements and character introductions, the difficulty is so ridiculously easy that it really harms the overall experience. For some reason, Dante's handguns Ebony & Ivory are incredibly strong in this game, meaning that if the player ever somehow gets hit by the slow-moving demons, they can just hang back and fire away to finish the encounter for good.
The bosses are also laughably simple and straightforward, with the Infested Tank being the most infamous example, since it moves far too slowly to ever be truly intimidating or dangerous. Dante's final boss, the flaming phoenix known as Argosax, does at least pose somewhat of a challenge, but the game is a cakewalk for the majority of its runtime.
5 Devil May Cry 5
DMC 5 Provides Players With Plenty Of Tools And Equipment To Help With Demon Encounters
Devil May Cry 5
- Platform(s)
- PS4 , Xbox One , PC , PS5 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S
- Released
- March 8, 2019
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Action
Luckily, the fifth and latest entry in the series is much more difficult than Devil May Cry 2, but it's still not too hard of an experience, so long as players make full use of all the tools and abilities at their disposal. Nero's Devil Breakers can easily change the tide of an encounter, especially some of the more powerful ones like Tomboy and Ragtime, so while there can definitely be some tricky enemies, these can help make them far easier to handle.
9 Most Iconic Quotes From The Devil May Cry Series
In a series packed full of endlessly charismatic characters, it only makes sense that the Devil May Cry games are also known for their iconic quotes.
Dante can be a little harder to get used to because of his four different Styles, but after getting to grips with it, he can run circles around enemy demons, and this goes double for Vergil who has some of the strongest attacks in the entire game. V is by far the hardest character to use, but this is more because his fighting style can feel a little awkward rather than the enemies being too tough. Overall, Devil May Cry 5 provides a decent challenge that can be made much easier by choosing the right weapons ad equipment.
4 DMC: Devil May Cry
The DMC Reboot Features A Few Unique Combat Mechanics That Ramp Up The Difficulty
Ninja Theory's Devil May Cry Reboot might be pretty controversial in its story and characters, but a lot of fans agree that the gameplay itself is actually very enjoyable and quite layered in its mechanics. The most unique aspect of the combat system is that only some weapons can affect certain enemies, meaning Dante will need to keep switching them out on the fly to take out the demons he runs into.
This can be easy at first, but when multiple enemies with large health bars are appearing on the screen at once, it can be a little harder to manage. The game also features a colorful cast of bosses who range from fairly difficult to absolutely brutal in their challenge, with Bob Barbas being a particular stand out. The deeper mechanics and large enemy variety make the DMC reboot a pretty difficult game, even for veterans of the series.
3 Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition
DMC 4 Feels Incredibly Uneven, And Sometimes, Unfair In Its Overall Challenge
The primary reason Devil May Cry 4 is considered so difficult is because the enemies are all designed with Nero in mind, with the newly introduced protagonist having a counter to every enemy archetype. This unfortunately means that Dante feels unusually weak in the game with only a handful of his moved being useful, and Trish and Lady don't fare much better. This doesn't mean the game is smooth sailing for Nero though, as players will still need to know when to make use of his Exceed mechanic which can be difficult to get the hang of.
The Bloody Palace is also a lot more strict with its time limits, making it so much more difficult, and the enemies are overall a lot more aggressive and won't hesitate to use spam attack tactics when they need to. The rushed development of DMC 4 can also show itself in the demons, many of which are far too powerful for their own good. Devil May Cry 4 is still a great game with some truly amazing story moments, and while the combat is fluid and fun, it will still push the player to their absolute limit.
2 Devil May Cry
A Lack Of Red Orbs, Tanky Enemies, And A Clunky Camera Make The First Game Brutally Difficult
The very first Devil May Cry is a game that forces the player to master the combat system if they want any chance of surviving until the very end. Red Orbs, the currency that Dante can use to upgrade his abilities and equipment, are very hard to find in this game, but enemies will drop far more if they are killed with an A or an S rank, which means players will need to get creative with their combos to get stronger.
5 Ways A Devil May Cry 3 Remake Would Change The Franchise
With the many unanswered questions among fans, a Devil May Cry 3 remake could very well be a gateway to reveals many have been anticipating.
At a time when action games were known for their QTEs and button-mash combos, Devil May Cry came along to shake up the entire formula with its unforgiving difficulty and aggressive AI enemies. The game's age does also make it a little harder than it needs to be in some cases, especially the camera which can make boss battles with the likes of Nelo Angelo an absolute nightmare.
1 Devil May Cry 3
A Ridiculously Hard Game To Master, But Also A Very Rewarding One
For anyone who hasn't played a hack-and-slash action game before, the first few hours of Devil May Cry 3 can seem ridiculously difficult, and even unfair, because of the sheer amount of demons that are thrown Dante's way. While there's a brief tutorial at the beginning, it's extremely vague and only covers the basics of the Style system, so the gameplay can seem intimidating right from the get-go. The games challenge doesn't let-up though as it only gets harder as it goes on, with bosses like Agni and Rudra being very difficult to take down, along with the Vergil fight being considered one of the hardest boss battles in video game history. If players die enough times, the game unlocks an easier difficulty.
In between the intense battles are a few puzzles which can range from relatively easy, to downright infuriating, with the most infamous example being the giant ball riddle in Chapter 16 which can be a nightmare to figure out. In order to have any chance of making it to the next level, players will need to have a good grasp of each one of the Styles as they are all designed to deal with specific scenarios and enemies, so it can definitely take a lot of practice to fully master the game. That first playthrough of Devil May Cry 3 can be extremely unforgiving and even daunting at times, but it's this insanely high challenge that makes the game so engaging and rewarding in the first place.
