The Philosophy And Meaning of DMC 3 (+ Mini Reboot rant!)

Now I know fighting and action/adventure games aren't usually the deepest of stories out there. Devil May Cry is no exception, but people still miss out the core ideas at the heart of the title. This covers the original story only and excludes the reboot for reasons I will explain later. I will be running through some points in chronological order of the games.

DMC is a series that delves deep into the cause and effect of emotions as well as family, loss, fate and humanity. As a whole the entire series contains a startling message that serves as good food for thought.

Family and Fate (DMC3)

Dante sets off to respond to an 'invitation' from his brother via Arkham. You can see clearly at the start of the game that Dante is only in the adventure for the ride, he's doing it for the thrill. At the beginning of it all he doesn't care about Vergil or Arkham, he's just out to kill some demons and have a good time while making cheesy jokes. He travels through the Temen-Ni-Gru, ascending upwards killing all the demons he encounters until he reaches the top, where his brother awaits. From the start of their interaction the game changes and enters a completely new realm, and this is where the symbolism starts (Outside of mission numbers in cut-scenes).

The music changes drastically, going from heart pumping action music to this epic but somewhat sad tune. The instruments are the same but the result is breathtaking, contrasting to everything heard beforehand. And it is also apparent in the environment. Atop the huge tower is the moon dominating everything, casting an ominous glow over the battleground. The moon is often used in the DMC universe to be meaningful to their demon side, sometimes casting their demon shadow even when not in devil trigger. This is significant as Vergil has accepted and embraced his demon side openly, and tries to live up to the legacy their father left for them. Essentially, the moon signifies the presence of a devil, and is also coincidentally the battle when Dante 'unlocks' his devil form.

Symbolism can also be found between the two brothers themselves. Normally, Vergil styles his hair back to try and look like Sparda. Ironically, he has a small part of stubborn fringe that will not stay back no matter what he does to stop it. This goes further, as when his hair is disturbed during battle it falls down to look nearly identical to Dante's hair. I believe this has to do with showing their similarities symbolically, this is further backed up by the sword clash before Dante is defeated, both trying to force their way through to each other in the same way. This theory is supported by their conversation beforehand:

Dante- "So... this is what they call a heartwarming family reunion, eh?"
Vergil- "You got that right."

Vergil proceeds to re-style his hair, but not before he rests his head against the amulet with his eyes closed in what looks like a moment of remembrance to his mother. After Vergil escapes with Dante's half of their family amulet and Dante unveils his DT, things become more or less like they were before their battle. Dante goes back to battling demons and killing bosses while making puns and jokes once more. Though this time sporting an altered motive for doing so. He's not in it just for the fun anymore, he's suspected something bigger at work and is looking for payback against his brother, the adventure is now a bit more personal.

Especially with the addition of Lady, the female protagonist introduced early in the game (Also my favourite female protagonist in gaming). But we learned just before Dante and Vergil's first battle that Arkham is actually her father, who sacrificed her mother to become a demon. She is also on a mission for payback. She encounters Dante after the battle and attempts to kill him as she mistakenly thought he took her revenge away from her by killing her father when it was in fact, Vergil. She mentions her ideals on family and that it was 'all supposed to end by her hand'. Arkham then leads Lady to Vergil before faking his death again to her.

Not long later Vergil and Dante fight again. The music holds that same sad emotion to it, and by this point the battle with Vergil seems incredibly personal. The game always puts Vergil one step ahead of the player on power and ability, forcing Dante to desperately dodge and avoid loosing lots of health to his powerful attacks, yet Dante persists. Even to the point of which Lady interrupts and joins the three-way fight until both the demons become exhausted, when Arkham reveals he is not dead, and has used an alternate identity to play them all along. He activates the hell-gate to get to Sparda's power before Vergil can and leaves all of them behind.

Again Lady talks to Dante of family values, saying a demon like him 'wouldn't understand'. To which Dante responds that he now understands why she fights even through unfavourable odds to do something Dante could do much easier... Later they meet once more, for the last time before the end. This is the turning point in the game. Lady states this:

Lady- "... My soul is screaming at me, demanding me to kill him. That's enough to keep me going." These words and the following fight teach both Dante and the player a lesson. Dante fully realises what he might have to do and the full repercussions of it could be. He finally understands what is important about stopping his brother and why it is so meaningful to him. Here he realises that his life is destined for much bigger things.

He then fights Arkham and Vergil assists him halfway through the battle, even performing another two symbolic acts. First is when they have to briefly use one-another's swords to kill him, and the second is at the phrase: "Jackpot!"... The phrase they say as they finish him when Dante asks: "Remember what we used to say?" At this question Vergil actually smiles and chuckles a little as well. That's a massive turn around from the uber-serious and cold manner he had adopted for the rest of the game. It is also the second time after his moment with the amulet that he shows he still does care about his family beyond his father's legacy. And that's incredibly deep. He looks cold and unforgiving on the outside, but at his core he is still in grief and unrest about his family, Just like Dante is.

And even after you defeat him once and for all to an epic full orchestral theme tune and the portal back to the human realm closes, he gives one last sign he cares. He ditches the power of Sparda and regains his mother's amulet. He spent years working towards that power and even though he desires it more than anything in the world, he still leaves it behind over the amulet. And then allows his brother to survive by trapping himself in the demon world, smirking as he leaves his brother with a second cut on the hand and a ripped glove before falling deeper into Hell.

Vergil's final words to Dante- "Leave me and go, if you don't wanna' be trapped in the demon world. I'm staying. This place was our father's home..."

Vergil... He's ruthless, cunning and cold, but he still has a heart, and is selfless enough to allow his younger brother to live happily over himself because he still loved him. He's one of the most real villains of all time. He proved he was above the demons of Hell, and proved he still retained some of his former humanity by showing he had a heart and a soul. Something precious only humans have. That's what separated him from a monster, separates us all from monsters. It's the strength that drove him forward, drove Dante forward, drove Lady forward. That is what being a human is about.

Lady cried after she finished off her battle-weakened father... "Here I thought I wasn't gonna' cry."
Dante cried after his brother sacrificed himself so Dante could live on happier. "Are you crying?"
"Devils Never Cry."
"I see... Maybe out there even a Devil May Cry when he loses a loved one, don'tcha think?"
"Maybe..."

Tears are a gift only humans have, people. Treasure it.

And this is what bugs me about DmC, the reboot of the series. Dante was a Nephilim in that game, there was nothing human about him! He's supposed to be realising his human 'side' at the end yet he may as well be a fucking alien to us! That game butchers the very philosophy Devil May Cry created on a personal level. There's no depth to any of the characters and it feels nothing like a DMC story should do. It should be about doing what you think is right no matter the cost, and proving that the heart and soul can overcome incredible odds over savagery and heartlessness.

Hell, I wouldn't have cared if it was a detective game about a half-breed detective researching about the demons who murdered his family as long as it covered the right philosophy! It's certainly more interesting than what Ninja Theory shat out of their ass, that's for sure.

And I shall leave you on that, goodnight people.

Comments

[The laid back hunter]

I've always liked Vergil more because of how he was trying to protect his family and himself even if he doesn't know it.