Gameplay

The gameplay consists of levels called "missions", where players must fight numerous enemies, perform platforming tasks, and occasionally solve puzzles to progress through the story. The player's performance in each mission is given a letter grade of A, B, C, or D, with an additional top grade of S. Grades are based on the time taken to complete the mission, the amount of "red orbs" gathered (the in-game currency obtained from defeated enemies), how "stylish" their combat was, item usage, and damage taken.

Dante attacks a foe with Alastor. Note the gameplay elements mentioned in the text.

"Stylish" combat is defined as performing an unbroken series of attacks while avoiding damage, with player performance tracked by an on-screen gauge. The more hits the player makes, the higher the gauge rises. The gauge starts at "Dull"; progresses through "Cool", "Bravo", and "Absolute"; and peaks at "Stylish". The gauge terms are similar to the grades you get at the end of the missions. When the character receives damage, the rating resets back to "Dull". Players can also maintain their grade by taunting enemies at close range. These combat mechanics are used for most of the game, with three areas that are exceptions. The first is an underwater first-person shooter area, where the player battles enemies with a needle gun. Secondly, during the final boss battle, the gameplay switches to a rail shooter-type environment, and finally a similar rail-shooter level is used for the character's escape from the island by airplane.

The player can temporarily transform the character into a more powerful demonic creature by using the "Devil Trigger" ability. Doing so adds powers based on the current weapon and changes the character's appearance. The transformations typically increase strength and defense, slowly restore health, and grant special attacks. It is governed by the Devil Trigger gauge, which depletes as the ability is used, and is refilled by attacking enemies or taunting in normal form.

Devil May Cry contains puzzles and other challenges besides regular combat. The main storyline often requires the player to find key items to advance, in a manner similar to puzzles in the Resident Evil games, as well as optional platforming and exploration tasks to find hidden caches of "orbs". Side quests, called "Secret Missions" in the game, are located in hidden or out-of-the-way areas and are not required for completion, but provide permanent power-ups. They typically challenge the player to defeat a group of enemies in a specific manner or within a time limit. Rewards for all optional puzzles and challenges come in different types of "orbs" which give bonuses such as allowing the player to purchase power-ups, extend the Devil Trigger ability, or boost total health.

Plot

Devil May Cry begins with Dante being attacked in his office by a mysterious woman named Trish. He impresses her by easily brushing off her assault, and tells her that he hunts demons in pursuit of those who killed his mother and brother. She says the attack was a test, and that the demon emperor Mundus, whom Dante holds responsible for the deaths of his family, is planning a return.The scene jumps to their arrival at an immense castle, whereupon Trish abruptly leaps and vanishes over a high wall.

Dante encounters Phantom

Dante explores the castle and encounters the game's stock enemies, demonic marionettes. He also finds a new sword called Alastor, and battles the first boss, a giant spider/scorpion demon named Phantom. Dante wins the battle, but in what becomes a recurring theme, the defeated boss monster reappears a short time later in a corridor, forcing the player to choose a narrow escape or to fight in the tight confines. After further exploration and combat, Dante battles a demon named Nelo Angelo, who impresses Dante with his confidence. The demon wins, but suddenly flees upon seeing the half-amulet Dante wears. The demon attacks twice more in later missions, and is eventually revealed to be Dante's identical twin brother, Vergil. After Vergil's final defeat, his amulet joins with his brother's half, and "Force Edge", the game's default sword which belonged to the twins' father, becomes the powerful Sparda sword.

When Dante next meets Trish, she betrays him and reveals that she too is working for Mundus. But when her life is endangered, Dante chooses to save her. Saying he only did so because of her resemblance to his mother, he warns her to stay away. Yet when he finally confronts Mundus, who is about to kill Trish, Dante again chooses to save her and is injured. Mundus tries to finish him off, but Trish takes the attack instead. This unleashes Dante's full power. Dante and Mundus then battle on another plane of existence.

Dante is victorious, and leaves the amulet and sword with Trish's immobile body before departing. Mundus returns and corners Dante, who is now back to his regular strength, before he can flee the island; Trish also returns and lends Dante her power. Dante defeats Mundus, who vows to return and rule the human world. When Trish tries to apologize she begins to cry, and Dante tells her it means she has become human and not just a devil, because "devils never cry". Dante and Trish escape on a plane as the island collapses. After the credits, it is revealed that Dante and Trish are working together as partners, and have renamed the shop "Devil Never Cry".

Development

Development drawings featuring some scenarios and an early version of Dante.

Devil May Cry began its development life as a Resident Evil title for PS2, after the completion of Resident Evil 2, under the direction of Hideki Kamiya and "Team Little Devil". Early research and development work included a trip to Spain, to examine various castles as a basis for the game's environments. However, in prototype status, the game proved to be a radical departure from the established Resident Evil formula and the survival horror genre in general. Rather than abandon the project entirely, the premise was changed and the game eventually became Devil May Cry.

According to Kamiya, Devil May Cry was designed from the ground up around Dante's acrobatics and combat abilities. The decision was made late in the development process to change the game to a more mission-based advancement, instead of the more open-ended structure of the Resident Evil games. Devil May Cry's difficulty was intentional, according to Kamiya, who called it his "challenge to those who played light, casual games."

Plot

The player starts straight into the action, at a circuit race driving a uniquely styled Acura Integra Type R, easily winning over his opponents...only to be woken up from his daydreaming.

Samantha is the player's friend in the new environment; she shows the player how the console with the races works, who's who, and makes fun of the player's starter car. Eddie (and his orange-metallic Nissan Skyline), is the leader of the Eastsiders and current top racer of the streets, and Melissa is his girlfriend. The rules are simple: 'You win races, you get cool parts. You lose, and you're out'.

Time passes, races are won. The player meets other racers, and eventually gathers a small list of nemeses who continually challenge him and are defeated. He's introduced to TJ, who promises unique vehicle upgrades in exchange of beating time trial challenges; Samantha does the same from time to time, offering unique visual modifications instead.

The player's successive victories don't impress Eddie. First, he mocks the player's skill, saying he has a long way to go to 'roll his streets'. Later in the game, the player builds enough hype to be too hard to ignore, so Eddie challenges him to beat Samantha in a sprint race before coming after him; the player's willingness in going for it infuriates her. Samantha totals her Civic's engine trying to beat the player, unsuccessfully. TJ takes the junked car for himself after the event.

When the player comes close to reaching #1 in all kinds of races, Eddie tries to once again get rid of his rival. Around the same time, the Player sees TJ in Samantha's recovered car, now working again, but vandalized; both run a circuit race worth the other's vehicle, which the player wins. The player returns the car to Samantha to make amends, and she gives the player a choice of a wide body kit for his car.

Right after the touching moment, Eddie challenges the player and loses, like everyone else who ever challenged the player so far. Before any victory can be sung, a mysterious, legendary silver Nissan 350Z challenges the player for a last run through the Market Street circuit. A challenger who, after being beaten by the player, is revealed to be Eddie's girlfriend, Melissa.

That event solidifies the player's status as the new best underground racer in the city.

Gameplay

God of War focuses heavily on combat and puzzle-solving, in the vein of recent "extreme action" games such as Devil May Cry and the sixth-generation Prince of Persia titles. Play control is streamlined, allowing the player to engage with the game quickly.

Though God of War fits neatly into the hack and slash genre, it features several unique improvements, most notably player-character Kratos' weapons, the Blades of Chaos. These curved swords can be swung on chains and function somewhat similar to non-spinning yo-yos when not being used in-hand as "normal" swords; they have a large move-set and allow Kratos great flexibility in combat without changing equipment. Kratos is also able to enter a "fatality" or "takedown" minigame when confronted with a nearly-slain opponent, in which the player must input button presses, joystick spins, or button-mashing, as prompted by the game, in order to defeat the enemy in a cinematic and often bloody fashion. All bosses and most "generic" monsters have such minigames associated with them; completing them often yields life- or magic-bar-restoring power-ups in addition to Experience orbs.

Though he starts with nothing but the Blades of Chaos, Kratos is granted an additional weapon during gameplay (a third is available only during the final battle) and four magic spells for use against opponents. These can be upgraded at any time by redeeming Experience orbs in the Pause menu. Kratos can also become consumed with the "Rage of the Gods," granting him increased speed and power, a large reduction in damage taken, and life restoration. This meter increases with every blow struck or delivered, drains upon activation, and cannot be de-activated mid-use.

God of War is notable for its movie-like presentation. While most epic games suffer from immersion-breaking loading screens, God of War's story mode switches seamlessly from the title screen to FMV sequences to gameplay and back with very little load time. The load times are masked by prefetching the next area as the player traverses a long, relatively featureless area.

Plot

The story begins with Kratos on the tallest cliff in Greece, lamenting that the gods have abandoned him; hopeless, he consigns himself to the waves below. The story then rewinds three weeks into the past; as the game progresses, it also relates Kratos' past through numerous flashbacks. For reasons of simplicity, this summary covers all of these events in chronological order.

Kratos is a fearsome Spartan warrior, unmatched in strategy, tactics and ferocity; such was his success that his original fifty-man group grew into an army of thousands. However, in a battle against a barbarian horde, his army was massacred, and, in desperation, Kratos offered his life and service to Ares, the God of War, in exchange for salvation. Ares, sensing enormous power in Kratos, accepted his offer and destroyed the barbarians. He also granted Kratos the Blades of Chaos, whose chains are seared to Kratos' arms. Kratos, now Ares' servant, led his Spartans in conquering much of Greece.

In his final battle, Kratos' army came across a village that worshiped the goddess Athena and put the residents to the sword. Despite his own foreboding feelings and the warnings of the local oracle, Kratos personally entered the village's temple and slaughtered all within. Unfortunately, after his blood-lust cleared, he realized that his two last victims had been his beloved wife and daughter; Ares had engineered the battle to sever the last of Kratos' humanity and turn him into a perfect warrior: the incarnation of death itself. Despite this, Kratos renounced his service to Ares and began to wander the Aegean, lamenting his deeds and serving the gods of Olympus for ten years in exchange for redemption from his sins.

The player becomes involved in Kratos' story as he is approaching the city of Athens, under siege by Ares' army. After a battle with the Hydra, Kratos moves into the city and attempts to save it at Athena's behest. Using clever wording she tricks Kratos into helping the defending Athenian forces, believing that his haunting nightmares will cease, when in fact all the gods plan on doing is rewarding him for his efforts but never forgiving his horrible past. He fights his way through the attacking forces to find the Oracle of Athens, and learns from her that only Pandora's Box can give a mortal the power to kill a god. Unfortunately, due to the gods' fear of this object, the box is locked deep within the Temple of Pandora, a murderous edifice constructed on the back of the Titan Kronos, who wanders the Desert of Lost Souls.

Kratos battling Undead Legionaries

Kratos makes his way to the Temple, defeating many foes and evading the many traps built into the Temple, and recovers Pandora's Box (a process that contains most of the game's content). However, as he pushes the Box out of the Temple, Ares senses his success and slays him with a thrown pillar. Kratos, despite this, is able to escape the Underworld and return to the mortal realm, conveniently in Athens, where he regains Pandora's Box and confronts Ares.

When Kratos wins their opening exchange, Ares attempts to drive Kratos mad by making him relive the death of his family. Ares traps Kratos in an illusion of that ill-fated temple and then forces him to defend his family against murderous clones of Kratos himself. When Kratos succeeds, Ares strips the Blades of Chaos from Kratos' arms and impales Kratos' family with them before dissolving the illusion. Freed from his own mind but now weaponless, Kratos is at the mercy of Ares until he spots the Blade of the Gods, serving as an ornamental bridge inside Athens. As he pulls it out, he engages in a sword battle with Ares. After being defeated, Ares reminds Kratos that he helped him in his time of need and then told him he was trying to make him a great warrior. Kratos responds: "You succeeded", then runs Ares through with the sword through his neck and chest. Ares collapses, and dies in a massive explosion.

After receiving congratulations from the Gods, Kratos asks Athena to remove the nightmares of his past. Athena explains that the gods can only forgive him for his sins; the nightmares are beyond anyone's power to remove. Feeling abandoned, Kratos climbs to the bluffs overlooking the Aegean Sea and tosses himself over the edge, bringing the story full circle. However, as he plummets through the waves below, he is pulled out by Athena. He has served the gods well, she explains and the Gods cannot allow one to die who has done them such a great service, and there is a throne on Olympus that lacks an occupant: the one belonging to the God of War...

Characters

Kratos The main character, a ruthless, powerful Spartan warrior who swears revenge against Ares for betraying him and for making him turn his sword on his wife and daughter. Athena The goddess of wisdom, arts and war and the patron goddess of Athens. She guides Kratos on his quest, though she speaks only through statues of herself (The true Athena only appears in the game's sequel). Ares The God of War who caused Kratos to murder his own family, and is now the target of his revenge. The Village Oracle An oracle of the village that Kratos and his men burned to the ground. She bears a glowing Omega necklace, hinting that she works for/is Ares, and warned Kratos of going into the temple, as his wife and child were inside. She had attached the ashes of his dead family to his skin after their death. It is unknown what happened to her afterwards. The Oracle of Athens A servant to Athena who seeks to help Kratos in his quest to vanquish Ares. It was she who told Kratos of Pandora's Box and where it was located, sending him through the Desert of Lost Souls to find The Sirens. (It should be noted that in actual Greek mythology, there is no "Oracle of Athens"; however, there is the Oracle of Delphi who serves Apollo, not Athena. It is probable that the makers of God of War simply decided to use the title "oracle" to denote the high priestess of any given location.) The Grave Digger A mysterious man digging a grave on the edge of Athens, his exact agenda is unknown when he is first encountered. Later in the game, he is discovered to be digging an opening to Hades, which Kratos uses to escape. His dialogue implies that he is one of the gods of Olympus. The Body Burner An ambulatory rotting corpse, self-described as the first mortal to enter the Temple of Pandora as well as the first to die in it. Punished by the Gods to burn the bodies of all who die in the temple, he is immortal of spirit but not of body. He is also the only person who can unlock the doors of the Temple. The Architect, Pathos Verdes III a zealot who, according to the Body Burner, lived only to serve the gods but went mad trying. He constructed the entire Temple of Pandora while slipping deeper into madness, having either lost or sacrificed both of his sons to its construction. Towards the end of the Temple, Kratos discovers the corpses of both Pathos Verdes and his wife. In the architect's madness, he murdered his wife and then committed suicide. Kratos and the Architect share similarities in that they are both servants of the gods who lose their families (and perhaps their minds) in service to the gods of Olympus. Kratos' Wife and Child In the past, they were the only people who did not fear Kratos, yet both were sadly slain due to Ares' treachery and Kratos' bloodlust. They reappear later as a cruel illusion forged by the God of War in an attempt to defeat Kratos in battle when Kratos proved stronger than Ares thought. They were killed again when the Blades of Chaos were commanded to impale them by their master, The God Of War. The Narrator An unseen, omniscient voice that narrates the story of Kratos to the gamer throughout the game's cutscenes. In God of War II it is revealed that the narrator is actually the voice of Gaia the Titan, who has been watching Kratos' exploits through the story in the first game.

Common enemies

Undead Legionnaire Ares' army of the undead. Dressed in the armor of ancient Greek warriors, they appear as demonic skeletons with bits of decaying flesh clinging to their bones. A frequently encountered enemy, they sometimes come in clusters and are quite varied; early on they wear little armor and wield short swords, but as the game progresses, they begin to appear wielding larger swords and wearing heavier armor, and eventually end up wielding massive shields and scythes. Undead Archers A unique variety of Undead Legionaires, they engage Kratos in combat by attacking him from afar with flaming arrows that explode on impact, and carry no swords, shields, or other melee equipment. They usually appear either in pairs or in groups. Though their arrows are strong, and Kratos can easily be killed in a barrage of them, the archers are among the physically weakest of the legionaires when engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Minotaurs A species of anthropomorphic bulls, appearing to be about eight feet tall. They walk on their hind legs and carry a variety of massive axes. Over the course of the game, the Minotaurs Kratos encounters become larger, more powerful, and more heavily armored and well armed. Kratos can kill them by thrusting a sword in their open mouths and out the back of their heads. Cyclops Squat giants with a single eye in the middle of their foreheads. They resemble the stereotypical depiction of cave men. They attack Kratos either with their fists or with giant clubbed weapons. Harpies Monsters with the heads of bald, deformed women, and the bodies of bats. They usually appear in large groups to attack Kratos. Individually weak, they can easily overpower Kratos as part of a group attack. In addition to biting and slashing Kratos with their fangs and talons, they can cause their own bodies to start on fire and dive bomb Kratos. Wraiths The vengeful ghosts of those who died in combat opposing Ares; utterly consumed by the rage in which they died, they now attack any living thing that comes near them. They appear as eyeless, emaciated humans with decaying flesh and bladed arms. Instead of legs, their waists terminate in clouds of black smoke from which they float. They can collapse themselves into this smoke and float around beneath the earth, exploding up from beneath Kratos' feet to attack him. Gorgons Humanoid-sized, green, lizard-like creatures with the torsos of women and the bodies of snakes; instead of hair, their heads are covered by masses of writhing asps. They emit beams of energy from their eyes which can turn living things to stone. Sirens Creatures which resemble deformed women with long bangs obscuring their monstrous faces. Dressed in flowing white tunics, they float around the Desert of Lost Souls, singing songs to lure treasure hunters to them, and then killing said treasure hunters. Their death shrieks emit sonic waves which reveal and open the path to Pandora's Temple. Another group of Sirens later attacks Kratos just before Pandora's Temple, and later on inside the temple. Satyrs Giant, anthropomorphic goats 6-7 feet tall that walk about on their hind legs. Skilled warriors, they wear heavy armor and wield giant ornate staves with large blades on either end, which they either use as axes or to attack with spinning motions. They are the most skilled enemies in the game in terms of hand-to-hand combat, and the most capable of putting up a sustained defense against Kratos' attacks. Centaurs Servants of Hades, they only appear in the section of Pandora's temple built to honor him, and in the pits of Hades itself. They are half human, half horse; their human half is comprised of a demonic, armored man from the head to the waist. The waist transitions into a horse's body, the human half of the centaur taking place of the horse's head and neck. They wield swords, spears and sometimes have bows and arrows which they shoot as they circle around you. Cerberi Giant, three-headed demonic dogs/wolves about 8-10 feet tall that breathe fire. They are the most physically powerful enemy that Kratos faces. They can also spawn infant Cerberi, which rapidly mature into Cerberi if not killed. Cerberi Litter Tiny, puppy-like demonic dogs that breathe fire and are capable of curling themselves into a ball, engulfing themselves in fire, and lunging at an enemy. Left alive, they rapidly mature into Cerberi.

Bosses

The Hydra A massive sea serpent roughly the size of a small island, with innumerable heads; one head is significantly larger than the rest and sits central on the serpent's body, directing the movements of the other heads and, as stated by one sailor, reviving them as well. As the game's main narrative begins, Kratos has been assigned by Poseidon, god of the sea, to kill the beast, which has been challenging his sovereignty by destroying ships and killing sailors. Kratos kills it by impaling the dominant head on the mast of a ship; when the main head dies, the rest follow, bursting open in grisly fashion. Medusa The queen of the Gorgons. Medusa resembles the minor Gorgons in shape and size but her skin is colored pink instead; she has the ability to turn others to stone with her gaze. Aphrodite promises to grant you Medusa's power if you are able to defeat her. Hades' Minotaur A 20 foot tall, skeletal minotaur wearing nearly impenetrable armor. It guards the tomb of the Architect's son in the segment of the Temple of Pandora dedicated to Hades. Judging by the fact that a ballista is present in the Guardian's chamber, it was apparently placed there as a final test to anyone who had made it that far through the temple in an attempt to claim Pandora's Box. Kratos kills it by first chipping away its armor and then firing the ballista at it, impaling it to a door; in its death throes, the beast's hoof smashes open a sealed door, allowing Kratos to proceed. Ares The Greek god of war, Ares appears as a gigantic man whose head touches the clouds. His hair and chinstrap beard are made of fire and he wears battle armor. Prior to his confrontation with Kratos, he reveals that he has two rows of spider-like "legs" made of iron protruding from his back. Kratos faces him twice, once in hand to hand combat, and then in a sword duel.