Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The first hour of Devil May Cry is still a bracing introduction to Capcom’s brand of stylish action. You are thrown into a tougher, more deliberate kind of combat than the series would later become known for, and the satisfaction comes from learning when to commit, when to retreat, and when to make Dante look cool while doing either. Its PS2-era edges are part of the deal, but so is the pleasure of seeing where this action series began.

Devil May Cry 2 is the difficult stop in the middle. It is useful as a piece of the series’ evolution, yet it lacks the same pull as its neighbors in this set. You may find yourself pushing through out of curiosity rather than momentum, which is a perfectly fair way to engage with it. This collection does not hide that unevenness; instead, it puts the franchise’s rough experiment right beside its breakthroughs.

Then Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening – Special Edition arrives and earns the collection’s place on your shelf. It has the confidence, intensity, and replay-friendly combat focus that made Devil May Cry a benchmark for action games. Going straight to it is understandable if you mainly want the strongest game here, but playing the earlier entries first makes its leap forward feel even more dramatic.

Graphics

The PS2 games receive reworked high-definition graphics, making this a cleaner way to revisit Dante’s early adventures across modern platforms. The upgrade helps the collection feel less like a dusty archive, while the underlying game-by-game differences remain apparent.

Story

This is not one continuous new story built for the collection; it is the first three Devil May Cry games gathered together, including Dante’s Awakening – Special Edition. That structure matters because the narrative interest comes from watching the series find its footing over time rather than from a fresh compilation-wide campaign.

The original Devil May Cry carries the intrigue of an opening chapter: it establishes Dante and a dark supernatural world with a direct, game-first attitude. It is concise in the way many PS2 action games were, letting atmosphere and forward movement do much of the work.

Devil May Cry 3 has the greater draw for anyone invested in Dante’s early days. As an origin-era entry, it gives the collection a stronger destination and makes the three-game run feel like more than a simple bundle. Even if the middle installment loses you, the third game supplies a worthwhile payoff.

Overall Experience

Devil May Cry: HD Collection is an uneven package with an excellent final destination. Its strength is not that every included game hits equally hard; it is that you can trace the path from a striking original, through a disappointing detour, to one of the genre’s defining action games without changing discs or generations.

The trophies and achievements give completion-minded fans extra reasons to revisit each entry, while the high-definition reworking makes this the convenient route for console and PC players who want these foundational games together. The collection is especially worthwhile if you have played later Devil May Cry titles and want context for how Dante’s action-game identity was built.

If you only have patience for one game, make it Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening – Special Edition. If you enjoy seeing a series improve in real time, play all three and accept the second as part of the historical record. Afterward, Devil May Cry 4 is a natural next stop for continuing Dante’s high-speed action legacy.

Retro Replay Score

7.5/10