One of Capcom's most beloved franchises, Devil May Cry, has been slowly releasing on the Nintendo Switch. The newest is Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, which was a success when it released on the original PlayStation 2. In the more than a decade since its release, the game has definitely started to show signs of age. However, Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition on the Switch introduces a lot of quality of life fixes and improvements that make it the best version of the game we've seen to date.
Devil May Cry 3 is set before the events of the original Devil May Cry and features a younger Dante facing off against his twin brother Vergil, who has designs for unlocking a gate to the demon realm. After Vergil steals a necklace that belonged to their mother that will open the gate, Dante traverses a sprawling tower to stop his brother from unleashing hell.
In the new Switch version, players can finally play as Vergil in the game's extra mode, Bloody Palace. A series staple, Bloody Palace has the player battle waves of enemies and unlocking new items and costumes based on how far they get. The new Bloody Palace not only has local and online co-op but is set up so it can be played with a single Joy-Con, making local multiplayer that much easier.
Perhaps the most significant quality of life improvement, FreeStyle Mode, finally allows for style switching on the fly. Originally styles could only be changed at checkpoints, but now the various styles are keyed to D-Pad inputs, much like they are in more recent Devil May Cry games. This opens up the ability for players to finally realize Dante's full potential as they pull off bigger and more complicated combos, which can improve the game's combat loop tenfold. FreeStyle Mode also makes the previous grind of leveling up every style much more enjoyable, as you can swap back and forth to Styles that need leveling instead of being stuck.
In addition to FreeStyle Mode, Devil May Cry 3 finally includes weapon switching, so no more waiting for a checkpoint to change out Rebellion for Cerberus. Players have access to all their firearms and Devil Arms during gameplay, which are selected by cycling through them with the shoulder buttons or pulling up a radial menu. The result is a sense of control over combat exponentially greater than the original release, allowing players to tackle enemies and bosses with a more refined style.
Whether you're new to the series, a die-hard fan or just one of the many players who threw down the original release because it was too hard, Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition deserves a look. Despite still looking like a 15-year-old PlayStation 2 game, Capcom has refined the original into the best version of DMC3 to date. That fans are again eating it up is only a testament to the timeless nature of both the game and the franchise as a whole.