<s>
Released	O
from	O
August	O
to	O
December	O
,	O
originally	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
it	O
is	O
the	O
first	O
installment	O
in	O
the	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
story	O
is	O
told	O
primarily	O
through	O
a	O
mixture	O
of	O
cutscenes	O
,	O
which	O
use	O
the	O
game	O
engine	O
and	O
several	O
pre-rendered	O
full	B-Application
motion	I-Application
videos	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
originally	O
conceived	O
by	O
Capcom	O
developers	O
as	O
Resident	B-Application
Evil	I-Application
4	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
staff	O
feeling	O
it	O
would	O
not	O
fit	O
the	O
Resident	B-Application
Evil	I-Application
franchise	O
,	O
the	O
project	O
became	O
its	O
own	O
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
gameplay	O
elements	O
were	O
also	O
inspired	O
by	O
a	O
bug	O
found	O
in	O
Onimusha	B-Application
:	I-Application
Warlords	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
received	O
prominent	O
coverage	O
in	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
media	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
impact	O
it	O
had	O
in	O
the	O
action-adventure	O
genre	O
,	O
its	O
high	O
difficulty	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
high	O
overall	O
scores	O
given	O
to	O
it	O
by	O
professional	O
reviewers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
contains	O
puzzles	O
and	O
other	O
challenges	O
besides	O
regular	O
combat	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
storyline	O
often	O
requires	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
find	O
key	O
items	O
to	O
advance	O
,	O
in	O
a	O
manner	O
similar	O
to	O
puzzles	O
in	O
the	O
Resident	B-Application
Evil	I-Application
games	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
optional	O
platforming	O
and	O
exploration	O
tasks	O
to	O
find	O
hidden	O
caches	O
of	O
"	O
orbs	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
begins	O
with	O
Dante	O
being	O
attacked	O
in	O
his	O
office	O
by	O
a	O
mysterious	O
woman	O
named	O
Trish	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
also	O
obtains	O
two	O
magical	O
weapons	O
,	O
a	O
sword	O
called	O
Alastor	O
and	O
a	O
pair	O
of	O
gauntlets	O
known	O
as	O
Ifrit	O
,	O
and	O
encounters	O
the	O
first	O
of	O
Mundus	O
 '	O
servants	O
,	O
a	O
giant	O
spider/scorpion	O
demon	O
known	O
as	O
Phantom	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
First	O
hinted	O
at	O
in	O
early	O
December	O
1999	O
,	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
started	O
out	O
as	O
the	O
earliest	O
incarnation	O
of	O
Resident	B-Application
Evil	I-Application
4	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
developed	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
directed	O
by	O
Hideki	O
Kamiya	O
after	O
producer	O
Shinji	O
Mikami	O
requested	O
him	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
new	O
entry	O
in	O
the	O
Resident	B-Application
Evil	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
Kamiya	O
felt	O
the	O
playable	O
character	O
did	O
not	O
look	O
brave	O
and	O
heroic	O
enough	O
in	O
battles	O
from	O
a	O
fixed	O
angle	O
,	O
he	O
decided	O
to	O
drop	O
the	O
prerendered	O
backgrounds	O
from	O
previous	O
Resident	B-Application
Evil	I-Application
installments	O
and	O
instead	O
opted	O
for	O
a	O
dynamic	O
camera	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
the	O
developers	O
tried	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
"	O
coolness	O
"	O
theme	O
fit	O
into	O
the	O
world	O
of	O
Resident	B-Application
Evil	I-Application
,	O
Mikami	O
felt	O
it	O
strayed	O
too	O
far	O
from	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
survival	O
horror	O
roots	O
and	O
gradually	O
convinced	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
staff	O
members	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
game	O
independent	O
from	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
new	O
title	O
was	O
revealed	O
as	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
in	O
November	O
2000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
the	O
major	O
gameplay	O
elements	O
were	O
partially	O
inspired	O
by	O
a	O
bug	O
found	O
in	O
Onimusha	B-Application
:	I-Application
Warlords	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
a	O
test-play	O
,	O
Kamiya	O
discovered	O
that	O
enemies	O
could	O
be	O
kept	O
in	O
the	O
air	O
by	O
slashing	O
them	O
repeatedly	O
,	O
which	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
inclusion	O
of	O
juggles	O
by	O
gunfire	O
and	O
sword	O
strikes	O
in	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
director	O
,	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
was	O
designed	O
from	O
the	O
ground	O
up	O
around	O
Dante	O
's	O
acrobatics	O
and	O
combat	O
abilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
decision	O
was	O
made	O
late	O
in	O
the	O
development	O
process	O
to	O
change	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
a	O
more	O
mission-based	O
advancement	O
,	O
instead	O
of	O
the	O
more	O
open-ended	O
structure	O
of	O
the	O
Resident	B-Application
Evil	I-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Eurogamer	O
,	O
an	O
earlier	O
Capcom	O
arcade	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
,	O
Strider	B-Application
(	O
1989	O
)	O
,	O
was	O
a	O
vital	O
influence	O
on	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Retro	O
Gamer	O
,	O
the	O
over-the-top	O
action	O
of	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
draws	O
from	O
Strider	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
received	O
a	O
"	O
Gold	O
"	O
sales	O
award	O
from	O
the	O
Entertainment	O
and	O
Leisure	O
Software	O
Publishers	O
Association	O
(	O
ELSPA	O
)	O
,	O
indicating	O
sales	O
of	O
at	O
least	O
200,000	O
copies	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
July	O
2006	O
,	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
had	O
sold	O
1.1	O
million	O
copies	O
and	O
earned	O
$38	O
million	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
alone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
Generation	O
ranked	O
it	O
as	O
the	O
48th	O
highest-selling	O
game	O
launched	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
Xbox	B-Protocol
or	O
GameCube	B-Application
between	O
January	O
2000	O
and	O
July	O
2006	O
in	O
that	O
country	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Combined	O
sales	O
of	O
the	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
series	O
reached	O
2	O
million	O
units	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
by	O
July	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game	O
Informer	O
summarized	O
their	O
review	O
by	O
saying	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
makes	O
Resident	B-Application
Evil	I-Application
look	O
like	O
a	O
slow	O
zombie	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
nominated	O
for	O
GameSpots	O
annual	O
"	O
Best	O
Action/Adventure	O
Game	O
"	O
prize	O
among	O
console	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
which	O
went	O
to	O
Grand	B-Application
Theft	I-Application
Auto	I-Application
III	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
also	O
frequents	O
several	O
Top	O
Video	O
Games	O
of	O
All	O
Time	O
lists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gamefury	O
,	O
for	O
instance	O
,	O
listed	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
at	O
#31	O
in	O
their	O
Top	O
40	O
Console	B-Application
Games	I-Application
of	O
All	O
Time	O
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2010	O
,	O
IGN	O
listed	O
it	O
at	O
#42	O
in	O
their	O
"	O
Top	O
100	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
Games	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameSpy	O
cited	O
the	O
camera	O
's	O
behavior	O
,	O
the	O
learning	O
curve	O
for	O
the	O
controls	O
,	O
and	O
graphical	O
shortcomings	O
such	O
as	O
flickering	B-General_Concept
and	O
jagginess	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
has	O
spawned	O
a	O
sequel	O
,	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
a	O
prequel	O
,	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
3	I-Application
;	O
both	O
of	O
which	O
have	O
sold	O
more	O
than	O
two	O
million	O
copies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
fourth	O
game	O
,	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
4	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
February	O
5	O
,	O
2008	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
,	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
and	O
PC	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
15	O
,	O
2004	O
,	O
three	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
release	O
,	O
a	O
soundtrack	O
containing	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
music	O
was	O
released	O
alongside	O
the	O
soundtrack	O
to	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Plans	O
for	O
a	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
installment	O
,	O
tentatively	O
titled	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
Series	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
live	O
action	O
film	O
adaptation	O
have	O
been	O
announced	O
,	O
although	O
it	O
was	O
later	O
confirmed	O
in	O
2009	O
that	O
the	O
PSP	B-Operating_System
adaptation	O
of	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
was	O
officially	O
cancelled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
reboot	O
titled	O
DmC	B-Application
:	I-Application
Devil	I-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
2013	O
by	O
Ninja	O
Theory	O
and	O
Capcom	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kamiya	O
considers	O
his	O
2009	O
video	O
game	O
Bayonetta	B-Application
to	O
have	O
evolved	O
from	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
although	O
he	O
played	O
the	O
sequel	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
4	I-Application
when	O
developing	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
2017	O
interview	O
with	O
Dengeki	O
PlayStation	O
,	O
Kamiya	O
expressed	O
interest	O
in	O
making	O
a	O
remake	O
of	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
fifth	O
installment	O
,	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
5	I-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
March	O
8	O
,	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
on	O
June	O
25	O
,	O
2019	O
worldwide	O
and	O
on	O
June	O
27	O
,	O
2019	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
has	O
been	O
cited	O
as	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
a	O
subgenre	O
of	O
arcade-style	O
hack	B-Application
and	I-Application
slash	I-Application
melee	O
focused	O
action-adventure	O
games	O
called	O
"	O
character	O
action	O
"	O
or	O
"	O
Extreme	O
Combat	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
focus	O
on	O
powerful	O
heroes	O
fighting	O
hordes	O
of	O
foes	O
with	O
a	O
focus	O
on	O
stylish	O
action	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
series	O
has	O
become	O
the	O
standard	O
against	O
which	O
other	O
3D	O
action-adventure	O
games	O
are	O
measured	O
,	O
with	O
comparisons	O
in	O
reviews	O
of	O
games	O
including	O
God	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
,	O
Chaos	B-Application
Legion	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Blood	B-Application
Will	I-Application
Tell	I-Application
.	O
</s>
