Devil May Cry 4

Devil May Cry 4 is a 2008 action-adventure game from Capcom, which both developed and published it. The fourth mainline entry in the Devil May Cry series, its story was written by Bingo Morihashi and directed by Hideaki Itsuno. The plot centers on Nero, a young man with demonic abilities, who sets out to stop the series' usual protagonist, Dante, after Dante kills the leader of the Order of the Sword. Players control both Nero and Dante across the game, using demonic powers and various weapons to fight enemies. This was the first game in the series released at the same time on multiple platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows. During development, Capcom used the MT Framework engine to ensure each version looked the same. A team of about eighty people made the game. Nero was created to draw in new players, but Dante's popularity made it difficult for the developers to relegate him to a supporting role.

Critics received Devil May Cry 4 positively, praising its tough difficulty, visuals, and Nero as a new lead. Complaints focused on backtracking during Dante's sections and a problematic camera. The game sold over three million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling title in the series until its sequel arrived. Bingo Morihashi adapted the story into a two-volume light novel. An iOS version, *Devil May Cry 4: Refrain*, came out in February 2011. A remastered version, *Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition*, launched in June 2015, adding the option to switch between English and Japanese voice tracks in the Japanese release, improved visuals and textures, re-balanced gameplay, extra costumes, and three bonus playable characters: Vergil, Lady, and Trish. A sequel, *Devil May Cry 5*, was released on March 8, 2019.

Gameplay in *Devil May Cry 4* follows the series' pattern. Players fight through linear missions, sometimes solving puzzles or collecting items. Each mission earns a grade from D (lowest) to A, then S, SS, and SSS (highest). Grades depend on items used, Red Orbs collected, time taken, and Style Points earned. The stylish grade appears on-screen, starting at "Deadly" (D) and moving through "Carnage" (C), "Brutal" (B), "Atomic" (A), then "Smokin'" (S), "Smokin' Style" (SS), and finally "Smokin' Sick Style" (SSS). The game emphasizes stylish combat through unbroken combos of varied attacks while avoiding damage.