The game's story focuses on the player character Dante, a young drifter who secretly hunts demons, who live among and rule over humans.

Players can use Dante's iconic sword, Rebellion, and signature handguns, Ebony and Ivory, as well as a variety of other melee weapons and firearms to defeat enemies.

Capcom chose Ninja Theory to develop the game, assisting them to ensure that gameplay was reminiscent, but distinct, compared to previous titles.

Early reaction to the game was widely negative, generally as a result of Dante's visual redesign and the drastic change in the tone of his character; nevertheless, DmC received positive reviews from critics upon release, but less favorable reception among fans.

[3] Like previous games in the series, Dante can perform combos by attacking with his sword, Rebellion, and shooting with his twin pistols, Ebony and Ivory.

When enough power has been gathered, Dante can activate Devil Trigger mode, which slows down time around him and levitates enemies into the air, allowing him to perform much stronger attacks.

Living on the fringes of society is Dante, a young man aware of the existence of demons, devoting himself to fighting them in secret but otherwise wasting his life by indulging in junk food and sex.

One day, Dante is warned by a young woman named Kat that he is in danger, just as a Hunter demon drags him into Limbo and smashes his trailer parked at the end of Bellevue Pier.

Along the way, Kat explains that Vergil leads "The Order", an organization intent on exposing the demons and releasing the world from their control.

Sparda spirited his sons to safety, wiped their memories for their own protection, and gave each a sword (Rebellion for Dante, Yamato for Vergil).

Mundus then captured Sparda and condemned him to eternal torture while vowing to hunt down Dante, unaware of Vergil's existence.

After learning of his past by visiting his family's decrepit mansion, Dante resolves to help Vergil bring down Mundus and his regime.

During the final stages of his campaign, Dante witnesses a SWAT team raid the Order's headquarters, killing all of Vergil's followers.

He, Dante, and Kat narrowly escape as Mundus tears much of the city apart in an outburst of power that weakens the "Hellgate", a portal to the demon world within his stronghold in Silver Sacks Tower.

With Mundus dead, Vergil reveals his true intentions: he intends to rule humanity in the demon king's place.

[18] Ninja Theory's creative director Tameem Antoniades stated that DmC's system would contain mechanics that would set him apart from other action titles, in particularly Bayonetta, developed by PlatinumGames and directed by the creator of Devil May Cry, Hideki Kamiya.

The idea of a town being alive that wishes to kill the player added a new element never seen before in the Devil May Cry series.

[19] The actions of Limbo City are inspired by previous Devil May Cry games, where the environments would close whenever Dante was surrounded by enemies.

[9] Combat designer Rahni Tucker commented on how newcomers to the series have difficulties understanding how advanced players from the classic Devil May Cry games could perform several combos that combined multiple skills and weapons.

As a result, she designed the combat to appeal to newcomers so that they could easily perform elaborated combos, while still offering gameplay that experienced players would enjoy.

Capcom became heavily involved in the combat system to ensure the character's responsive moves and add new air combos never seen before in the franchise.

They wanted to aid the Ninja Theory developers in making DmC play more like the previous Devil May Cry games.

[18] The final model was inspired by Christopher Nolan's film The Dark Knight as Tameem Antoniades from Ninja Theory commented they wished to make the character realistic.

[27] In an interview published by Official Xbox Magazine, Jones explained that he has received numerous death threats in the form of comic books and a metal song due to the controversial decision to reboot the series.

[29][30] In May 2012, Capcom announced they expect the game to ship 2 million copies by the ending of this fiscal year without giving yet a proper release date.

The bundle also unlocks two in-game perks, Orb Harvester and Item Finder, plus gives the player three upgrade points.

Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated DmC: Devil May Cry for "Action Game of the Year".

Otero called the combat flexible, and thought that the developer had created a lot of memorable levels and stages with the use of Limbo.

[64] Otero praised Ninja Theory for removing some of Dante's old and unappealing personalities, and making him a protagonist that is approachable for players.

[70] With the announcement of Devil May Cry 5, producer Matt Walker reiterated that while Capcom is returning to the original series "this isn't a slight at Ninja Theory or DmC at all.