If that wasn't enough (and it really would have been) this new release also adds in the ability to play the Blood Palace challenge rooms – unlocked after you complete the opening mission – in local co-op, with one player assuming the role of Dante whilst the other plays as Vergil. It's the same with Nevan, Beowulf, the Cerberus and every other big encounter in the game the devilishly clever design always offers an easier path if you've been paying attention and have mastered your skills to that point in the proceedings. Get up close and personal, though, and you'll soon discover they can be put away in surprisingly short order with a couple of well-timed dodges and a sword clash that sees them lose their footing temporarily. You can bash your head off these two big lads for ages if you go about things sheepishly and in a stand-off manner. The Agni and Rudra fight, one of the earlier big tests in the game, is a perfect example. At first overwhelming – especially on higher difficulties – they become a joy as you experiment with and observe each boss, eventually revealing some Achilles heel for Dante to take advantage of.

For the most part properly (but never insurmountably) challenging, these are the types of beautifully-designed face-offs that are a delight to engage with. The boss battles here really do deserve special praise. What follows is a breathless chase from the bottom to the top of the mysterious tower of Temen-Ni-Gru, several epic face-offs between the brothers, a brief sojourn in the guts of a pretty angry leviathan, the obligatory interdimensional hijinks and some truly excellent boss battles that will test your skills to the max. Set ten years before the first installment in the series, Devil May Cry 3's story sees a young Dante hot on the heels of his brother Vergil and the mysterious Arkham, both of whom are out to open a portal between the human and demonic worlds using Vergil's half of the brother's family heirloom. It calms down just a little after this – temporarily, at least – and throws a puzzle or two in so you can get your bearings, but over the course of its roughly fifteen-hour running time, this one is 100% all about the high octane action, flashy combos and big, beautiful boss battles, with a pace that never really lets up over the course of the twenty missions that see you through to its end. Dante, a heavily subdued grump in the second game, is immediately back to his wise-cracking, arrogant, half-naked self and the first three missions waste absolutely no time in putting players through their paces with a non-stop blast of intense close-quarters action against a heady mix of enemy types – and even a very early mini-boss – before you've really even had a chance to consider just what exactly is going on. From the moment things kick off here, you can sense this is a series that's got its mojo back.

Game devil may cry 3