Dominic Matthews explains DmC’s themes
Rock, Paper, Shotgun had the opportunity to sit down with Ninja Theory and learn a bit more about some of the motivations behind the design of DmC: Devil May Cry, specifically from a narrative perspective. Ninja Theory’s Dominic Matthews states that rebellion, the name of Dante’s sword, encapsulates the theme of DmC. Dante is not just fighting a Demon God in Mundus, he’s battling corporate America. Parallels to also drawn to obvious references like They Live, and less obvious references like British satire.
He goes on to say: “It seems that games are perceived to be for kids and should never tackle themes a Saturday morning cartoon wouldn’t. It would be pretty depressing and limiting if all developers accepted that as the status quo. Our games are being played by intelligent adults, so there is no reason why we can’t treat them as such.”
Matthews reiterates that Capcom instructed them to take Dante in a new “fresh direction” from a “contemporary western movie.” Well, mission accomplished, because Dante felt like a fairly wooden protagonist in a typical “hero’s journey” Michael Bay film. As I’ve said before, I enjoyed the new Devil May Cry from a gameplay perspective even if it didn’t measure up to the bar the past entries have set. I’m still playing it, and currently I’m working on the Dante Must Die difficulty.
If you’re itching to play more, the costume DLC just dropped today. You can look forward to our coverage of the Bloody Palace title update and a full impressions post on the Vergil DLC as well! In the meantime, you can read the interview for a full look at what Ninja Theory tried to accomplish.
Reimagining Evil: Ninja Theory On DmC’s Cultural Satire [Rock, Paper, Shotgun]
