Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening is a slasher game developed and published by Capcom in 2005 for the PlayStation 2. In 2006, the special edition of the game was ported to PC by SourceNext, with Ubisoft as the publisher.
The story serves as a prequel to the entire series — the events unfold long before the first installment. Dante, the series' main character, is still very young; he has recently opened his own agency and hasn't even thought of a name for it yet. One night, a mysterious stranger arrives with an "invitation" from Vergil, Dante's twin brother. Shortly thereafter, a demonic tower named Temen-Ni-Gru rises up from the ground in the center of the city. Dante heads there, along with another mysterious demon hunter.
Overall, the game retains the classic gameplay of the Devil May Cry series. Dante has access to both melee weapons (five types in total, four of which he obtains throughout the game after defeating bosses) and ranged weapons (also five types). However, killing enemies isn't the main focus of the game. The key is to do it stylishly and diversely. Points can be earned for this, which later contribute alongside other factors (time, damage taken, number of red orbs collected, number of items used) to the final ranking of mission completion (from C to SS, where C is the lowest). Besides battles, the game features puzzles and even platforming elements. There are twenty missions in total, and at the end of almost every mission, players will face a boss fight. In addition to bosses, there are over twenty types of enemies.
Dante has access to six combat styles that define the available moves and the overall way to complete a mission. Four of them (Trickster, SwordMaster, Gunslinger, RoyalGuard) are available from the start and can be enhanced with special red orbs dropped by enemies during missions. As styles improve, new moves become available, and old ones are strengthened. The other two styles (Quicksilver and Doppelganger) become available as the game progresses but cannot be upgraded.
Shortly after the game's release, Capcom released a special edition with additional content and a lowered difficulty based on requests from many players. New features included a new boss - a clown named Jester (previously appeared in the game as a character but not a boss), a new game mode called "Bloody Palace", which represented a long series of survival battles, and the main new addition - the ability to complete the campaign as Vergil. The missions in Dante's twin brother's campaign are the same as those of the famous demon hunter, but he has access to three types of melee weapons (the sword Yamato, Beowulf, and the sword Force Edge), one ranged weapon (spectral blades), and his own fighting style (Dark Slayer). Vergil's campaign also contains 2 new cutscenes.
In Russia, Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening - Special Edition was localized and released by "Nовый Диск" in 2006.