Five Video Games Inspired by Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy

In 2021, the 700th anniversary of Dante Alighieri's death, Artribune highlights five video games that draw from his Divine Comedy, focusing almost exclusively on the Inferno. The earliest is Dante's Inferno (1986) by Denton Designs for Commodore 64, a labyrinthine adventure where a pilgrim navigates hell's circles. The Devil May Cry series (starting 2001) by Capcom, created by Hideki Kamiya, features protagonist Dante and brother Vergil, with character names referencing Beatrice, Lucia, and Mary; the series has sold 24 million copies as of January 2021, with the latest entry, Devil May Cry 5 (2019) by Hideaki Itsuno, available on PC, PlayStation 4/5, and Xbox One/Series S/X. Dante's Inferno (2010) by Visceral Games and Electronic Arts for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PSP reimagines Dante as a crusader battling demons to save Beatrice, featuring a three-headed worm Cerberus; it spawned an animated film and comic adaptation. Malebolgia (2015) by Jochen "DascuMaru" Mistiaen and Michael S Weber combines horror, Dark Souls-style combat, and minimalist graphics, set in a demonic palace inspired by the eighth circle of hell; available on PC and Mac. Dante's Inferno (2020) by Andrea Rosini and Artem Gulyaev, developed at the University of Europe for Applied Sciences in Berlin, offers a psychoanalytic take on the first canto, where Dante faces three beasts and is guided by Virgil as an analyst; available free on PC.