The Fetish is an enemy in Devil May Cry. It is similar to the Marionette, but is a more powerful demon controlling a body created by evil hands.
Description
The Fetish is of the same overall build as a Marionette, particularly sharing the oversized arms, but is larger and with a more inhuman appearance, the head joined directly to the front of the torso giving the demon a hunchbacked look. Their body and limbs are wrapped in metal bands and the creature wears gold bracelets around its wrists and ankles. The feet are paw-like with large claws, while the head is a bird-like beak, with a messy plume of feathers extending back from it, with more feathers at the creature's ankles and elbows. The middle of a Fetish's chest is built like a cage, with the interior glowing an eerie blue with a sparkling electricity-like aura.
The Fetish carries a pair of weapons similar to the crescent blades of a Marionette, but with the "spokes" extending beyond the edge of the weapon, each ending in a burning orange flame. The Fetish has the power to project these fiery weapons like yo-yos, or to use them as shields to block Dante's attacks.
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- Although they appear similar to the Marionettes, they have much greater evil powers. They are not the works of a man, but they appear to have been created by an evil entity. (Encounter enemy)
- The strange weapons engulfed in flames are projected like yo-yos. Even if you dodge the first pass, watch out for the second pass. (Have a Fetish perform this attack)
- Using their speed, they will grab the player's head with their bird like beaks. Wiggle the Left Stick on the controller to shake them off. (Allow a Fetish to successfully perform its grapple move. Requires Dante to not be in Devil Trigger mode)
- They will make an evil war cry to immobilize those near them. When a prey is immobilized by their attack, the others will relentlessly attack the prey without mercy. (Allow Dante to be caught by the stun attack. Requires Dante to not be in Devil Trigger mode)
- The flames that shoot out from their mouths are difficult to avoid. Since they are smarter then the Marionettes, monotonous attacks will only make them retaliate with their flames. (Have a Fetish perform its flamethrower attack)
Strategy
Fetishes appear on all difficulties except Easy Automatic, and are much more frequent on higher difficulties. On Normal difficulty they will first appear with an introductory cutscene in Mission 09: New Strength after the first fight with Griffon (the cutscene is skipped in Easy Automatic mode and only Marionettes are present), while on higher difficulties they are present right from Mission 01: Curse of the Bloody Puppets.
Their abilities are as follows:
- Fast move: The Fetish lifts up on its puppet strings and glides rapidly along the ground. This move is of a fixed duration and the Fetish cannot cancel out of it, meaning it will spend some time rubbing up against Dante if it starts doing it at close range.
- Stun: The Fetish stops moving briefly, then lets out a scream which forms a spherical "bubble" around it. If Dante is in this bubble, he will be strung up on puppet strings and briefly rendered helpless. Wiggle the left analog stick to break free faster. Dante is immune to this attack while Devil Trigger is active.
- Slash: The Fetish performs one or two highly telegraphed overarm slashes.
- Fire wheels: The Fetish leans back, making a more metallic whirling noise than a normal Marionette, and then throws its weapons forwards a set distance. They will spin in mid-air fixed in place for a short time before returning to the Fetish's hands, with the creature swinging them above its head as it catches them.
- Flamethrower: This move can occur in two ways: unprompted, the Fetish will rear right back to the point it is resting its hands on the ground behind it, then flip its upper body forward to breathe flames. It can also perform the move after a block while it has its weapons raised up in front of its face: the player should always assume it is going to do this if it blocks an attack. The flame effect lasts for some time.
- Grapple: The Fetish pounces on Dante and rapidly pecks at his head with its beak: after a while Dante will shake it off, grab it by the neck and throw it to the ground. Can turn into a death animation if Dante is at critical health. As with stun, Dante is immune to this attack while Devil Trigger is active.
- Spin: The Fetish extends its arms and starts to spin on the spot, then spins towards Dante, collapsing at the end of the move.
- Block: The Fetish blocks with its weapons. It always counters with its flamethrower attack. It can only block attacks coming from its frontal arc.
A Fetish is essentially an upgraded Bloody Mari with crescent blades, much tougher and dealing more damage. It is much more likely to block, and its flamethrower counter is far more dangerous: most attacks are too slow to stop it, though Ifrit's Kick 13 can hit before the flamethrower starts and catch the Fetish off-guard. It is still highly vulnerable to being launched and then juggled with Ebony & Ivory as long as Dante can land the initial hit.
A group of Fetishes is a problem, particularly on higher difficulties, but they can be taken on at range using the Grenadegun or Ifrit's Meteor move. Round Trip is also quite effective against them.
Background
A Fetish is an inanimate object that is believed to have supernatural powers, or power over others. It is commonly used in Voodoo and similar West African beliefs, and fetishes can be composed of blood, bones, fur, claws, feathers, and certain plants.
Trivia
- Due to memory limitations, Fetishes and Marionettes are the only instance where the game can spawn two types of enemy in the same room.