Diablo is one of those franchises that came into my life as a child and has grown alongside me ever since. That’s not to say the game is without faults though. It always amazes me that a company as prophetic in gaming as Blizzard seems incapable of having a smooth release of any game, let alone a Diablo title.
But disastrous launches aside, Diablo is still one of my favourite game franchises. I find myself returning to it repeatedly because, through all its shortfalls, the game remains a fun gaming experience, especially when you bring friends along for the journey.
As the open beta for Diablo 4 appeared on the horizon, many fans of the franchise took to the internet to air their grievances with the previous Diablo games to push Blizzard to correct it going forward. Most of these complaints revolved around class balancing and more dungeon randomisation, two problematic things in the beta that will hopefully get addressed between now and June when the game is released.
Now I’ll be candid with you. Regarding Diablo 4, Blizzard didn’t attempt to reinvent the wheel. Instead, they took a tried and tested formula that players have already been vocal about enjoying and made it better.
Diablo 4 feels similar to Diablo 3 on a base level. However, it’s a prettier, smoother and more epic feeling. Because of this lingering similarity between the titles, many players will either love or hate the game once it officially releases. Diablo 3 fans will love and appreciate all the updates, upgrades and polishes. In contrast, those who yearn for an upgraded version of Diablo 2 are set to be sorely disappointed.
This past weekend, I jumped into the game’s open beta and explored the game’s first act while levelling up to level 25. The first thing that became instantly apparent while playing was the renewed focus on stellar storytelling. The story has always played a considerable part in the appeal of Diablo for me. However, how the story was told in Diablo 3 felt like it took away from the game instead of adding to it.
Diablo 4’s story, on the other hand, feels intertwined with the very core of the game. Thanks to some phenomenal voice acting, talking to NPCs and reading through the game’s lore never felt like a slog or disappointment. In fact, for the first time in recent memory with the franchise, I enjoyed being in town and talking to the various characters found there.
Another area where the game truly shines is exploring the world and following its quests. The quests I got to play throughout the weekend were nothing special, and yet each one felt engaging and kept me playing the game long after my level cap had been reached.
Diablo 4 is a game that not only feels good to play and sounds great to listen to, but it’s also, hands down, the most beautiful Diablo game there is. Everything from the environments to the characters is so detailed and alive that it’s hard not to get distracted by the sheer disgusting beauty of it all. There is a sense of decay and grime that the game never seems to shy away from, and coming from Diablo 3, it’s a detail that is very much appreciated.
As far as combat is concerned, Diablo 4 manages to, once again, nail the formula with some cool tweaks that make the game feel more dynamic. The usual system is still in play, where players rotate through their abilities, spamming like their lives depend on it. But now players must also move around, utilising the game’s new dodge roll feature to survive.
Another improvement over Diablo 3 was the decision to do away with health drops effectively. Instead of foes dropping health, allowing players to heal up indefinitely and hopefully faster than the enemies can damage them, players now have a set amount of health potions to use. They will need to explore the world to find refreshes.
Players could play any of the five available classes during the game’s open beta. While balancing is something the game will have to improve upon going forward, each class felt unique from the other and supported different playstyles. The character creation tool was also fun to play around with. Each character looked and felt different, with characters coming in various sizes and heights, further lending to the overall beauty that is Diablo 4.
The most significant change, however, is that Diablo 4 is the first game in the franchise to introduce some MMO elements into its format. From what I’ve experienced this weekend, it’s a change for the better. While parties can only consist of four players, you can run by other players while in town or exploring the open world.
This change also brings the addition of World Bosses, immense and iconic beasties that require players to form large groups to defeat. Not only does this make Diablo 4 feel more lived in and alive, but it also adds a feeling of epicness and grandeur to the big bad that previous games just haven’t been able to capture.
While this is only my first impression based on a very limited beta, from what I’ve seen and experienced so far, Diablo 4 seems to be everything Diablo 3 players have yearned for and more. I want to know if you got to play the beta, and if so, what did you think? Let me know in the comments.