There are many ways to measure a game. You can judge it by its technical prowess, visual mastery, or innovative gameplay. However, if a game is good, the best measure is if it comes into your life and creates havoc with your routine.
Now I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m someone who loves sleep. I would put it right up there as one of my favourite activities, and there is very little I’m willing to place above my need for and love for sleep.
When I first played the Diablo 4 beta, as buggy as it was, I was willing to stay up past my bedtime multiple times. This made me realise the game was something special, and I’m pleased to say the official release has all that same bedtime-forgoing witchcraft but with none of the technical difficulties the beta was plagued by.
Something I don’t talk about often when I write reviews, but that’s always in the back of my mind when considering how I will put everything together is my thoughts on life and how gaming falls into that. I believe that the memories we hold and the new ones we create make life worth living.
Those little moments fluttering into your thoughts like a delicate butterfly that can make you remember a specific moment like it just happened is one of the driving forces behind everything I do. The night that Diablo 3 was first released is not a single butterfly in my memory but a swarm of them. I can remember the joy I felt, standing in line with my friends and my partner, waiting for the game’s midnight release with crystal clarity.
So when I first started playing Diablo 4, it had a whole lot of nostalgia and treasured memories to live up to, and I wasn’t sure if it would or if it would be one of those disposable types of experiences that’s great while you’re playing it but out of mind when you stop. But despite my fears and all the odds, a game that doesn’t do all that much to reinvent ARPGs or push any genre boundaries was able to creep into my soul and reignite a passion I thought would forever remain a memory.
For those who haven’t yet been led into the gates of hell, Diablo 4 is the latest entry into the demon-centric series first released just after I was born. Over the years, the Diablo franchise has cemented itself as the cream of the crop for ARPG games and has become one of the most successful and beloved game franchises around.
Diablo 4 players will once again find themselves crawling through dungeon after dungeon and playing through a satisfying loop of killing hordes, collecting loot, completing side quests and slaying bosses – all while trying to optimise their DPS (Damage Per Second) to stay alive.
Diablo 4 will feel like a welcome embrace and homecoming for those familiar with the franchise. While the game never feels like a giant leap forward in the ARPG genre, it is polished, sleek, and pretty enough that it’s hard to even think about returning to the previous entries after you’ve played Diablo 4.
The one area where the game does fall flat, though, is when it comes to the story. And not because the story is terrible but just because of how fantastic the game looks and sounds; the story feels like a letdown in comparison.
Without spoiling anything for those who are still only planning on diving in, the story of the game follows players on a quest to find and stop Lilith, the daughter of one of the Prime Evils of Hell. My problem with the story is that there’s too little of it, and most of your time will be spent going on arbitrary side quests, making the overall story feel disjointed and too far in between.
But that being said, I can’t stress enough how gorgeous Diablo 4 looks and sounds, and even though they may be rare, the cutscenes pull everything together and help create one of the most memorable environments in the franchise’s history.
Story aside, Diablo 4 raises the bar regarding combat, endgame, and everything in between. While there is no doubt that the classes are far from perfectly balanced, it doesn’t even matter because of how fun and unique each is to play.
Each of the five available classes feels incredibly diverse and entertaining to play so you quickly forget about any balancing niggles you encounter. Each class also has class mechanics that unlock at various points in the campaign, and each of these changes offers a unique twist on the class, making each character feel genuinely distinct from the others.
This leads me to one of the best parts of the game, experimenting with and trying out new builds and equipment. While exploring Sanctuary, I tried out one of each character class. I changed the build on each character multiple times, looking for the perfect personal fit.
There is so much variety in building and crafting each class that it can sometimes feel overwhelming. Still, once you get comfortable with the skill trees, paragon boards and glyphs, your options are truly unmatched by any Diablo game that has come before, and there is a lot of fun in experimenting with it all.
Another aspect of Diablo 4 that I wasn’t sure about going into but has quickly become a favourite, is the shared world part of it. Because you can now see other real players running around, doing their thing, there is a sense of fellowship and community when you encounter these players on the hellish roads of Sanctuary.
These encounters never feel over-saturated but instead like welcome assistance when taking down a world boss or participating in an event. This community is even more vital when tackling end-game activities together, and it creates a type of magic that previous Diablo games didn’t have – this world feels truly alive.
There are currently two different PVP zones in Sanctuary where players can compete in a brawl to the death or slay NPC enemies to collect materials. The catch here is that rival players are hunting NPCs and you as well, and if they manage to slaughter you, your loot becomes theirs.
These PVP zones are fast-paced, chaotic fun. No one can be trusted because even your friends can turn on you faster than you can, say Diablo. You know what they say, there is no honour among thieves… especially not when the gates of hell have been opened.
At the end of the day, I could sit here typing forever. Still, all you really need to know and take away from this review is that Diablo 4 is a truly inspired and visually stunning entry into the Diablo franchise. It’s a game that not only deserves to exist but can pull up a chair and sit at the table alongside the greats.
And don’t get me wrong, as with all other games, there are downfalls. The story isn’t as deep or impactful as I would have wanted it to be, and the game still needs a fair amount of balancing. Regardless of those niggles it’s still a game I found almost impossible to put down and one I itch to return to whenever I do.
Now if you’ll excuse me, all this talking and writing about Diablo 4 has awoken the beast. It’s time to throw caution and bedtime to the wind and sink a couple more hundred hours into this fantastic title. See you all on the flip side… maybe…
