Lilith returning in glorious high definition is always a sight to behold. From the moment they announced that a new Diablo is in the works, to launch, seeing the evil lady sometimes does take your breath away.
Something about playing a game that never ends like the Diablo series is always a treat, just seeing the numbers goes up as you mow down many foes is pure ecstasy sometimes, and that’s just what Blizzard needs after their many foibles so far this year.
Diablo 4 feels like a breath of fresh air for both fans and developers alike.
Presentation
From the get-go, Diablo 4’s artstyle is downright gorgeous, with more emphasis on the darkness of the game’s world. From the snowy slopes of the first area to the fiery depths of Lilith’s birthplace later on in the game that you get to explore, its art design fits the despairing nature of the world, complete with gashly creatures that you’ll be fighting and/or cursing during the course of the game.
The sounds of the games are on-par as well. The voice acting for both the main cast and NPCs have worked hard to sell the despair of the situation rather well, which I do commend. This coupled with the ambiance of music makes it quite an immersive walk through Fractured Peaks and more.
On the performance side of things, there are no major issues on PC due to how well the game has been optimized, running easily on a GTX1060 on Medium/High Settings with constant 60fps even in more hectic flights as all the particles go flying everywhere and that’s a spectacle on its own.
Gameplay
Diablo IV has the distinction of being mostly the same since its first iteration back in the 90s but there are always some nice improvements from their previous games that make the package more enjoyable to play. From a more refined skill tree than ever to better AOEs that can help clear the barrage of enemies quickly, all in a mix of an RPG brawler at times, with how close you’re getting to the foes.
And when compared to the previously released Diablo 2 remastered and even the last installment, Diablo 3, you can tell where improvements have been done, like an addition of an Evade button and more flowing movement to make combat quick and bosses (except a certain Butcher random encounter) easier to dodge when they telegraph their attacks.
After the combating comes the loot, where numbers and figures are the other parts of Diablo. It’s where calculations are made to see whether the pants or weapons are higher than before, and it’s so much better than ever.
The game has done a great job of spreading the higher tier loot to not let the players get overwhelmed at first, before bombarding them towards the end so that they themselves can refine their build easily. They are the creators of looter games after all, so refining it as well is a pretty good icing on the cake.
Though my only complaint is that the gameplay is tied to the online-only nature of Activision Blizzard, so if there’s any downtime for any reason during gameplay, that might see you get booted from the game, and if you’re playing it during a Hardcore run, there’s a chance that might kill your character and your save file due to servers issues.
Just weird seeing the foibles of the previous game not heeded at all, with them going persistently online.
Content
In any case, Diablo 4 is a VERY LONG GAME, with the added benefit of being super-replayable after completing a run, with a total of 5 different classes that you can experiment with different builds, and so on.
There are also the raids that will welcome players wanting a challenge with randoms or friends as you take down an overpowered boss for glorious booty and glory. In the end, the content is all about having fun in the underworld.
Personal Enjoyment
I do enjoy Diablo 4 for it being the game that it is, a game that helps to wind down after a hectic day as you level up your Rogues or Barbarian casually in World Tier 1 or stressfully in World Tier 2 if that’s to your liking.
I would love it more if it’s not always persistently online, or it doesn’t rubber band my character when I’m just walking around the Hub world as other people are loading in, but I guess as long as the servers don’t get nuked, then it’s a pretty solid game all around.
Verdict
Diablo IV is exactly what Activision Blizzard needs to bounce back after this first half of the year being quite a challenge for them. What they brought over to the table is a loot-based RPG game that they have mastered from day one, now even better than before but only if you don’t mind getting disconnected every once in a while.
Played on PC, Review copy provided by the publisher.
Diablo IV
A loot-based RPG game that they have mastered from day one, now even better than before but only if you don’t mind getting disconnected every once in a while.
- Presentation 9
- Gameplay 9
- Content 8
- Personal Enjoyment 7.5