Diablo IV Review
After more than a decade of waiting, the legendary dungeon crawler Diablo 4 is back. Developer Blizzard Entertainment has taken all the lessons learned from the other games in the series and delivered its best Dances with the Devil game yet. With a gripping story, addictive combat, and well-crafted character-building mechanics, this is an addictive game. While it doesn’t break the mold of the “Diablo formula,” it’s certainly one of the best and most polished action RPGs I’ve played. Let’s delve into the ninth layer of hell and discover what makes Diablo IV so special.
Diablo 4 Details
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PS4 and Xbox Series X|s
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher: Activision
Genre: Action RPG
Mode: single player, multiplayer
ESRB rating: M (adult)
Diablo 4 opens the gates of hell
The Diablo series is known for its addictive combat loops and character building, and thankfully, Blizzard still took the time to craft a great story. Your journey begins as a lone adventurer who answers a plea for help from a small village haunted by demonic creatures. Playing the role of a hero, you slay wild beasts and save villagers. You get “thanks” for being drugged and sacrificed to the game’s opponent, Lilith. She is one of the biggest demons in hell and wants to build an army to destroy your world.
Before you fall victim to a blood sacrifice, a mysterious stranger saves you. Unpleasant rubbings with Lilith’s admirers make you bond with her and be able to see her nefarious intentions. Realizing the gravity of Lilith’s return, you stop at nothing to stop her. The storyline unfolds over 6 acts, filled with optional side quests and random encounters. Even after the credits appear in your first playthrough, there’s still a lot to explore in the final stages of the game. No spoilers, but the story does set the stage for any event or new adventure.
friends in dark places
Never a very solitary experience, the Diablo series offers ways to play with others online. If you decide to tackle the game on your own, you’ll even notice companions in the questline who are more CPU-controlled than before. Their decisions, big and small, are in the middle of the best parts of the story. Speaking of Diablo, this is by far the best story, with layers and complex characters. Even your main foil, Lilith, has an interesting story to tell, offering her perspective, and you have to sympathize. In the first few games in the series, CG cutscenes were mainly based on plot development. While there are still many of these scenes in Diablo IV, and the production value is incredible, much more of the story comes from the in-game cutscenes.
Diablo 4’s gameplay shines in a dark and bloody realm
The biggest highlight of “Diablo 4” is its excellent gameplay and character creation mechanism.
In your quest to stop the legions of Hell, you have many options in how to develop your heroes. There are 5 different classes to choose from: Rogue, Wizard, Necromancer, Barbarian and Druid. Each of the classes you can choose from is more diverse than ever, and they all offer distinctly different combat experiences. The Rogue is a fast-paced and agile warlock, using powerful magical abilities to tame wave after wave of enemies. If you’re more into black magic, the necromancer class can summon the corpses of dead enemies to do your bidding. If you’re looking for more “whirlwinds of destruction” in your approach, barbarians use muscle and brute force to crush enemies. Finally, druids can transform into animals and crush the forces of hell. I personally chose the barbarian for my first build, which is the class I’ve mostly used since Diablo II. Whichever you choose, there are plenty of ways to make your character better suit your playstyle.
Diablo 4 encourages players to experiment in combat
No matter which class of fighter you choose, you have plenty of options for crafting them. Blizzard took lessons from previous entries in the series and used them to create a near-perfect build experience in Diablo IV. Character building is no longer linear like it was in Diablo 3, and you can now experiment with your own character abilities. Every time you level up, you gain points in a branch skill tree. As you invest more in each area, you create a new path to more skills and perks. The game encourages you to experiment with your own builds, as you can “rebase,” or reset skill tree points you’ve used previously. This will only cost you a small amount of in-game gold, and then you can redistribute everything to your liking. In “Diablo 2”, it was difficult for players to change the character’s skill tree, and this time, “Diablo 4” encourages players to try.
