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Diablo 4, the latest in the popular dungeon-crawling ARPG from Blizzard Entertainment, offers players a classic feel familiar to those who've played previous entries, though with an even darker tone than ever before. The sadness and horrors of the world are immediately evident in the opening Diablo 4 cinematic, and there is no denying that Sanctuary is no longer its namesake from the gloom and despair that has encompassed the world. The satisfying hack 'n' slash mechanics and feeling of power triumphantly returns as players take on the role of the Wanderer to bring a little glimmer of hope back to this world.
Warning: This review contains minor spoilers for Diablo 4.
The original Diablo came out in 1996, and was revolutionary during its time. Although Diablo 3 was met with disappointment from fans who felt its story and characters nearly ruined the franchise, developers have expressed determination to set things right in Diablo 4 by hearkening back to Diablo 2 in many of their style and game mechanic choices. Diablo 4 also features new advancements such as an open-world setting, improved emphasis on character class customization, and a lot of endgame development.
The Story Of Diablo Continues
Continuing the story of previous Diablo games, Diablo 4 builds on the lore that has been established and expands on many details, particularly regarding the Horadrim, Nephalim, and the creation of Sanctuary. Lilith, the demon Mother of Sanctuary, and her former love, the angel Inarius, are the central focus in Diablo 4 as they each have their own ways of manipulating humans to serve their purposes to gain power.
The despair and hopeless feeling that permeates the world is compounded by its literal darkness. Demons, undead, and more dangerous monsters fill the landscape and slaughter villagers who are simply trying to survive another day. Humans are twisted by the pain around them and led to do horrific deeds to each other. The player's character is thrust into the center of it all after one of these such deeds placed them in an unusual position to be able to face Lilith in a way that none other can.
Combat Feels Classic And Smooth
One of the best features of Diablo 4 is its exceptional combat. Players are able to feel godlike in their ability to mow down hordes of rampaging enemies and collect tons of loot in their wake. The classic hack 'n' slash design gives a pleasing dopamine rush as a player can spin their character in a circle and wipe out everyone around. The class designs for Diablo 4 feed into this mentality well - making the Barbarian able to manage an arsenal of weapons is one such example of the freedom in its systems, and the overall skill tree provides the means for players to customize everything to fit their play style.
The combat mechanics are also very swift and smooth, and surprisingly easy to manage, even when there is a lot going on that could draw the players' focus. Picking skills and abilities from such a large amount of options for each class seemed overwhelming at first, yet once someone has decided how they want to play their character, it is a well-crafted system for customization. Diablo 4 lets players make their combat mechanics fit how they want to fight, and with so much variety it adds to the replayability of the game overall.
Story & Graphics Are Gruesome, But Satisfying
Diablo 4 is not a cheerful game. Despite the consistent dopamine rush of sweeping through large flocks of monsters, the world is dark, gritty, and morbid. The graphics being as advanced as they are is almost a negative at times when walking through some of the more gruesome and bloody areas of the game. It is certainly not a game for children or those who may be more sensitive to visual horror, and could be quite nightmare-inducing if dwelled on too heavily.
Despite, or possibly even because of, the despair all around in Diablo 4, the role the player takes is even more satisfying. A wanderer who stumbled upon an unwanted gift is now able to bring a small bit of peace back to the world. They may not be able to turn Sanctuary into a cheerful and happy environment, but any small boon the player can grant is very heartening.
Gameplay Innovations That Work
The often talked-of changes to the Diablo 4 skill tree and paragon system is naturally the largest innovation that developers added, but there are other smaller changes added to the game as well. One that was extremely helpful was the power to remove and place Aspects easily from Legendary items at the Occultist's shop. This means that when a Legendary item has an ability that is very useful to a player, they are able to transfer that ability to another item once they get a new piece that is better in other ways, making it easier to create the build a player wants, and more gratifying when new Legendary items are found.
World Event Quests in Diablo 4 are handled well - the game doesn't feel like an MMO, but it still gives players the ability to be a part of something big. Quests can be triggered by interacting with an object or found at random throughout the world, and everyone in the area can see the orange circle appear to let them know, without being intrusive, that there is a World Event Quest that they can join should they wish to. These events generally spawn Rare enemies which drop very good loot - often even Rare or Legendary items.
Small Issues & Final Thoughts
The open-world nature of Diablo 4 is equal parts satisfying and overwhelming. With so many different directions a player can go, and the abundance of quests available, it can be a bit chaotic at times. It works overall, but it can be jarring at first, especially for those expecting a refined, streamlined experience in exploration. The trade-off is worth it, though, and it just requires some patience to get bearings before the world makes sense and is teeming with possibility, however gloomy they all seem.
There is a Battle Pass system in Diablo 4 that players can sign up for that will offer unique challenges and rewards for each system, similar to how Diablo 3 had its Seasons. Though many in the community have been disappointed in this approach, the system is designed so that any paid tiers will be cosmetic only. There is a free Battle Pass tier level that will provide incentives and challenges without any additional cost, so the design is also implemented for those who do not wish to pay for a Battle Pass.
Overall, the story of Diablo 4 is one that is dark and gritty, but offers enough feelings of hope and power to provide an incentive for the player to keep going. The rush of defeating hordes of enemies for increasingly incredible weapons and armor simply can't be beat. Fans of the series who have been around since the original game will see a lot of callbacks to the previous titles that offers a satisfying feeling of continuity, while many of the issues from Diablo 3 feel like they have been corrected. Ultimately, Diablo 4 is a must-play experience for any fan of dungeon-crawler ARPGs.
Source: Diablo/YouTube
Diablo 4 releases on June 6, 2023, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Screen Rant was given access to a PC review server for the purpose of this review.