![]() ![]() I can strategize and plan ahead without needing to already be an expert on Diablo. Looking back, it's hard to parse every reason, but I believe that improvements to accessibility and approachability in Diablo 4 help me feel more in control of my character and their abilities than I did in Diablo 3. The loop of battling hordes of enemies, tackling challenging bosses, exploring winding dungeons, and hunting down valuable loot in a quest to progressively grow stronger kept me interested in Diablo 3 through the first act, but something was missing. Combined with the gorgeous effects and visual feedback built off the back of the graphical and design improvements discussed earlier Diablo's gameplay has never been better than it is now. (Image credit: Windows Central)ĭiablo 4's gameplay should feel instantly familiar to anyone who has explored previous titles in the series (or played similar action-RPGs), but it's updated, expanded, and modernized for a new generation of gamers and gaming platforms. I felt very strange bringing my contingent of undead soldiers to the Cathedral of Light. An addictive gameplay loop filled with options What I saw in Act 1 of Diablo 4 has made me hungry for more, a feeling I never had about the narrative of Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls. It's a difficult balance to strike, but Diablo 4 has the beginnings of a powerful, emotional narrative married to visuals that perfectly convey its themes and messages. This includes the god-like creatures that sit at the top of Sanctuary's hierarchy, like the angel Inarius and demon Lilith, with personal motivations and emotions driving their respective actions. Still, I remember enough of Diablo 3 to state with confidence that Diablo 4 immediately feels more personal, focusing not just on the risk to the entire world (which is substantial) but also the effect on individual people. I do plan to dive deep into my colleague Jennifer Young's brilliant breakdown of the entire history and lore of the Diablo franchise before Diablo 4 releases, but for now I'm still mostly in the dark. I'll admit, I'm not very familiar with the lore of Diablo (that shouldn't be a surprise). ![]() This world bleeds gore and death, and it's not for the faint of heart.ĭiablo 4's visuals and art design perfectly match the more nuanced, emotional narrative. It's visceral and vivid, and at no point did I forget that the people of Sanctuary are struggling every minute to survive in Diablo 4. Diablo 4 is a dramatic departure from this art style, with every pixel of Sanctuary oozing detail. ![]() While technically a huge step up graphically from the ancient Diablo 2, Diablo 3's visuals felt light and almost cartoon-like in comparison. When playing Diablo 3, I felt a disconnect between the events unfolding and how those events were portrayed. Even Blizzard Entertainment stated that Diablo 4 is the "darkest story we've ever told" in a recent video. ![]() Diablo 4 is set 50 years after the tragic events of Diablo 3, but does a far, far better job, in my opinion, at conveying the misery of the universe with its visuals, world design, and narrative delivery than its predecessor. The Diablo universe is not a happy place, with an eternal conflict between the forces of Heaven and Hell leaving the nearly powerless humans decimated in the middle. There is one area in which Blizzard has made massive strides - how the world of Sanctuary, complete with all its chaos and devastation, is brought to life on screen. (Image credit: Windows Central)Īs I already mentioned, it has been years since I played Diablo 3 (and it was already pretty forgettable at the time), so it's difficult to pinpoint exactly why Diablo 4 succeeds where its predecessor failed. As a Necromancer, I was very prone to leaving countless corpses behind me (unless I used them). ![]()
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