The joy of the Diablo series has always been in its seamless and accessible marriage of combat and exploration, which is all the more impressive given that it’s delivered from a third-person top-down perspective. The original game set the standard for all dungeon crawlers to come, and Diablo IV pushes the series’s signature formula in thrilling directions.
After a lowly wanderer is kidnapped by villagers corrupted under the influence of the demonic Lilith, then force-fed her blood, a connection is forged between the warrior and the Queen of the Succubi. It’s at that point that you set out on a quest to stop her from amassing an army that might allow her to cement her power. If Lilith makes for a surprisingly complex antagonist, that’s largely a result of the flashbacks to her past, which are triggered by the bond between you and her and often make her seem more sympathetic than the game’s angelic characters.
Diablo IV is significantly more engaging than its predecessors, as the events here aren’t mere set dressing for dungeon crawling. For one, the overarching quest to track down the daughter of one of Hell’s Primevals, and defeat the demons and monsters that plague the world, is more compelling than the plots of so many dungeon crawlers, and is complemented by well-written smaller stories that play out within the game’s dense world. Another highlight of Diablo IV is how subversively it casts its seraphim as assholes par excellence with little regard for others, a twist that muddies any notions of good and evil in this bleak fantasy world.
The options that the game offers to build and customize a character are also deep and extensive, with varied classes and involving skill trees that are as complex as they are approachable. Right out of the gate, Diablo IV allows for unprecedented freedom through the ease of its character creation and upgrading systems. Optimizing the amount of damage a character can do using the combat abilities unlocked across the game is also extremely satisfying, as is exploring the different classes. Further, at any point unlocked skills can be reallocated for a small amount of in-game gold, giving Diablo IV more flexibility than any previous titles in the series.
The game’s sense of openness extends to its campaign, beginning with players being able to explore the first three acts at their leisure after completing the opening. And the “World Tier” difficulty system varies the overall challenge of the adventure, with higher tiers leading to better loot as reward for taking on harder quests. There’s a tangible and rewarding sense of progression to even short gameplay sessions, with exploration in any direction of the world yielding armor and items that can be utilized to dramatically alter the way that characters play.
It helps that Diablo IV’s bleak and dark world, so detailed and appropriately lit, effectively cloaks players in foreboding darkness. But you don’t have to face adversity alone, as the game boasts well-implemented multiplayer options where joining friends or finding random players online to play co-operatively with is relatively effortless. Playing with others expands on Diablo IV’s already rich mechanics, as skills that aren’t as beneficial while playing alone can make a big difference in a co-operative experience, especially during the game’s large-scale, limited-time events, and the chaos of the PvP zones offers a different kind of challenge altogether.
Depending on where they venture in the game and when, players will invariably encounter others on their own quest to defeat Lilith, making the world of Diablo IV feel very much alive. The trade-off for this kind of immersive experience, though, is an always-on internet connection and reliance on Blizzard’s servers, even for undertakings that typically don’t demand network connectivity. Ultimately, this is a limitation that ensures that no matter how well-crafted and engrossing Diablo IV is, it’s a finite experience whose longevity cannot be ensured.
While the plethora of ugly scandals hanging over Activision Blizzard has been frustratingly overlooked by the gaming public, it will be difficult for most to overlook the aggressive monetization of Diablo IV. In addition to different (and expensive) editions of the game that allowed earlier play and a shop that sells cosmetic items, Diablo IV has three different Battle Passes and two expansions in the works. It’s unnecessary, and taken alongside major updates that have already dramatically changed how some of the classes function, Diablo IV stands on unsteady ground despite possessing a strong foundation, far above its series forebearers.
This game was reviewed with code provided by TriplePoint PR.
Since 2001, we've brought you uncompromising, candid takes on the world of film, music, television, video games, theater, and more. Independently owned and operated publications like Slant have been hit hard in recent years, but we’re committed to keeping our content free and accessible—meaning no paywalls or fees.
If you like what we do, please consider subscribing to our Patreon or making a donation.
