The American firm Blizzard Entertainment has gone from being one of the key “trendsetters” in the gaming business to being linked primarily with controversies, false expectations, and poor releases. Fans awaited the arrival of Diablo IV with bated breath, praying to all the gods of Sanctuary that the crew would not wreck its cult series. 11 years have passed since the release of the last (third) part, true fans are already hungry for new adventures in a familiar universe, but they still haven’t forgiven Blizzard for past experiments: from the uncharacteristic “cartoon” visual style for the series to a mobile spin-off, in which you can only achieve success for real money.
Diablo IV is being actively discussed all over the Internet, the game has the highest ratings, and it has already broken the company’s record for sales speed – earning a symbolic $ 666 million in just five days after its release. In total, the Game earned $ 1 billion for the quarter.
The curse of Blizzard has dissipated?
The first thing that catches your eye when launching Diablo IV is the almost complete absence of “classic” elements of the company’s past releases: hours-long virtual queues to enter the game, falling servers, and critical bugs that break the passage.
Thus, Diablo IV turned out to be Blizzard’s smoothest release in years. For that is worth praising numerous significant beta testing that has occurred in recent months, as well as developers who, for once, have prepared for a massive flood of people.
Diablo IV movie plot
And then real the fun begins. After literally ten minutes of passing, it turns out that a strong plot has appeared in Diablo! It is now presented with excellently directed cutscenes that have a plethora of cinematic viewpoints, attractive camera spans, and adequate “acting” by local actors. Each such scene is pleasantly impressive, allowing you to view your character from all sides and immerse yourself in the oppressive atmosphere of devastation and despair, which literally every pixel in Diablo IV is saturated with.
The game tells how the charming demoness Lilith, the mother of all people and the creator of Sanctuary, the local world, is chosen from her centuries-old imprisonment. With the help of a few devoted companions, the horned seductress launches her murderous crusade through human belongings, subjugating any who comes into contact with her steely will. Of course, the player’s character is there to confront her – an average traveler who happens to be connected with a demon and is now attempting to foil her evil ambitions.
Post-apocalypse “in a Diablo way”
Along with the main narrative developing according to the franchise’s traditional system of acts, more than a hundred subsidiary jobs occurred in Diablo IV, which are assigned by regular Sanctuary citizens. Most of the time, these are typical give-and-bring tasks, but they are cleverly wrapped into tiny stories about the land and its inhabitants. Performing them, especially with Diablo 4 carry you not only get rare items of equipment but also learn about local beliefs, get into the attitude of ordinary people to Lilith, listen to quite interesting stories about bygone times, and periodically find references to past parts of Diablo.
Those who do not take risks … earn well
The big surprises come to an end here. There is amazing gameplay under an astonishing screen of great graphics, unforgettable aesthetics, and a compelling narrative – painfully familiar and as “safe” as possible. The developers took almost the entire basis of the gameplay from the fan-favorite Diablo 2 (including character classes and an extensive skill tree), added movement dynamics from Diablo 3 to it, and provided it all with a couple of new small chips.
Furthermore, the game contains a system of auto-leveling – the automated adjustment of the world’s level to the player’s level – with which most players were disappointed. On the one hand, it allows you to quickly explore practically any intriguing region of the surrounding environment without worry of encountering much tougher enemies. On the other side, it nearly eliminates the sense of the hero’s progress because foes can become as dangerous as the player’s character at any time in Sanctuary.
Otherwise, Diablo IV’s gameplay creates a sense of déjà vu. Almost all of the heroes powers are borrowed from the second half, the technique of summoning masses of foes hasn’t altered significantly, and nice improvements like riding or the option to redistribute all of their capabilities for a cent don’t enhance the gameplay in a way that makes you want to focus on it. However, they make the series much more approachable to newbies.
And yet the game has drawbacks
The only thing developers want and should be blamed for is trying to turn their brainchild into another online service with the beginnings of an MMORPG. In the previous parts of Diablo, the adventures of players were always initially strong, but at the same time, it was possible to invite friends into your world and, if desired, turn a single passage into a cooperative one. Diablo IV is initially positioned as a multi-user project. It requires a constant and stable internet connection and immediately creates a shared world in which you will see dozens of other players.
Diablo IV is an event game
This is more than simply a continuation of the iconic franchise; it is a successful and high-quality sequel that appeals to players of all skill levels. It will please newbies with an interesting and accessible narrative that does not necessitate prior knowledge of the franchise. It will put veterans “at ease” again, but with nice, if little, changes. This is a rare Blizzard release that almost makes you want to criticize it for being exactly what it should be: not misleading anyone’s expectations and setting a new bar that all competitors will now want to jump.
