As I said before, the combat itself feels reminiscent of Diablo III, but more medieval in its portrayal. With dungeons, cellars, world events, world bosses, side quests, and a buttload of lore to uncover, I'm excited to see what other dark wonders Diablo IV might hold. ![]() It's that return to Diablo's core theme that had me exploring every nook and cranny Diablo IV has to offer within its huge map. Even the story beats themselves are far darker than Diablo III, with earlier missions introducing Lilith, the Mother of Sanctuary, as she casually murders anyone but her devout followers, or another side mission that sees a young boy possessed by a demon - he survives, but the intent is the same. Dungeons take you to decaying castles and dark cavernous complexes strewn with bodies, necromantic offerings, and the like - all set pieces that I felt its predecessor was lacking in any meaningful way. Even on Torment II, Diablo IV didn't feel overly difficult, but it's the gritty nature of its locales that makes the combat much more exhilarating. Whether it was packs of Wargs or a swarm of demonic creatures, blood would be splattered all over the frosty environment. Immediately upon starting the game, the snow-covered lands of Fractured Peaks felt weighted under the oppressive forces plaguing it. I put in a ton of hours during both Diablo IV tests, the open beta in March, and the Server Slam this month, and while my brother could only join me for the initial beta, it was enough for me to know that Diablo IV is exactly what I want from the series. ![]() From the earliest gameplay reveals and cinematics, it has been clear that Blizzard has been crafting a darker Sanctuary again, one where blood runs freer than its inhabitants and ritualistic killings are the entertainment of the day. ![]() It does, however, seem like Diablo IV is going to rekindle the nostalgic magic I've cultivated for the original games in the years following the launch of Diablo III. Visually it felt more akin to Warcraft's lighthearted style than Diablo's gritty foreboding atmosphere, and with a storyline light enough to match its visuals, I was left only really enjoying the gameplay, which I'd say was worth every second! As a bit of backstory, I have many childhood memories of sitting in front of my dad's computer in the early 2000s with my brother, slaughtering creatures in Diablo II - we were that bad, we had to have a side save from my dad's main playthrough so we could play anything but the first section, but they made fond memories nonetheless. I loved the gameplay of III, which can be seen in the DNA of Diablo IV, but its visuals were a little too. Now to make things absolutely clear, I'm not saying Diablo III was a bad game, because it's absolutely not, but it is a far cry from the decayed version of Sanctuary in the original Diablo games, which I have fond memories of.
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