

But at least in this preview build, Diablo IV doesn’t quite feel like it’s doing anything drastically new. Its blend of old school and modern gaming elements aims to make the game palatable for newcomers, while also appealing to people hankering for their Diablo II nostalgia fix. Diablo IV is very fun, but it is also very familiar. If the philosophy of the art design for Diablo IV was to look at the “old masters,” it feels like the gameplay has resulted from that approach as well. The modernizations work well, because they’re components that are all but standard in anything else you’ll play these days. While character creation, dynamic cutscenes, and open world exploration may feel fresh in a Diablo game, these have been staples of AAA games for years. But there is just so much to keep track of, even in this unfinished preview build of the game. These distractions are usually fun (after all, you just get to splatter more monsters). These are all optional, but they serve to pad out the world Blizzard has built. (This concept will feel very familiar if you’ve ever cleared an outpost in a Far Cry or Horizon game.) Random timed events task you with saving innocent civilians, clearing castles of monsters, or banishing demons back to Hell. Strongholds are enemy areas that the player can clear and then reinhabit with allies. Diablo IV has further spruced up its gameplay by adding staples of open world games to make its setting feel more dynamic. Exploration is rewarding, as it reveals countless hidden chests, caves, and dungeons.īut the open world can get a little tiring, especially if you’re familiar with the genre.


What that gives you is a lot of time to spend wandering around the game world.
#DIABLO IV FREE#
Key story events will be triggered once the player completes the requisite subtasks, but you’re free to approach them in whatever order you like. The campaign often doles out multiple objectives across the world. Also, the whole game is online only, even in private single player mode.ĭiablo IV’s open world is much more freely explorable than previous games. The game will have microtransactions, though Blizzard reps insist they will be for cosmetic items only. The less glamorous side of modern gaming has also slipped into Diablo’s new duds. It also has dedicated couch co-op modes that let people play together on the same device.
#DIABLO IV PC#
(All the others were PC only until the first console ports of Diablo III came out a year after its release.) The game will feature crossplay, so people on all platforms can easily play together. This is the first Diablo game to be designed from the start with consoles in mind. While the framework of Diablo IV is firmly rooted in the past, there are many updates to the format that make it feel more in line with modern games. I’m going to get added to a watchlist for writing this sentence, but there’s really nothing more satisfying than watching a single well-timed attack splatter a dozen enemies into a chunky red mist. Fighting them feels more dynamic than ever, largely thanks to a new evade skill that allows you to spring away from attacks. Enemies are numerous and occasionally massive. The playable classes are varied, with expansive skill trees that can change how you play the game. All the hallmarks of a Diablo game are here. Despite all the gloominess and horror, Diablo IV seems intent on giving players a good time.
