Itās been almost 12 years since Diablo III released on PCs. Thatās over a decade of demon slaying, gear farming, multiplayer fun, and cringy dialogue, and weāre finally less than three months away from the release of its successor, Diablo IV. For me, Diablo III committed the heinous crime of being addictively fun, and consequently took hundreds of hours of my life. After playing through the Diablo IV beta, itās clear that Iām about to lose a ton more.
Diablo IVĀ takes place thirty years after the events ofĀ Diablo III, where millions of people died thanks to the ongoing feud between the high heavens and the burning hells. Thatās mostly all you need to know aboutĀ Diabloās story, which, while vast and full of lore, is also very silly and out there. InĀ Diablo IV,Ā Lilith is positioned as the main antagonist, while the player is an unnamed hero who has to put a stop to all the culty, demonic behavior. Lilith, who is known as the Queen of the Succubi, is the creator of Sanctuary, daughter of Mephisto, Lord of Hatred, and the sister of Lucion. Thereās alot more to her lore that I wonāt get into here, but suffice to say that sheās one of the best characters in the often goofyĀ DiabloĀ universe. Itās possible that the story inĀ Diablo IVĀ will be great, but itās more likely that itāll be superficial, silly, and entertaining, which is part of the allure of the series.
Visually,Ā Diablo IVĀ is subtly gorgeous. The beta kicked off with a stunning cinematic that involves gruesome monsters, webs of living blood and Lilith in all her glory, and itās one of the best looking cinematics Iāve ever seen. From there, the game transitions to the standard, top-down gameplay that weāve come to expect from theĀ DiabloĀ series, but with an extra layer of polish and environmental effects that make it especially immersive. Players who are new to theĀ DiabloĀ series may be initially disappointed by the seriesā isometric perspective, especially compared to the opening cinematic, but Iād be surprised if they feel that way after a couple hours.
The lighting, sound, and atmosphere were all stellar throughout the beta. From the moment youāre thrust into the cold tundra,Ā Diablo IVĀ immerses you with billowing snow, eerie winds, and the sound of nearby enemies. That immersion never dissipated throughout my time with the beta, regardless of whether I was exploring the cold tundra, luminous caves, or dark dungeons. Simply put, the world ofĀ Diablo IV seems purposefully bleak, but beautiful.
Diablo IVĀ features a solid, if unspectacular character creator, with skin tone, body type, hair style, and accessory options. I was able to create an angsty scene, kid-type protagonist with long green hair, chunky earrings and demonic body tattoos, as well as a powerhouse Barbarian with flaming red hair and runes of blood etched across their body. And hey, what more can you ask for in a character creator in aĀ DiabloĀ game?
All that said, the most important part of anyĀ DiabloĀ game is of course the combat, andĀ Diablo IVāsĀ is both familiar and satisfying.Ā ItĀ continues to strike the fine line between tactical, split-second decision-making and chaotic button-masher. The moment-to-moment combat feels like a streamlined version ofĀ Diablo IIIās, but with more precise inputs and flashier combos. Activision Blizzard have said in the past that they are aiming to makeĀ Diablo IVās combat more grounded, and there is a noticeable improvement in clarity, especially when fighting through hordes of enemies. The button-mashing fun is still there, but with an additional sense of purpose that bodes well for the final product.
The beta featured five classes: Barbarian, Sorceress, Druid, Rogue, and Necromancer. I was able to play as the Barbarian and Rogue, and they both were fun and familiar in their own ways. The Rogue is myĀ DiabloĀ go-to, and it doesnāt look like thatās going to change inĀ Diablo IV. It has a nice combination of quickfire long-range attacks, to furious close-range stabs that feel like a chaotic dance. My time with the Barbarian was less fun, as the brute force combat is less precise and more button-mashy, but itās in line with how the class has felt in previous games. Iām looking forward to giving the other classes a try once the game actually launches, even though thereās a 99% chance Iāll still stick to my good ol’ Rogue.
Last but not least, the multiplayer aspect ofĀ Diablo IVĀ looks to be off to a good start. While I did experience some connection issues in the initial closed beta (and a bit of pop-in) the experience was mostly smooth and stable. Thereās no series that nails the ārun around and kill enemies with friendsā style multiplayer better, and itās alive and well in the beta. The MMO-lite elements work exceptionally well, as you randomly run into players throughout the game. It adds an extra layer of immersion to the overall experience and makes the world feel more dynamic.
So far,Ā Diablo IVĀ looks and plays promisingly. Itās easily the prettiestĀ DiabloĀ game to date and the subtle changes to combat along with the classic story silliness combine to make it a truly exciting title that Iām looking forward to.
Diablo IVĀ will launch on June 6, 2023 for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC, and the Xbox Series X bundle for it will appear that same day.