Without a doubt, one of the most anticipated titles coming out of BlizzCon is Diablo IV. Everyone was immediately captivated by the dark and brooding atmosphere, and it’s exactly what we were hoping for. The initial gameplay reveal was nice as well, keeping the isometric perspective while improving upon the graphical engine.
Still, the presentation is nothing if the game isn’t fun and intuitive. While it’s still very early to tell, we couldn’t wait to get our hands on this bad boy. Our dreams came true as we were able to play the Diablo IV demo at BlizzCon, and after a while of playing through it, we’re happy to say that it’s everything we wanted and more.
We went with the Barbarian, because we love to yell while swinging our arms around in a frenzy. We weren’t able to change our skills or level up in the demo, so we had to be content with moves such as Rallying Cry, Leap, Rupture, and Wrath of the Beserker. That being said, the Barbarian is an absolute tank. We were able to fend off hordes of skeletons, goatmen with axes, large hooded figures, and other spawns of hell.
We were able to change our equipment from the inventory screen, which ended up being extremely valuable as later enemies became much more aggressive. The Barbarian can also equip a two-handed weapon to increase the attack strength and doesn’t sacrifice too much speed in the process. On top of that, the Barbarian can activate the aforementioned Wrath of the Beserker to wipe the room of any enemies in quick succession.
We began the demo at the bottom of a cave, setting the mood with the eerily colorless environment. We traversed to the outside where the world was even bleaker than the cave, which included the towns as they were on the brink of destruction. Right away we had flashbacks of playing through Diablo II, as we felt this creepy and unsettling aura with every click of the mouse. It didn’t take long to find some enemies, in fact nearly every second of the demo was filled with us fending off an onslaught by a monster in one form or another.
As far as the game’s playability is concerned, it’s outstanding. Diablo IV definitely stands out, and the ARPG game mechanics are in full force here. Every click that moves your character to see whats coming up on the map is straight up addicting. We wanted to explore every iota of the world, and when a game has you hooked in like that, it’s usually a good sign.
The loot drops from chests, enemies, and other areas just add to addictive nature that this game has. We were checking every nook and cranny for some gold, weapons, and other pieces of equipment. The gear aesthetics also reminded us a lot of Diablo II, we know that we keep going back to that comparison but that’s how good this demo was. Everything felt like it was important piece to the puzzle, so we left nothing to chance and raided everything in sight.
Whether it’s making up for Immortal’s announcement from last year, or feeling like they had to show it for the sake of saving face, bottom line here is that Blizzard knows what they’re doing. We came away very impressed with the demo, and it gives us a lot of optimism for the final product. It plays well, and looks stunning in the blackened world that Lilith has caused. In short, we can’t wait for this game.
Diablo IV will launch for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. No date has been announced. Stay tuned for more BlizzCon 2019 coverage!