The release of Diablo IV is just as intense as the game itself, which is saying something. The game gives the exhilarating experience of isometric dungeon crawling an AAA polish, and many of its bloodiest story beats are not for those who are easily offended. That being said, this is the first original story-driven game that Blizzard Entertainment has released for PC and consoles since the release of Diablo III in 2012. It also comes in the wake of the company's rocky launches in 2022 as well as reports that expose the once-beloved developer's history of toxic workplace behavior.
Outside of the diehard fanbase that is already committed to purchasing Diablo IV when it is released in the first half of 2023, Diablo IV has a lot of ground to cover before it can earn a full-throated recommendation from the general gaming community. With the help of a hands-on demonstration, I was able to get a sense of how it's shaping up, which provided me with an idea of how it'll be able to rise to the challenge. Even though I enjoy this overtly gritty and intense action RPG and its AAA level of production, I am still approaching the final release with a level of healthy skepticism because there are a few red flags that have been raised.
1. This is evidenced by the chilling conclusion of the opening dungeon of the game, which I will not spoil here
2. The gameplay and cutscenes are both unsettling, the combat is fast-paced but meaningful, and the world has muted and dark colors
3. Even this build of the game, which was in the middle of development, had an impressive level of AAA polish in its world design, writing, and battle system
4. This is especially noteworthy considering that the development of games of this type has recently been largely left to independent developers
My demonstration took place on Fractured Peaks, an icy tundra that is one of the first Shared Worlds that players will be able to explore and complete quests in when it is released. The fact that Diablo IV is set across multiple enormous shared worlds that have a structure that is nonlinear is the game's most significant new feature. This enormous world is filled with dungeons and sidequests, and after completing the initial set of quests for the game, players are free to finish the main campaign questlines in any order they choose. During the course of their exploration, players will also run into one another. The open-ended nature of Diablo IV's gameplay makes the game feel liberating, and it infuses an otherwise gloomy experience with a sense of exciting adventure.
Regarding the core action-RPG formula of Diablo, however, there is nothing here that can be considered particularly revolutionary. The gameplay is exactly what one would expect from a Diablo game, complete with dungeon exploration and isometric battles against evil creatures. This demo allowed me to play as the Rogue, the Barbarian, and the Sorceress classes. Each of these classes has a variety of special abilities that players can employ either offensively or defensively to create a distinct playstyle. In spite of the fact that I experimented with other classes and different kinds of magic, such as fire, I spent the majority of my time playing as a frost mage. I placed a strong emphasis on acquiring abilities that would enable me to immobilize my foes and inflict more damage upon them.
During my demo, I was able to level up to level 25, and along the way, I could assign points to unlock abilities on my skill tree that would shape the skill set that was associated with my character. Because changing my character's specialization was a simple, low-cost process that I could perform at any time, it's safe to say that Diablo IV will provide players with a great deal of leeway for experimentation. My time spent with the preview build of Diablo IV leads me to believe that fans of the series who are looking forward to a vast, sinister, and fresh take on the Diablo universe will be satisfied.
In spite of the fact that I had a good time playing Diablo IV, given recent launch issues with Diablo Immortal and Overwatch 2, I have some reservations about certain aspects of the game that won't be included in this version of the game but will be in the final product. The first of these is the battle pass and shop system that will be used in Diablo IV. Even though they were not a part of this preview build, I could still sense some of the influence that they had. Even though Blizzard has stated that the battle pass will not make Diablo IV a pay to win game, which is good news, it still seems as though it will restrict access to some of the game's most desirable cosmetics.
During my time with the game, I did not come across any particularly interesting outfits. However, this could be due to the fact that I am still relatively early in the game; as a result, I am understandably concerned that Blizzard will hide the game's most appealing-looking gear behind the purchase of a battle pass. This raises concerns for a game like Diablo IV, which is heavily focused on the loot system. Since Overwatch 2 and Diablo Immortal have both had trouble making their microtransactions accessible on a budget while still providing enough incentive for players to spend money on them, I don't have high hopes that Diablo IV will immediately nail this aspect of the game. That raises some concerns, especially when one considers that Diablo IV is not a free-to-play game that relies on microtransactions for its financial success.
