The darker and more mature Diablo brings novelties to the formula.
Diablo 4 logo with the figure of Lilith as the protagonist
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The truth is that after 11 years since the launch of Diablo III, 4 since its presentation at that Blizzcon in 2019 and just a few months after the launch of the controversial Diablo Immortal, fans wanted to try Diablo IVwhich has been allowed to play this past weekend through a early access beta for those players who had reserved the game or could have obtained a code by other means. The general feeling after this first contact is that the thing has tasted little, and it smells like return of Blizzard through the front door.
Luckily, we won’t have to wait until June to get back at the controls of Diablo IV, since it returns next weekend with a open beta for all players (from March 24 to 26). It will be necessary to see if the servers resist, but not every day you have the opportunity to try one of the most anticipated games of the year. We have already been able to enjoy this Act I available in the Diablo IV betaand could not have left us better feelings.
Blizzard’s descent into hell
Diablo IV does not disappoint, the opening cinematic is spectacular
Despite the immense number of scandals that have plagued the company In recent years, and while its absorption by Microsoft is still pending, the launch of a Blizzard game has been highly anticipated in the video game industry. Something that can only be achieved by having earned a lot of stripes in the sector thanks to games that have defined an entire genre. In this case, Diablo and Dungeon Crawler Action RPGs or ”dungeon crawlers”, speaking colloquially.
It is precisely to this nostalgia that Blizzard wants to appeal with Diablo IV, since after the complaints received by the Casualization and “infantilization” of Diablo III by the gaming community (which did not prevent it from having numerous content expansions and up to 23 Seasons), this new installment focuses on Diablo II, the most acclaimed game in the series, to offer the darkest, most mature and violent experience until now. Thanks in part to that graphic engine change and the possibilities offered by the latest generation PCs and consoles, although we remember that it also comes for the previous generation of consoles.
Salve, Lilith
Lilith aims to be a great antagonist
In normal impressions, I would start by talking about the game’s history or its mechanics, but it’s been so many years since we received a new installment of Diablo that I’m going to take the luxury of starting at the end and saying that the Blizzard game it looks really scandalous. In the absence of seeing the final game, it seems that the team has managed to maintain the graphic fidelity of the first images of the game and stands out both for the finish of its surfaces and materials, as well as for its new lighting system and those new ingame cinematics that give it a much richer and deeper narrative component that we had not been able to enjoy in previous installments. Now, apart from the typical Blizzard CGI cutscenes, other ingame cinematics tell part of the game’s story.
Story that, for the little that we have been able to enjoy so far, leaves aside the figure of the omnipresent Devil and the greater demons in their fight against the High Heavens, to focus on the figure of Lilithcreator of Sanctuary together with the angel Inarius and mother of the first men, the Nephalems. His return marks the beginning of the prophecy of the end of the world. Lilith promises to be one of the great claims of Diablo IV, she is a character as fascinating as mysterious that manages to capture attention with just a few scenes. Undoubtedly, a step ahead of Blizzard in terms of female representation in their games beyond simple heroines in loincloths, although we will have to wait for the final game to draw further conclusions.
More RPG than ever
The Diablo IV beta has some final bosses with which to test your new skills
Regarding gameplay, Diablo IV arrives with the ambitious intention of not only betting on a open worldalso due to elements of game as a service that brings its proposal closer to that of a MMORPG in which there is always someone to play with, although it is not entirely the same. It will not be uncommon to meet other players in the game’s settlements or completing some of the challenges that appear dynamically on the game map.
Even so, do not think that Blizzard has neglected the playable part itself. After the criticism received in the previous installment of the series, the company proposes a much deeper character progression system and the skill trees They are sizable and have more options than ever. Regarding character types, there are five classes confirmed, although only three of them were available last weekend: Barbarian, Sorcerer and Rogue. The other two, Druid and Necromancer, will be added next weekend in the open beta phase.
As usual, Diablo IV dungeons feature several biomes and are procedurally generated.
Everything seems to indicate that it is the biggest bet RPG of the franchise to date thanks to a lot of spectacular skills and a very versatile progress which, as always, is accompanied by a loot system that adds all kinds of modifiers to our character’s build. Apart from a new creation system, attribute modification, etc. As for aesthetic customization, it has a more than decent character creator and a handy appearance change system to always go together and avoid going through Sanctuary in a mess.
A beta that leaves you wanting more
Kyovashad is the main city of this region of Diablo IV that could be tested in the beta
There will be time later to reveal all the details of the game, but this first contact with Diablo IV makes Blizzard’s intentions very clear. They have in their hands a extremely ambitious RPG bet loaded with playable novelties, boring content, an audiovisual film section and a promising narrative. The gaming community has been waiting for this moment for a long time and, from the reception of the beta and the activity on social networks, it seems that the impression has been good. I personally am very excited about the return of Diablo.
Diablo IV will officially hit stores next June 6th for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC. We will see then if the Blizzard game aims to get into the list of the best games of the year along with other great promises of 2023 such as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or Starfield. The thing promises enough.
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