Diablo 4 Review | A Bloody Good Time

88
Story
8
Gameplay
9
Visuals
9
Audio
8
Value for Money
10
Price:
$ 70
With a strong plot, a well-designed combat system, excellent visual and audio direction, and hundreds of hours of replayability, Diablo 4 seeks to overthrow its predecessors in claiming the title of the best Diablo game ever.

Diablo 4, Blizzard Entertainment's latest entry into the legendary Diablo franchise is, finally here. Find out if Diablo 4's story, gameplay, and replayability are worth your money in our review.

Amazon AmazonBuy Diablo 4 on Amazon

Diablo 4 Review and Score Explanation

Diablo 4 Review Video

Diablo 4 Score Explanation

Image

Overall With a strong plot, a well-designed combat system, excellent visual and audio direction, and hundreds of hours of replayability, Diablo 4 seeks to overthrow its predecessors in claiming the title of the best Diablo game ever.
Story While following a cliche "chase the enemy around" kind of trope, the plot is supplemented by a robust set of well-written main characters with individual motivations that give them a particular place in that world. However, though humanity's survival is at stake here, it feels rather open-ended.
Gameplay Exploration is challenging but, at the same time, satisfying. Plus, the combat offers players various options due to the vast array of builds and strategies available. Both are extremely well-polished, and each move flows into the other very well without looking cluttered or chaotic.
Visuals From impressive special effects to aesthetically-excellent environments with a lot of visual storytelling, Diablo 4's visuals leave almost no stone unturned to deliver an immersive, gripping world through the player's eyes.
Audio Diablo 4 offers some of the crispest audio designs in the market today, from the weighty sound effects of combat to the harrowing, hair-raising background music. However, oftentimes the sound of combat can completely drown out the background music.
Value for Money Offering near-endless replayability through the endless grind and the different classes, builds, equipment and aspect combinations, and cosmetics, Diablo 4 stands above the rest in terms of keeping its players thirsting for more.

Diablo 4 Review

Pros of Diablo 4

Things Diablo 4 Got Right
Checkmark Extremely Rewarding Exploration and Combat
Checkmark Great Main Characters & Worldbuilding
Checkmark Insane Customizability
Checkmark Amazing Visual and Audio Design
Checkmark Cosmetic-Only Monetization

Extremely Rewarding Exploration and Combat

Image

Diablo 4's map is a sprawling landmass filled with treacherous swamps where enemies gather and hidden nooks where altars that boost your stats are located. Treasure chests dot the landscape, containing loot that ranges from useless to priceless. Dozens of side dungeons to complete and strongholds to conquer are open for daring players to explore and reap the bounties. Side quests are also scattered across the land, and finishing them can earn the player renown, which can be used for loot, additional potions, and other worthwhile bonuses. Recurring bosses also spawn for players and others nearby to battle together and reap the rewards. The game is both a completionist's and an explorer's dream.

However, Diablo 4 is an ARPG. Action is the name of the game. And fortunately, Diablo 4 has managed to fit its combat seamlessly with its element of exploration. The two go hand-in-hand, even when the player looks for a piece of biteberry or silver ore. The thought behind the combat system itself created a polished, fun, and challenging design. Players must learn to weave their skills together optimally to overcome complex challenges.

To aid the player in their exploration and combat endeavors, Diablo 4 also features one of the better customizability of characters among its modern-day competitors.

Have I mentioned that you can pet dogs in this game? Truly a jaw-dropping feature.

Great Main Characters & Worldbuilding

Image

One thing I found pretty appealing in the game's story mode is how well the main characters are written. They aren't fighting for just a vague sense of the "greater good." Instead, they each have motivations that drive them to do what they do. Their reasons vary from a love of family, love of their people, and even vengeance; some are big, while others are insignificant. Even the main antagonists have their reasons, though they differ in how justifiable they are.

As you progress into the story, taking care to read as much of the character-building entries around the map, more insight is provided into the characters around you. It may also lead to clues about their goals in the story before they tell you outright.

Additionally, the environments themselves tell their own stories as well. Rather than just a background for your exploration, each ruined building or corrupted area tells of how events have played out over the game's fictional timeline. Sometimes the players themselves bear witness to towns falling into ruins or how lush forests give way to corrupted swamps. It's all a wonderful thing to experience as it comes.

Insane Customizability

Image

Diablo 4 fits the description for a game that's impossible to fully experience without investing dozens of hours. Besides the five classes available at launch, each class has many different skills and gimmicks to specialize in. Though people who aim to optimize their playstyles will eventually defer to a handful of builds, those willing to experiment are presented with dozens of options. This means that each class can play wildly differently depending on the player's choice. Diablo 4's branching skill trees further reinforce this idea, which allows the player to choose only the skills that interest them while completely ignoring the others. Though some may argue that this is necessary due to being limited to only six skill slots, it is still a fantastic way to encourage build diversity.

Not only that, the selection of items expands the customizability even further. There are so many items to choose from when deciding on a build. These can range from those that raise specific stats to aspects that add an entire line to your equipment. With the number of possible items and skill combinations available to the player, there is practically no limit to the number of builds that can be done on every single available class.

Amazing Visual and Audio Design

Image

Every ARPG needs a visual and audio design that can hook players in. After all, those things make or break it for some. To be specific, visuals create appeal, while audio adds immersion.

Fortunately, Diablo 4 does not disappoint. Visually, it is one of the most beautiful ARPGs, with stunning landscapes, dismal ruins, fantastic landforms, and vibrant flora. Care has been put into the design such that snow craters upon being stepped on and debris are scattered when disturbed. Even the effects in combat look brilliant, along with well-placed carnage that doesn't impede one's sight.

And as a testament to Diablo 4's excellent audio design, each encounter feels like an epic showdown regardless of scale. The sound of arrows being launched off a player's bow or a blade ripping through flesh is very well-defined, supplementing the fantastic visuals with another layer of immersion.

Cosmetic-Only Monetization

Image

While it may seem absurd for a game being sold at $69.99 to have microtransactions, it must be pointed out that Diablo 4 is a live-service game. And unlike World of Warcraft, with its paid subscription method of generating income, Diablo 4 is technically a game you can play entirely for free afterward. That would include enjoying their seasonal content, such as their Battle Passes, consisting of free and paid rewards. What's more, according to a long blog post posted on their website, paid content will be limited to cosmetics (including emotes, headstones, etc.) and premium currency (which you can spend to buy even more cosmetics).

Yes, seasonal boosting items can be obtained from the Battle Passes, but they avoid the pay-to-win aspect by preventing them from being acquired by purchasing BP tiers. That is because they are also locked behind milestones via playing the game. In other words, according to them, these items "must be earned."

Regarding the actual experience, it's great that the in-game premium shop only has cosmetics. After all, having a fancier mount or a shiny-looking headstone (or not) won't affect the gameplay for you, nor others.

Cons of Diablo 4

Things That Diablo 4 Can Improve
Checkmark Side Boss Fights Can Get Boring
Checkmark Farming For Loot May Feel Repetitive

Side Boss Fights Can Get Boring

Image

Unfortunately, despite campaign bosses being a fun and engaging challenge, side bosses are the opposite. Most of the time, they are simply elite versions of common monsters that the player can find anywhere else but with the same kind of shared catch, such as their general immunity to specific crowd-control options. Despite that, they are still mostly fought the same way as their regular counterparts, making the endeavor more of a hassle than a challenge.

Farming For Loot May Feel Repetitive

Image

While the variety of loot you can obtain is practically uncountable, players looking to min-max their characters by spending the necessary hours grinding for the perfect equipment may eventually get bored of it. After all, repeatedly spending hours doing the same thing may not be fun for some people. And because loots have drop rates, there might come a time when frustration builds to bursting.

This is also where the sheer customizability of the characters can negatively impact player experience. Equipment for one build isn't necessarily the same for another. That's why players who have already farmed their gear might find that they would need to invest additional hours grinding for more if they decided to change the way they played. On top of that, the player not only needs to farm for equipment, but also for certain aspects and, to a lessed degree, enchantments.

However, this is completely fine for others. Some do enjoy the grind. People who play the Disgaea series to absolute completion, those who spend countless hours digging through cobblestones and dirt in Minecraft, and even speedrunners, are a special breed who can mechanically repeat the same routine while still having the time of their lives. But regardless of their personality, the nature of any grind still retains an element of exasperation, which may lead to eventual burnout.

Diablo 4 Gameplay and Premise

Image

Set after the cataclysmic events of Diablo III, its sequel tells a tale of humanity that had survived its darkest times. Diablo 4 puts you into the shoes of an unfortunate traveler stranded by a blizzard in the middle of unfamiliar woods. In pursuit of shelter, the character helps a nearby village get rid of its nearby demonic lair. Only, it wasn't warmth that welcomed him back; it was treachery that almost cost him his life. Forced to drink the blood of the Daughter of Hatred, the protagonist finds himself on a path chasing her tail.

Who Should Play Diablo 4?

Image

Diablo 4 is Recommended if You Enjoy:

• Path of Exile
• Grim Dawn
• Torchlight 2

Are you a fan of dungeon crawlers with fights that can destroy your retinas from all the special effects and quantity of enemies on screen? Then Diablo 4 is for you. That aside, Diablo 4 caters not only to fans of the genre but also to people who love the grind of farming for equipment in general. Those who derive satisfaction in seeing their character rise from a scrub to becoming a walking calamity would enjoy the game a lot.

Diablo 4 is a contender to become the best game of the series. You want to make sure you get it.

Is Diablo 4 Worth It?

YES.

Image

Even if the game isn't on discount, Diablo 4's replayability and overall polish make its full price worth every penny you pay. So long as you're open to the grind, the game promises hundreds of hours of gameplay as it is right now. And the game's value for money can only increase when the future content drops, including the additional storyline and content.

Amazon AmazonBuy Diablo 4 on Amazon

How Diablo 4 Matches Up to Recently-Released Games

Games That Came Out Recently Pros Cons
Street Fighter 6 Street Fighter 6 Diablo 4 offers a lot of extended action, either through a cooperative experience with your friends or clanmates or through a challenging solo run through dungeons. As a game that's quite similar to an MMO, there are more social features, such as joining overworld events with other players at your leisure. Fighting games, in general, allow for finer control over combat than the genre of games Diablo 4 can provide. With Street Fighter 6 being a fighting game, players can expect even more immersive fights. Additionally, Street Fighter 6 provides a more in-depth character progression experience from its World Tour mode.
Killer Frequency Killer Frequency If you prefer being at the forefront of action instead of saving people through the telephone, then Diablo 4 is a better deal. Killer Frequency is a very different game compared to Diablo 4. If you're seeking more brain-racking fun, then Killer Frequency, with its mostly audio-only puzzle-solving gameplay, is for you!
Amnesia The Bunker Amnesia: The Bunker Though both are essentially horror games, Diablo 4 provides you with all of the skills and tools to defeat the demonic menace yourself. It's also much more action-packed, with the thrills outweighing the suspense. The first-person perspective of a survival horror game in Amnesia: The Bunker serves to immerse the player in the world completely. There's an incredibly prominent element of suspense when the game puts you in the shoes — and head of the main character.

How Diablo 4 Matches Up to Similar Games

Games Similar to Diablo 4 Pros Cons
Torchlight 2 Torchlight 2 Far grittier and much more action-packed, Diablo 4 can get players, regardless of their age or inclinations, to sit at the edge of their seats. Its audio design and gameplay loop also feels much more satisfying. Torchlight 2 offers a more fantasy-oriented experience with its soft colors and prominent polygons. The game also allows you to slot over ten skills, though that also includes hotkeys to use your potions with. Also, the game allows you to go fishing. That's a deal-breaker for some people, probably.
Path of Exile Path of Exile While Path of Exile's (passive) skill tree is far, far more complex and flexible, Diablo 4's is much more refined and organized. Additionally, Diablo 4 allows players to completely reset the skill points they've invested for a cheap sum, allowing them to try out many different builds without repeating the required hours and regardless of their progress. Considering the number of skills each class can unlock and those you can obtain from gems, Path of Exile offers more customizability. Path of Exile is also free to play, though players will also find microtransactions inside.
Grim Dawn Grim Dawn Diablo 4's combat is vastly more satisfying, with impressive audio design to add to the immersion. The visual effects are also equally, if not even better, with the environment itself reaction to the player's actions. There are so many classes in Grim Dawn that it would be impossible to experience them all without investing significant time. Players who enjoy that freedom will surely have fun playing with them and eventually find a class that fits their style.

Diablo 4 Frequently-Asked Questions

Is Diablo 4 Free to Play?

Image

The base game costs a staggering $69.99, so it is as far from being "free to play" as possible. Additionally, there will be paid DLC in the future on top of the game's already-existing microtransactions.

Is Diablo 4 Cross-Platform?

Image

Fortunately for everyone, the game is cross-platform. The player's progress is also shared between each, allowing them to game using any devices they have without fear of having to start over.

Is Diablo 4 on Steam?

Image

Diablo 4 isn't available on Steam, and there have been no announcements on whether that will change or remain on Battle.net. However, you can play the game on your Steam Deck!

Diablo 4 Trailer

Diablo 4 Product Information

Diablo 4 Cover
Title Diablo 4
Release Date June 6, 2023
Developer Blizzard Entertainment
Supported Platforms PC, PS5, PS4, XONE, Xbox Series X|S
Genre ARPG
Number of Players 1-4
ESRB Rating Mature
Official Website https://diablo4.blizzard.com/en-us/

Comments

Game8 Ads Createive