Diablo + Hellfire

It was groundbreaking when it came out but still pretty good even today. Pretty short unless you want to either replay on higher difficulty or try other classes but that is a plus in my book, to actually be done with a game after a weekend. My only real wish would be that they implemented coop from PSX for a complete couch experience. Otherwise, you should be able to find mods to completely change the game or just give you the QoL enhancements. It is a game from '96 so you should know what you are giving yourself in to already.

If you have an issue with crashes, just add it to your windows antivirus exclusions, seems to work a charm for me. Zero crashes since then.

It's always hard to say much about old games, especially the highly influential and innovative ones. Because the standards you have for one genre has probably been set by that specific game. Diablo is that one game that defined the Action RPG genre. From the basic mechanics to the possibilities of storytelling in the style, D1 started it. If you've ever played any action RPG or any hack n slash, then you know what it's like — cause this is the game that started it. Because of its age (released in 1997), don't expect too much though. Skill trees are not that sophisticated, some features and controls need to be manually set up, the story is very basic, and the setting is limited to a town and the 16-level dungeon (with some hidden areas here and there). The best thing about Diablo 1 is its atmosphere. Despite the aged graphics and sound effects, it still manages to immerse you into its demon-infested world. Seriously, this game still managed to creep me out. And part of it is also because of the superb scoring. Each section of the dungeon has its unique feel and the background music complements it so well with its dreadful ambience. And the theme for the town 'Tristram'? Chef's kiss. My biggest disappoint about the game though is the final act (SPOILERS ahead). Diablo (the final boss) is laughably easy. Tje fact that I died more times trying to kill the Butcher than I did with the Dark Lord himself is hilarious. I didn't even have to switch up my usual strategy, which is to lure him away from the mob as far as possible so I can 1v1 him. But that isn't even the biggest let down yet. The moment you kill him, the game immediately goes into its cinematic ending and then ends there. That's it and you're back in the main menu. This feels disappointing cause there's little to no sense of accomplishment. But whatever it lacks, Diablo deserves its reputation as the father of ARPGs for its enjoyable linear gaming experience, memorable atmosphere, and marvelous scoring.

It's the 27 of December 2024 and I play Diablo for the first time. I love it! Thank you GOG.com!

You can't consider yourself a decent person if you have never played Diablo I. Its not just about the game, but the manual, the soundtrack, the atmosphere, the characters, the skills, the magic, everything is a unique piece of art. I remember wanting to pee out of excitement when I bought the big box in my local supermarket, before getting home. Bear in mind this was 1996. This level of care and neatness is hard to find nowadays, even with all the tech around. BUY IT.