Diablo + Hellfire

Frankly, I like this better than Diablo 2, which for me has become a grindfest for known items. This first game feels more like an adventure, and not like item shopping. It has a dark atmosphere, a sense of danger, and less of a sense of the player's eventual invincibility. Not being able to run, while inconvenient, adds to the tension.

While I was ecstatic that GOG brought Diablo 1 in to work with modern OS, I put off buying it at the $9.99. It's arguably a fair price, but balanced with other games on GOG of the same caliber, I figured it would be better to wait for a while. Summer Sale 2019 comes around and there's a 10% discount. Not a dealbreaker, but got the email announcing the third party Hellfire expansion would be included AT NO EXTRA CHARGE. Some may argue that Hellfire wasn't a great expansion, but the additional bells and whistles were much appreciated (the fast movement in town alone is a big deal for many). The unofficial debut of the Monk (and, with tweaking, the Barbarian and Bard) cements the deal. Companies that thrive on microtransaction DLCs should take a page out of GOG. This is how you build customer loyalty! Playing it after so many years is like an old friend. Sure, the graphics are dated, and the interface is clunky compared to modern stuff, but the atmosphere, the challenge, the experience, all of these make up for the shortcomings, especially if you've played it before. Diablo II was a huge improvement, but the original will always have its place in gaming history for its innovation and bridging the Roleplaying and Action Gaming genres.

I never had the chance during my early youth to play Diablo, but was always aware of the reputation that precedes it. Due the age of the game, I perform the grave mistake (like many) in bypassing the opportunity to get ahold of the game, forsaking it in the ever-growing Wishlist. As part of the winter sale, I decide to bought it. My only regret was not buying it sooner... As somebody whose judgment is not clouded by nostalgia, Diablo exposes you to many special things. In my case: the in-depth appreciation of ARPG-genre games; the well written lore and atmosphere that prevails until present time; the music; the characters. Diablo will not make you a fan of the game, but rather of the franchise. And for that, it has my highest praise. My only negative feedback would be that was too short, leaving me for more. But, ironically, this may pertain to the old adage: quality over quantity.

Yes, I know it's 10$ for a game of 20 years ago, with all the things this implies (old graphics, clunky mechanics, etc). Fetch yourself some gameplay video, and have a look... However, mind this: there's a reason if this game lead its sequel to sell 1 million copies in two weeks.

Deceiving first appearances. Because you're thrown, without any ceremony whatsoever, into the main town after you pick your class. You weren't told anything at all about the plot, or the world. You don't know your character's background, or their story. You don't even know where you are. You talk to the first NPC and unless you've been playing a lot of Resident Evil recently you get greeted with the worst voice acting you've heard in years. I think the only reason early players weren't led to believe this was cheap shovelware and quit on the spot is the absolutely brilliant music playing in the background. But like a brave dungeon explorer you delve deeper into what must by all appearances be a below average game and THEN it hits you, or rather you hit it, the first mob, and it all makes sense. Because even after all these years, the real-time combat, a complete novelty at the time, is simply very fun. Walk, hit, kill, loot. Even if you can't exactly see what you're hitting because of the walls in the way, even if you can't walk straight because of the character's pathing or see items on the ground, even after all that you still just want to keep doing it for hours. Get stronger, and do it faster. It's rough around the edges and rough around the sides, but it's ultimately a great classic with enduring gameplay, an insane soundtrack and well crafted atmosphere and theme that's totally worth playing today.