Diablo + Hellfire

The smell of death surrounds me....

I've been playing through Diablo 1-3 over the last few weeks. Funnily enough, I finished Diablo 3 first, then worked my way backwards through the earlier titles. What struck me the most, is just what little the whole "bloat" of Diablo 3 adds to the experience IMO. I mean, there's lore, endgame content, a whole slew of difficulty settings, more gems, more gear, more artisans - more everything! It's bigger, flashier - but also "wordier", more colorful etc. And then there's Diablo 1 - a game that its developers envisioned at the time as a simple, playerfriendly version of the CRPG that everyone could just pick up and play. And yet - in comparison to the more "modern" Diablo 3 it also seems so much more "mature". It expects you to play much slower and more methodically, the story is dark and foreboding - rather than loud, bombastic and operatic. Well, to be honest, this is written from the perspective of someone who has played through the three games mostly for the storyline and the broad differences in gameplay - I don't dare say anything about the scope and quality of the endgame content, playing in higher difficulties etc. So, if you're even slightly interested in the series' history and development - definitely give Diablo 1 a go!

...and I still like this game! I played it the first time in 2015, so WAY past its prime time. So I'm definitely not writing this here with rose tinted nostalgia glasses. I usually have a very hard time to like such old PC games, either because I find them graphically dull or because the gameplay is horribly outdated. But it's not the case with this one! Sure, the genre has evolved and you can find more elaborate gameplay in modern games (even the sequel to Diablo offers better gameplay), but what's here still holds up nicely if you're into that sort of genre. And what makes this game so compelling for me is the atmosphere that's created by the beautiful and memorable music score and the cool gothic art direction. And the fact the all dialogues (the few that are there) are fully voiced, something which I personally prefer over reading silent text boxes. I also find the sprite work and the overall design direction holds up well, and the dated visuals actually still fit the tone of the game. All in all I'm surprised I've played through the entire game and liked every minute of it, despite its age. If you ever thought to yourself: "Why would anyone still play old junk like this?" Well, that old "junk" might still be fun even today. Let that be said from someone who thought so himself.

For us Old School gamers, this is as good as it gets. There was NOTHING like this game when it came out. The online, the soundtrack, the difficulty. It was all there. IMO 10$ is a no brainer. I just wish that Blizzard had teamed up with Beelzebub to include the mods and extra content. Must buy for all us old fogeys who are hardcore Blizzard North fans.

Ultimate old-school aRPG experience, which is vastly different from Path of Exile and Diablo 3/4/Immortal. Best played using a port (devilutionx) for widescreen support, bugfixes and controller support.