Diablo + Hellfire

I really enjoyed my time with Diablo 1, but be warned that i haven't played any other diablo game (only a Diablo 2 clone: Titan Quest) and my ARPG and CRPG catalog of games that i completed is extremely limited. I'm more of an FPS guy so bear with me if i say something to obvious. I only played the vanilla version since i hear that HELLFIRE isn't that good. It's intresting that the simplicity of the game is what appealed me and help me get through it. What exactly i mean by simplicity? 3 clear distinct classes: Rogue, Warrior and Mage. You can clearly see from the getgo what kind of weapons each one favors and on what you should invest (mostly). Skill points are also pretty straight foward. Easy and interconnected layout: gave some Dark Souls vibes, when you unlock a new "region" you get passage to get back to the main hub. None of that new unlock teleport thingy that ARPGs that games inspired by Diablo 2 have. It's just one hub and a journey of 15 floors to hell to kill the big bad boss. The levels are also randomized in each playthrough so you will have different enemies and layouts. Is a short game by today's standards: one playthrough might give you 7/10 hours of fun (or hell). I like this. Not everyone has enough time to remember a colourful cast of characters in an long adventure like Titan Quest or an CRPG like Fallout 2. You get a few key characters and a set of randomized secondary missions (only 6/7 per playthrough i believe). ENEMIES STAY DEAD!! i love this feature because it forces you to explore each floor to kill every enemies for that sweet XP and gold. The atmosphere of the game is great. I'm a 1997 kid/adult? i grew up playing half life 1 so i dont really care about graphics. What i truly care about is Art direction and this game nails this. There is a horror undertone that diablo 2 and 3 (for the gameplays that i've seen) lack. The music contributes a great deal to this horror undertone. IF YOU ARE A WARRIOR BE SURE TO INVEST IN MAGIC!!

So I just replayed this game after 20years and I can honesly say : no, its not just nostalgia, it really is a great game. Aged much better than original D2 due to simple (but fun) gameplay mechanics. Best atmosphere of dark and terror in any game ever IMO, game just feels and breaths the demonic vibe.

I finished Diablo 1 for the first time through this GOG release just as of the year of this review's posting. I had it as a kid but wasn't really patient or smart enough to figure it out really. So now, years later I can finally give my thoughts on this, the legendary Diablo. Please note that this review will not cover the Hellfire expansion, as I didn't play it. I wanted the experience intended by Condor/Blizzard North back in the day. I will say the fact it is included is a very nice touch. This game holds up quite well in my opinion. Given the age of the game it still looks visually nice, with decent human characters, creepy and disturbing monster designs and horrifying area designs, especially later into the game as things get less 'Earth' and more 'Hell.' Sound effects are still punchy and satisfying, and I still say Diablo has the best potion sound ever made. The music helps with the mood just as much as the visuals, from the unsettling safety and looming dread of Tristram's theme to the distant drums and screams as you delve deeper into the 16 floors of the main dungeon. The game is really simple to control. Just point an click. Click an item to pick it up (assuming you have room in your inventory), click an enemy to attack it. Right click to cast a spell. It's really simple. The fun comes from the feedback of killing those enemies, and finding new and better loot to equip to kill the things faster and better. Side quests give the player a reason to keep an eye out while in the dungeon, and not every playthrough is the same since, like the dungeon layout, the quests you get are randomized at the start of the game. With only 16 floors to the dungeon, the game is actually relatively short, but for this game I feel that works to its strength. Many of the features that make Diablo 2 so legendary aren't here. I beat my warrior run in only a few sessions. For those curious about where ARPGs got their start, this is it, and I recommend it.

I expect most people who buy this who already know what they're getting, so this review is directed to those who don't. Because yes, the original Diablo was revolutionary back than, but how does it stack up today? The answer for me was ... not all that bad, but very hard to recommend. I found it to feel rather janky and surprisingly light in content. And that is including the DevilutionX community patch that adds a bunch of bug fixes and QoL improvements to the game. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad game. But each class only has one unique ability and the different stats primarily affect their ability to learn spells, which are the same for all of them and the key to survival. The game is divided in 6 sections with 4 layers each, which you can get through in a casual week, including 2-3 restarts for loot grinding. The game's first boss, the Butcher, is practically impossible to defeat on the first go unless you abuse his limited pathfinding or skip him for later. The expansion's Bone Demons are immune to virtually every viable damage spell, so sorcerers have to defeat them with a good ol' clubbing. Due to the tile pathing, most monsters walking straight at you will still zig-zag, making them frustratingly hard to hit at times. No inventory management or reading time while paused. With all that said, the ARPG foundation is definitely there and it is interesting so see many systems that I used to think were modern innovations (town portal, transparent overview map, unidentified items) already present in this ancient pillar of gaming history. But at the end of the day, it is still a relatively small game and I don't think another class playthrough will be all that different. Which is why Iin my opinion that 10€ is a pretty hefty price tag for what this game actually offers and the main reason why I'm rating this article with 2/5 stars - the mileage for people with no nostalgic connection to Diablo 1 is simply not there.

And the LEGEND of ARPGs! I have nothing to say about this GREAT game, I just want to point out this source port: https://github.com/diasurgical/devilutionX Do yourself a favor, when purchasing Diablo, use DevilutionX and you will have a complete experience just like those days! =D