Diablo + Hellfire

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

Love this game, played the hell out of it back as a kid but where's the Mac version? I've got a clunker PC laptop laying around so I could buy this to play but I'd rather use my MacBook. Only reason why I'm docking a star. Holy bolt for Diablo and Chainlightning for everyone else. Damn I loved that combo. My friends....not so much. That's why there are resurrect scrolls. hahaha.

I had been hoping Blizzard would eventually release this so when I saw this was on GOG I was pleasantly surprised and bought it immediately. Diablo was groundbreaking for its time, there wasn't really anything else like it. The game is clunky and dated so it might be a bit of a shock if your only experience with this series started with Diablo 2. It might be hard for some people to go back and play this game today, but if you are like me and were anxiously awaiting the launch of this game way back in the day it's a great trip down memory lane. I can still remember the awesome manuals Blizzard packed in with their games (which is a pdf download here with your purchase of course). Bottom line: If you grew up playing this game you'll get more out of this. People who have little patience with dated games would be better off with Diablo 2 or other modern action RPGs. Probably the main surprise for people will be how slow and methodical Diablo 1 is compared to Diablo 2.

My first Diablo game was Diablo 3. Now, playing this game for the first time, I understand all the criticism about the changing direction in the series. This game has retroactively made Diablo 3 not that good. Love fully exploring all the levels killing monsters and leveling up my character, looting is addictive and very well done, the atmosphere is incredible thanks to a darker art direction and an amazing soundtrack... It doesn't feel dated at all for a 1996 game, just a little bit too "clicky", some quality of life updates in that regard (e.g. click and hold for attacking monsters) would have been amazing. But anyway, a perfect score for me, thanks GOG for bringing back this game and let me discover it.