Diablo was the first game I had ever played with random dungeon generation. I'm not saying it is the first made, just the first I was exposed to. And it opened me up to enjoying that sort of crawl, where making paper maps and keeping them in a binder for my next playthrough was no longer a valid tactic. Luckily the game does auto-map. The graphics aren't breathtaking, but even in for its time, I found them smooth and just detailed enough to set the grim and gorey tone, without being so detailed as to be nause inducing. I want to be thrilled, not sickened. The controls? Clunky. But so were other games at the time. Nonetheless, I could get over the clunkiness by using the environment for strategy. Opening and closing doors was a valid strategy, firing through grates, using narrow corridors or river formations for choke-points. I did it all. This was something about the game even my dear old mother could enjoy, and we'd play co-op on the Playstation version (which I found the aiming of bows to be even clunkier in) from beginning to finish together. I'd say the length of the game was just right and there weren't too many frills, side quests, or minigames to distract you. The progression was straight forward and what to do next clear. Overall, it's an atmospheric artifact from my youth which I am glad to have the opportunity to play again. Now to see if I can get my 60+ year old mother to play it with me again.
