The other huge announcement at Blizzcon this year was of course the reveal of the next iteration of the Diablo series, Diablo 4.
The game certainly looks very similair to the previous entries but there are several key differences that will make this a big change in the series. First to note is the fact that the art style is being reset back to how it was pre Diablo 3 with a grim and moody atmosphere that many people remember fondly from Diablo 2. The biggest change however is that it seems Blizzard are fully embracing the MMO side of Diablo by creating a persistent online overland world that players will traverse and see other users while adventuring. This has been confirmed to only be on the overworld and that dungeons will be instanced but it still really sounds a lot like how WoW is so it will be interesting to see how the game handles this.
With the game world having an online element of course this means the return of the dreaded always online service which the third entry demonised heavuly (lol puns) however Blizzard have confirmed there won’t be any community marketplaces using real life money so that’s a relief. It was also confirmed that full character appearance customisation will be coming to the series which is nice as it will finally give us the ability to make our character our own rather than playing a preset and dressing them up in different outfits. Finally we were shown 3 classes in the game so far, the Barbarian, the Sorceress and (returning from Diablo 2) the Druid. Supposedly there will be 5 classes in total so I will be praying that they will allow the Necromancer to return for another game as I do enjoy his aesthetics the most.
It will be interesting to see how this entry plays out in the series. The art style is obviously trying to catch the magic that Diablo 2 had with it’s grim gothic style but the MMO-like online features of the game seem to clash with that lonely horror aesthetic entirely. I can’t really feel a sense of foreboding and dread if five other random players waltz by and evaporate any enemies that I come across. Here’s hoping it will be a success and the true game that people have been craving for all these years.
That’s all for now, and as always. It’s not just a game, It’s a Life.