Diablo IV preview: Embracing the series’ dark past and open-world future

It’s no exaggeration to say that the Diablo series is one of the most influential RPG franchises of all time. As one of the first action-focused loot games, it offered a deeply compelling and satisfying take on the classic concept of dungeon crawling. Its many sequels advanced the foundations of rewarding character growth and addictive loot collection. The Diablo games are still beloved today, but other titles have picked up the baton and taken the genre in new directions.

So with the next one Devil IV, developer Blizzard is looking to reinvent the classic action RPG, taking the series’ first steps into a dark open world full of gruesome violence. While staying true to isometric action RPG and dark fantasy roots, Devil IV offers a more ambitious and free-form adventure, with many new ways to customize your hero as you venture across the land.

I was able to play for more than 12 hours Devil IVThe opening act of the game’s first beta version, which showcased its vast open world and gave a taste of how much power an up-and-coming adventurer can achieve. This is already obvious Devil IV It’s less about offering a series of linear dungeon crawls and more about opening the player up to a wider world full of monsters to fight and loot to collect.

Embracing a dark past

Several decades after the defeat of Malthael a Devil III, things haven’t improved in the world of Sanctuary. With humanity in despair, a desperate group of adventurers seeking loot and power summon the malevolent archdemon Lilith, who embarks on a brutal campaign to reclaim the ruined world. With the land about to plunge further into darkness, a barbarian, a rogue, a witch, a druid and a necromancer take their first steps into the Sanctuary. They band together to amass power and infamy, all in the quest to gain the strength to defeat Lilith and her army across the world of Sanctuary.

Seconds Devil IV director Joe Shely, the development team felt they needed a more consistent and surprising tone for their journey back to Sanctuary. “[Diablo IV] is much closer to its roots in horror and fantasy than the IP’s recent interactions,” said Shely during a pregame presentation. “We want the world of Sanctuary to be terrifying, challenging, and engaging, but also we want it to be a place worth fighting for. The main theme of the game is “hate”. Hate will consume Sanctuary and the hearts of our characters, and we will explore its legacy and its dire consequences.”

Zoom in / The dark tone of Devil IV it extends to the color palette in scenes like this.

From the opening hours of the game, it was clear Devil IV is the darkest and most violent entry in the series. The bloody opening act, filled with undead monsters, human sacrifice and lots and lots of blood, sets the mood for this grim adventure. Yes Devil III it was similar to Peter Jackson’s director’s cut lord of the rings trilogy, Devil IV it’s much more along the lines of Bram Stoker’s dark gothic horror Dracula.

This dark atmosphere will be familiar to anyone who remembers the first two Diablo games and their vision of a dark, gothic fantasy world. But Devil IVHis vision of the genre seems more brutal and grotesque. The violence and bleak atmosphere of the game can be a lot to appreciate at times, but it all connects to the more meaningful vision of a world in ruins.