I need to start this Diablo IV review by being honest as I am not the biggest Diablo fan in the world and also admit that my experience with Diablo did not start until Diablo III which I played on PS4. The version of Diablo IV that I played is the PlayStation 5 version so I am basing my experience on that.
How to Download Diablo IV
You can download the game from a digital store. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
The Game Review
The story of Diablo IV starts off really cool, it does follow on from Diablo III, but you do not need to be up to speed to figure out what is going on here. We play as a hero called, The Wanderer and there is an evil called Lilith that has risen and basically needs to be put in her place. Granted, that is a major simplification of what the story is, but it is classic fantasy stuff and something I thought was pretty neat.
I was very impressed at how cinematic this game was. Blizzard usually makes great-looking games, but Diablo IV may have some of the best cinematics that Blizzard has ever done. They are so good, it makes me think that these guys could make a really epic Diablo movie!
You start by creating your character and character creation is something I have a love/hate relationship with. You pick from one of five classes, barbarian, druid, sorcerer, necromancer, and rogue. Each one has its own playstyle, strengths, and weaknesses. Customizing your character is fun and I liked the way they would actually look the way you have designed them in the cut scenes.
I went for the barbarian as I like closer combat, a heavy smashing kind of style. There is a skill tree here, but I never found it overwhelming at all, it was very simple to figure out what I was putting my points into. However, while I loved it, a good friend of mine thinks that this is way too “baby” and he wanted it to be more in-depth and offer more options.
The gameplay of Diablo IV is very similar to what it was in Diablo III, it is a fast-paced action dungeon crawler style of game. There is always a horde of enemies coming your way and you are fighting to get better loot, better loot so you can get better stuff, better stuff so you can fight stronger enemies. It is a gameplay loop that is incredibly addictive and I have ended up playing this into the wee hours of the morning on a couple of occasions.
There are different regions that you will be exploring as you work your way through the story and each region will have its own theme of enemies and bosses. I will say that you do sometimes feel like you are fighting the same enemies over and over again. However, the combat is so satisfying and so fast-paced, you never really have time to notice it.
I have so far only played Diablo IV in single-player (my buddy is way too into this to hang with a scrub like me) and I have had a great time. However, why the heck do I have to wait for my console and game to connect to the internet to play the game in single-player? I hate this “always online” thing that they have going on here, if your internet goes down, you cannot play this game!
While I am not a diehard Diablo fan, Diablo IV is an awesome game and a game I am sure I will keep on playing through most of the year. It is such an addictive experience and so far, I have not really heard anyone complain about it. I think they have a game here that is great for hardcore longtime fans and even those who may be new to the world of Diablo.
