Diablo II (PC) Review

A broken shell of a man enters an Inn. Struggling to carry the weight of his own sword around, he approaches a heavily stoned regular named Marius; a man tortured by vivid nightmares plagued by demons, with this Dark Wanderer always being at the centre of it all - but now these horrors are coming to life "within" this person, while he struggles to contain the evil force that seems to control them. The monsters kill everyone, but spare Marius, who joins the Wanderer on his journey into "the East." You, the player, are in control of an adventurer, whose mission will be to hunt down this cursed fellow, and destroy what has possessed him before it is too late.

From the very beginning, Diablo II seems to be an upgrade on all fronts; especially with the story, which gets a stronger focus, and is complemented by a top-notch presentation. With each of the four acts cleared, you learn that you were once again a few moments behind your target, adding a feeling of urgency to it all, and the masterfully directed, deeply ominous cut-scenes following the defeat of each act boss, help shedding some light on what happened before the hero's arrival, since they view things from the perspective of Marius. This is nowhere near as bleak as its forbearer, but it remains a pretty dark (surprisingly so, at times) fantasy tale - one of the best told in the medium.

Yes, despite the horror on offer, Diablo's feeling of dread remains undefeated. This time, however, things get a bit more epic. Rather than a very deep dungeon, the adventure at hand spans a series of realms. It's a trip that starts in the typical, medieval fantasy grasslands and cathedrals, continues with the Arabian-flavoured, barren land of Lut Golein, and the tropical jungles and Hindu/Aztec-like temples of Kurast, and ends - where else? - in good 'ol inferno. Moreover, the narrative even goes a little bit deeper, and explores the mythology of the world of Sanctuary.

All these look great too, despite the low, 640x480 resolution at hand - which got a much needed 800x600 increase in the must-have expansion. Generally a beautiful title awaits those who can stomach something so old and pixelated. Highly detailed, and with a colour palette that fits like a glove with the overall atmosphere, this can be quite immersive for an ARPG. This also comes from an era when Blizzard understood the power of sound, with high-quality effects that make you feel every hit, excellent voice-acting, and a varied assortment of moody, and thematically fitting tunes.

…But enough with all this talk about story, presentation, and atmosphere. Above everything else this is a fast-paced hack 'n' slasher, where the name of the game is: killing enemies, collecting loot, and improving your badass fantasy avatar. In many ways, it's the same exact deal with old-school Diablo. The perspective is once again a top-down isometric one; you move/interact/attack with the mouse, with keyboard shortcuts opening up menus inventories and the like; and, finally, the whole process of strengthening your character is still as addicting as it is repetitive.

Things are different, though. Moving around is noticeably faster and smooth, and hitting enemies has a lot more "punch" to it, and, due the aforementioned sound effect quality, you'll "feel" every kill. Also, enemies are demonic piñatas that litter the ground with goodies when burst open, giving you that much needed endorphin rush. Loot is given to you at the best possible pace, and is quite diverse, whereas in most ARPGs loot is just stronger or weaker. Why such an emphasis in loot? Well, fun or not, the combat is a relatively simple affair, without any innovative mechanics that make it more dynamic, and with the "strength" of your character being the only true skill.

...and yet, this steady shower of gifts enemies leave behind makes it all quite addictive, especially since there are tons of different items that can be found. Diablo II also adds socketed items and stat-boosting gems, which in turn can be combine to produce better quality gems, via the fantastic Horadric Cube; the game's magic cocktail shaker, with which you can make many different combinations. Of course, if loot is the first half of the fun, the second half is definitely the classes, which go beyond the typical warrior, rogue, and mage, and now have completely unique skill trees, rather than minor differences like with the 1996 classic.

These classes are: the bow/spear/javelin wielding Amazon, who has many passive skills that enhance her abilities; the summoning and curse specialist Necromancer; the up-close-and-personal, dual-hand expert and tower of meat known as the Barbarian; the fragile, yet powerful master of the elements that is the Sorceress, and, finally, the team-player of the... err, team, the Paladin, and his handy offensive or defensive auras. By the way, the class selection screen with the bonfire in the middle still looks fantastic - a minor detail that adds a lot to the atmosphere of it all.

The strength of those classes lies in how many different builds can be made. Whereas in most ARPGS you aren't really encouraged to create a second [insert class] after your first, here the possibilities are almost endless. Sure, it might get somewhat boring to play the same game over and over again, but that's where the online portion of Diablo II comes into play, where teams of eight people can combine their forces and destroy the forces of hell in a matter of less than an evening's work... or enter the chaos that is the PvP mode, collecting the cut ears of your opponents while at it.

In conclusion: an excellent hack 'n' slasher that everyone should play, right? Well, if not a fun of that particular brand of the genre, this won't really do much to convince you otherwise. Better or not than others, the basic gameplay loop still revolves around endlessly clicking on the game world to kill enemies and reap the rewards they leave behind. In other words, it can get very repetitive, even to those that actually like these kind of games - and, yes, Diablo II is also an old game, and as such it requires a specific kind of gamer, that doesn't mind the lack of a few "modern" mechanics.