Diablo II, is still the best of the series

Diablo II

Confirming some rumors, starting from the usual elusive leak at Blizzard, here is the re-release of one of the most loved titles by video game fans of all time: Diablo II.

The differences between video game and cinema are numerous, first of all the same way of use. Another great distinction, certainly less important but equally evident, is how difficult it is to find an even more beautiful sequel than the first chapter on the big screen, something that is very popular in the gaming sector. Diablo II is a great example of this extravagant reflection of mine, having simply wiped out its "parent" within a few months of its release.

In hindsight, in hindsight more than twenty years long (eh yes, Diablo II belongs to the distant 2000), the title turned out to be perhaps the most beautiful action RPG that has ever filled the screens of PC fans. A strong statement, for some exaggerated, but I think it is also well contextualized with the technical and cultural importance of the Blizzard game towards all subsequent competitors. A success that has helped create a real yardstick - “a Diablo-like game”, “a subspecies of Diablo II” - as well as ever higher expectations for the future of the series.

I will not enter not even fleetingly in that swampy battlefield that is Diablo III or the mobile version: diatribes so heated and bloody that they understand how much responsibility the second chapter has in having influenced an entire community, even after decades.

The affirmation I made already starting from the title of my writing therefore arises from a question: what made Diablo 2 the masterpiece it is?

The answer is not simple and indeed passes through a truly heterogeneous mix of aspects and characteristics. First of all, a first not indifferent detail is that Diablo 2, even now, is a great game. Of course, the HUD is spartan, some missions are frustrating, in others you don't understand much, still others have slightly repetitive dungeons. None of this can weaken the player, certainly no more than a hack & slash run any day today. In short, the product may not prove to be immortal, but for now it is barely aged, and in a perceptible way just as far as the physiological graphic aspect is concerned. Something that can be easily resolved with this new edition, among other things.

The second point in favor of Diablo II is undoubtedly its elastic and iridescent nature. For label lovers (and I am not), the game should be a hack & slash action RPG. This is because, in fact, all these elements are present, all together, certainly with peak moments in favor of one, sometimes of the other. To be precise, but I'll talk more about it in a moment, Diablo 2 is also an important multiplayer experience. What is certain, however, is that the Blizzard video game manages to offer a perfectly synergistic experience. On the one hand, the random dungeons and the hybrid map, which allows you to have reference points (necessary in a role-playing experience), without completely abandoning the more light-hearted approach of hack & slash. On the other hand, an adult narrative, mature, engaging and perfectly integrated with the gameplay elements, a textbook execution of what is commonly called role-playing game, all without having to fight with tons of lines of text, numbers and appendices. various.

The plot of Diablo II passes through canons I would say almost biblical in their lack of originality, but so well expressed and connected to the game world, to reach levels of pure excellence (so much so that the third chapter , again net of the most vulgar criticisms, turns out to be a pale simulacrum of his predecessor). Through a black, dirty and wicked tale, our hero / anti-hero trudges through a plethora of highly inspired quests aimed at an exceptional climax. Even today, and I affirm it almost without the right to reply, the narrative level of Diablo II stands as the golden rule for the development of a vivid, plausible and well-constructed game world.

The third and final point in favor of this thesis that sees this videogame as a milestone in the history of the medium is undoubtedly its online aspect. Of course, we can't talk about MMORPGs, just for the simple fact that an online game of Diablo II, whether it's PVE or PVP, couldn't accommodate the huge number of players required for the first M of the acronym, that is "massive ". In the same way, however, the title was literally a forerunner both for future developments (among all World of Warcraft, also signed by Blizzard), and for milder but highly social approaches to online gaming. Explaining in a nutshell the jumble of synergies and gameplay artifacts that made the multiplayer experience of the title so memorable is as difficult as it is counterproductive.

I still want to remember, from a bird's eye view, some of the features more inspired. The loot system of unique items, which were such for every single game and which allowed the player to be stacked with a new game, encouraging replayability without necessarily having to insert ultra-cool content (read, the cascading DLC) The Horadrim Cube, an artifact that the metagame transformed from a “simple” crafting tool into a real supplementary inventory. The exchange of objects and the market, through which a very solid community was created, always very busy and, to a lesser extent, still present after twenty years (and often guilty of purchases with legal currency, obviously not allowed). To all this Blizzard added a perfectly fitting ladder system, which had the task of making online play seasonal, allowing users to recirculate at regular intervals. In short, for those who have not experienced it, I invite you to trust the word or take a ride on the numerous dedicated Reddits: Diablo 2 has marked a generation of gamers and has left an indelible mark in the development of subsequent titles.

This explosive announcement of Diablo II Resurrected can therefore only make all fans happy and even all those who have not yet had the opportunity to try the Blizzard software firsthand. Although personally I am very rarely moved to happiness for the numerous remastered of recent times, I believe that with Diablo 2 (hoping for a good job) it makes a favor first of all cultural: games of this caliber should always be tried, perhaps with some features adapted to contemporary times.