Diablo 3 Review

Diablo 3 looks fine but is not without visual disappointments. Monsters and their animations are great, crumbling upon death or shuffling toward you dragging an axe over stone. Exaggerated ragdoll effects hurl body parts and blood across your screen. Dungeons and caves are suitably atmospheric with seamless random level generation. It only takes one glance at the Halls of Agony in Act 1 to realise there is plenty of gore. The low polygon class designs don’t feel quite right in comparison. The wearable items are over stylized with accentuated features that don’t look practical. The world is fully 3D but you are stuck with one camera angle and two zoom levels. Enemies can be obstructed behind walls as you stand in doorways. The visual quality is generally consistent but the story falls flat toward the end.

There is plenty of gore and many dark rituals

The main story arc finishes without the punch of its prequels. Major events happen within the game engine, producing less than desirable results. It also tends to have a flippant attitude in regards to major and returning characters. The carefully placed loose ends lack the intrigue they are usually accompanied with. When the last foe falls, the game asks if you want to quit to the menu and you are treated with an ordinary cinematic and the longest of all credits. Despite the healthy nostalgia during the later acts, it lacks the same demonic impact its predecessors generated. Blizzard was happy to reproduce their efforts because it has worked for so long.

Diablo 3 is a good game because it doesn’t stray far from the successful gameplay we saw ten years ago. It’s certainly not a dramatic upgrade or expansion on the classic formula and occasionally lacks the passion the previous games were built on. Changes made to skill and health system don’t seem to bring about improvements. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of fun to be had. Searching for treasure in the myriad of randomized dungeons will be more than enough for most gamers. The action feels great and progression system proves effective. The addictive qualities of the franchise survive and exploring with friends will provide many hours of entertainment.