Diablo 2 is an isometric RPG that I decided to revisit after years since the last time I played it. I played it quite a lot when I was a kid and tried out the many different classes. But it wasn't until my teens that I knew enough English to actually play through it.
For context for the rest of the review, I replayed the game this time in multiplayer and with the expansion "Lord of Destruction" installed. I was pleasantly surprised that, at the time of this review, connecting to others in multiplayer is still as easy as it ever was. Using the expansion for this playthrough was also a nice addition because of the life of quality features and extra items available. So much so that for any future replay I would always install the expansion.
This playthrough was made with me playing as the amazon class, focusing on spears and javelins, and my friend playing as the necromancer, specializing in re-animating skeletons.
The game does not wait for action to happen and is as easy to learn and get into as a player. What can be harder for a player, especially a new one, is the many options one can build their character. It gives the impression that each character has more viable builds than it actually has. The game's biggest flaw in my opinion is how locked the different classes are to certain weapons and skills to be efficent in late game. Not a fatal flaw but I personally prefer more free options in character building. That is why I enjoy playing the amazon class for its options of using both ranged and some melee tactics.
The game is divided into 4 acts and we managed to do one per session of about four hours before feeling tired of the game. There is a simple and very addicting game loop but can feel repetitive after a while if played for too long in one session.
The isometric graphic style shows the intriguing environments and vast array of NPCs. The mood is dark, and dreary and complements the fantastic music. It really draws you into the experience. Even if you focus more on the said experience than the story behind it. The story is more of a catalyst to get the game going than the game driving the story forward, at least in this playthrough. Perhaps it was due to the multiplayer sessions distracting from the story.
Throughout the game, it never felt too hard and we rarely felt like the game was challenging. In the beginning, we even felt like we were over-leveled. We mostly focused on drinking potions, fighting mobs returning to town, and selling items from our far too-small inventory.
This changed in the third act though and we started to get in trouble with the higher leveled enemies. As an amazon, I felt like I could get easily overwhelmed by mobs as the amazon lacked good splash damage attacks at that point. The necromancer friend who had focused on creating their own mob of minions now started to face troubles from enemies who had area-of-effect attacks. This problem lasted all the way to the final boss and became a slogging match.
I did thoroughly enjoy the game from the first act to the last. There was never a boring moment and even if a bit constraining, I loved micromanaging the details in my character's build. The gaming experience of this game is just as good as when I played it when I was a kid and I will play it again at some point. I don't know if a replay would be in this original version or the remastered version "Diablo 2: Resurrected" released in 2021.
This game is a classic and one of the greatest when it comes to older RPGs. If you enjoy an aesthetic and lootheavy character-building RPG, then I recommend at least one try of this game.
For context for the rest of the review, I replayed the game this time in multiplayer and with the expansion "Lord of Destruction" installed. I was pleasantly surprised that, at the time of this review, connecting to others in multiplayer is still as easy as it ever was. Using the expansion for this playthrough was also a nice addition because of the life of quality features and extra items available. So much so that for any future replay I would always install the expansion.
This playthrough was made with me playing as the amazon class, focusing on spears and javelins, and my friend playing as the necromancer, specializing in re-animating skeletons.
The game does not wait for action to happen and is as easy to learn and get into as a player. What can be harder for a player, especially a new one, is the many options one can build their character. It gives the impression that each character has more viable builds than it actually has. The game's biggest flaw in my opinion is how locked the different classes are to certain weapons and skills to be efficent in late game. Not a fatal flaw but I personally prefer more free options in character building. That is why I enjoy playing the amazon class for its options of using both ranged and some melee tactics.
The game is divided into 4 acts and we managed to do one per session of about four hours before feeling tired of the game. There is a simple and very addicting game loop but can feel repetitive after a while if played for too long in one session.
The isometric graphic style shows the intriguing environments and vast array of NPCs. The mood is dark, and dreary and complements the fantastic music. It really draws you into the experience. Even if you focus more on the said experience than the story behind it. The story is more of a catalyst to get the game going than the game driving the story forward, at least in this playthrough. Perhaps it was due to the multiplayer sessions distracting from the story.
Throughout the game, it never felt too hard and we rarely felt like the game was challenging. In the beginning, we even felt like we were over-leveled. We mostly focused on drinking potions, fighting mobs returning to town, and selling items from our far too-small inventory.
This changed in the third act though and we started to get in trouble with the higher leveled enemies. As an amazon, I felt like I could get easily overwhelmed by mobs as the amazon lacked good splash damage attacks at that point. The necromancer friend who had focused on creating their own mob of minions now started to face troubles from enemies who had area-of-effect attacks. This problem lasted all the way to the final boss and became a slogging match.
I did thoroughly enjoy the game from the first act to the last. There was never a boring moment and even if a bit constraining, I loved micromanaging the details in my character's build. The gaming experience of this game is just as good as when I played it when I was a kid and I will play it again at some point. I don't know if a replay would be in this original version or the remastered version "Diablo 2: Resurrected" released in 2021.
This game is a classic and one of the greatest when it comes to older RPGs. If you enjoy an aesthetic and lootheavy character-building RPG, then I recommend at least one try of this game.