At it’s core, Diablo 2 feels like an attempt to just give people more Diablo 1. More dungeons, more quests, more locations, but still the same mouse driven hack and slash gameplay. That’s pretty standard for a sequel, I think, but what’s weird about Diablo 2 is how much it fits in with games released today. Basically, in addition to more of Diablo 1, they’ve also tried to heighten the experiences Diablo 1 gave.
For one, Loot is lootier, more disposable and more greed-inducing. Rather than a secondary thing in the first one, not all that different to how loot is handled in other RPGs of the time, loot is the primary driver besides quests here. There’s tons of little dungeons scattered throughout the game, each with a locked chest of randomized loot waiting at the end.
Multiplayer is also more competitive, with a ladder (at least in Resurrected, not sure about the original release), but also just feels more global. What comes out of this in particular isn’t a live service game, but you can feel what would become GaaS forming around you, like an addictive husk. In a way I think you can blame much of the issues the game industry faces today on Diablo 2, but I think you’d be overeager to do that. You can see where the shockwaves come from though, the focus on what Melos Han-Tani once called [“the treatmill”](https://melodicambient.neocities.org/posts/2020-12-20-Treatmills, or, Hades, Roguelites, and Gacha Games.html).
Honestly, beyond that, it’s a great 2001 PC dungeon crawler. I’m still not convinced by the mouse-driven controls (so much so that I got this on switch lol), but the art is gorgeous, the plot is interesting if a bit simple, and the whole experience is really like a roguelite with an enormous budget, and no permadeath lol. It’s got some bits that are beholden to the less desireable qualities of fantasy aesthetics of the time, particularly in the jungle and desert regions, but even those have enough wild successes to not call them anywhere close to a failure.
Basically, you should probably pirate this game.
For one, Loot is lootier, more disposable and more greed-inducing. Rather than a secondary thing in the first one, not all that different to how loot is handled in other RPGs of the time, loot is the primary driver besides quests here. There’s tons of little dungeons scattered throughout the game, each with a locked chest of randomized loot waiting at the end.
Multiplayer is also more competitive, with a ladder (at least in Resurrected, not sure about the original release), but also just feels more global. What comes out of this in particular isn’t a live service game, but you can feel what would become GaaS forming around you, like an addictive husk. In a way I think you can blame much of the issues the game industry faces today on Diablo 2, but I think you’d be overeager to do that. You can see where the shockwaves come from though, the focus on what Melos Han-Tani once called [“the treatmill”](https://melodicambient.neocities.org/posts/2020-12-20-Treatmills, or, Hades, Roguelites, and Gacha Games.html).
Honestly, beyond that, it’s a great 2001 PC dungeon crawler. I’m still not convinced by the mouse-driven controls (so much so that I got this on switch lol), but the art is gorgeous, the plot is interesting if a bit simple, and the whole experience is really like a roguelite with an enormous budget, and no permadeath lol. It’s got some bits that are beholden to the less desireable qualities of fantasy aesthetics of the time, particularly in the jungle and desert regions, but even those have enough wild successes to not call them anywhere close to a failure.
Basically, you should probably pirate this game.