Action RPG is a term very loosely used to describe many different types of games, from
The Secret of Mana and Star Ocean to Dark Souls and Borderlands, of which I think we
can all agree are very different games.
Although the phrase is used to express many titles, there are a few that impact the gaming
world to such a degree that they become a subset genre unto themself - Diablo is such
a game.
This tale of bile and brimstone doesn't originate from an era when Diablo's minions walked the
Earth.
It comes from a time when they roamed one dungeon, beneath one cursed cathedral in the
unfortunate town of Tristram, a town with a dreadful tale to tell.
The narrative of Diablo loosely plays with theology and Catholicism – there are demons,
angels, and influences plucked straight from biblical depictions – but overall, this
is a fantasy world with a fictional credences.
Fictions such as strange and demonic occurrences that have been emerging from the treacherous
depths of Tristram’s underbelly and the story follows suit, but, from one playthrough
to the next, those happenings can vary.
For instance, in one playthrough you may face off against the carnage-lusted demon, the
Butcher, but in another playthrough you may never encounter the fiend.
Instead, you may be attempting to cure Tristram of a tainted water supply.
These quests and narrative is displayed through tomes and the different characters found in
the bowels of the dungeon or from the topside town’s people of Tristram.
Every encounter is fully voiced with a meaningful delivery to bring life to the dreariness of
the melancholic atmosphere.
It’s a pleasure to place yourself in the lore of Diablo, but before you start the journey
to uncover the plight between heaven, hell, and mankind; you’re going to need to create
a hero.
There are three traditional pre-set classes in Diablo: the rogue, the warrior and the
sorcerer.
Each class is individualized by attribute points, equipment, and a unique ability.
For unique abilities, the Warrior can repair their equipment, the rogue can disarms traps,
and the sorcerer can recharge magical staves.
Beyond the unique ability and the initial stat differences, the classes are pretty much
the same.
Meaning, any class can learn any spell in the game or equip any piece of gear as long
as they have the required attribute points.
Most will look at this in one of two ways: the ability to cast any spell or don any piece
of gear will most likely leave you feeling like you’re very unrestricting or to a certain
degree it will make you feel as though it falls into a formula wherein all the created
characters are relatively similar to one another.
Either way, it didn't stop me from making several different classes to put the combat
to the test.
The combat in Diablo is very simple, it’s comprised of weapon strikes and casting spells.
Really, that’s it – it’s brilliant in a minimalistic way, but a wide range of enemies
do bring a certain level of complexity to the experience.
And that experience continuously rewards you for hacking up the Hell spawn to send them
plummeting back to the fires of perdition from once they came.
The time spent exploring the randomly generated maps and dispatching demons is when the character
progression will be achieved through leveling up, allocating stat points and equipping new
gear.
The allure of becoming an increasingly more powerful demon slayer creates an almost narcotic-inducing
compulsion to rid the realm of Sanctuary from the unrelenting forces of the Lord of Terror.
Diablo still holds endearing relevance to gaming even though it comes from a different
time – a time when it was more of a dungeon crawler, less of a loot hunt, but definitively
an unquestionable dark medieval fantasy experience with atmosphere and music to match.
Diablo’s ensemble – from presentation, lore and atmosphere to progression, combat
and addictive gameplay – makes this one of the greatest games of all time.
An aspect made indelible by the fact that Diablo is a game not defined by genre; instead,
it’s a game that created one.