I managed to squeeze in approximately 6 hours of game time, which is not a lot in the grand scheme of things, but I would like to share my opinion of the game so far! I will not make this a lengthy post but I will quickly touch on storyline, sound, graphics, controls, content, replay ability, fun factor, and my overall opinion.
Storyline:
- Beta had only one act available, but the story was the typical hell vs angel and we as the heroes need to find certain items/people to prevent a war that will destroy the world.
- Great cut scenes kept me engaged.
- You have a main storyline as well as many side quests to give insight into the rest of the world around you.
Sound:
- The sounds were fantastic.
- The sound of the spells and abilities felt more realistic and go very well with the theme of the game.
- The music was very good and flowed well with the tempo of the game.
Graphics:
- After Diablo 3, this game took a step back to its darker, grittier roots.
- The spells and abilities are not as flashy but feel more realistic. For example, the barbarian upheaval skill shows more of how one could shoot a cone of rock and earth forward in a frontal cone. The barbarian first slams his weapon into the ground behind him and drags it into the ground slinging it forward. You don't jump in the air and land and create this massive earthquake that could rival a god with lava spewing out of the ground, etc. I find this to be a simplistic and less flashy design that allows the player to focus more on the character movement and the process of completing each ability to fit very well with the game and I really enjoyed it.
- The weather and atmosphere in the game is very well done. I really liked how when walking through snow you leave behind a trail, but that trail will be covered up rapidly whether there is a snowstorm or not.
Content:
- Diablo 4 is stepping into the MMO department in that you are no longer contained within your own server of 1-4 people. You are in a world with many other players running around completing quests and conquering dungeons.
- Dungeons have been added to the game. You can enter solo or with a group and travel through a semi randomly generated dungeon with its own background. What I mean by semi random is that the final boss will always be the same and the final destination is always the same but the location and how to get there can change each time you enter. You do receive a first-time completion reward of a special aspect that can be added you your gear and a crafting station.
- Crafting:
- Blacksmith: Build and upgrade gear.
- Jeweler: Craft rings, amulets, and upgrade gems.
- Alchemist: Instead of health potions being sold or dropped randomly, you craft and upgrade the potency of your potions here. You can also create elixir to increase dmg and XP.
- Occultist: You can reroll stat on your gear as well as extract and imprint legendary aspects, allowing you to better customize your character and play style.
- PvP
- World bosses
- Event system
- As you travel the world leveling up you can run across many different events, from rescuing people to a giant boss destroying a town. If you complete this you gain a different resource which can be spent at a vender to roll for random loot of the category you choose, e.g. chest, pant, gloves, etc.
- One event that I found very interesting is there are strongholds throughout the world, which are areas controlled by demons and other creatures. There is also a leader, and if you can clear out this area, you unlock that stronghold as a new village with more side quests and things to explore.
- Spells and abilities
- They have taken inspiration from the Diablo 2 talent trees, but modernized them and added some new unique talents to the mix.
- Respec anytime as long as you have some gold. This did not feel expensive for the amount of gold I was making.
Replay ability:
- I feel there will be more to come back to play each day than previous versions of the game given that they have added dungeons, pvp, world bosses, and probably more than what I have had a chance to explore. I can see myself making one of each class to try out the different unique play styles.
Fun factor:
- I thought this was a very enjoyable game. I found plenty to do playing solo but I can see playing with a group of people to take down a world boss could really be a blast.
As you can see, I don’t have much to say in terms of any negative comments for the game as of yet! I am sure there are things in the game that will not be the greatest, but nothing that is jumping out at me currently. I will let everyone know as I learn and apply more of the game. If you wish to see some gameplay of this or many other games check out our Twitch stream AFKids Gaming at https://www.twitch.tv/afkidsgaming.
What is everyone else’s thought on the game so far? Are you going to purchase the game?
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