Diablo

"The Devil got old..."

Diablo is an Action\RPG developed by Blizzard North. Diablo is a legendary game, a true classic, simple in its concept yet so fun and addictive. It's main and biggest problem? It is heavily outdated… if you have played Diablo 2 or any other similar game, it is very unlikely that you'll go back playing Diablo again. It is like playing Super Mario World and then start playing the classic Donkey Kong! However trying to be fair I'll try scoring it considering the time it came out and not the games of today but also even though I love it I won't hide its numerous flaws.

Story: 6/10
Presentation: 6.2/10

My biggest complain with Diablo is its plot. We have a lord of Hell who has risen and wrecks havoc in a small village and given enough time he will strengthen and ruin the world apart. The story is simple and quite typical but in the right hands a simple plot can become something great like in Diablo 2. Unfortunately here things aren't so good. At first the villagers start giving you some info about what has happened and as you delve deeper into the dungeon of the game they unveil more about the evil that has awaken and you also find some tomes in the dungeons that tell us about the mythology of the Diablo universe. All these are very good BUT they only scratch the surface of something that could be a lot bigger, if you know what I mean. Especially when you reach the end the story becomes pretty flat, Find Diablo – Kill Diablo…

Gameplay: 7/10
Replay Value: 7/10

All my rambling about the plot, graphics and sound quality have no meaning when it comes to Diablo. This game is all about the gameplay, which while not original or innovative is very addictive. In Diablo you choose amongst three heroes, a warrior, the master of defense and melee combat, a rogue, our female ranged combat specialist and a sorcerer, the master of the elements… and dying. Each one has his own advantages\disadvantages and changes the way you play, with the sorcerer being the hardest at least at first because it is very easy to die with.

The concept is simple. You move and attack with your hero by clicking the mouse, kill little mobs and find money and lots and lots of items and gain experience while at it. By gaining experience you can increase the stats of your character but unlike Diablo 2, which is more diverse in its characters, here you'll just increase the stats a character's certain class needs, dexterity for rogue, strength for warrior, etc. A bad thing in Diablo is the fact that you can reach the stat limit of your character pretty fast turning the game in a simple item-finding mission. But to tell you the truth that is the main and most addictive feature of Diablo. Finding items and making your character stronger and stronger can be quite fun for a lot of time especially for people that haven't played Diablo 2 yet.

The game generates your dungeon's levels randomly meaning that the position of various places changes, but that doesn't really affects the gameplay. Apart from all the killing and item finding you'll receive some quests from the townsfolk that require… killing and item finding. Along your quest you'll also find many spells that all characters can use but of course only the sorcerer is good with them. However they are great and add to the fun of the game not to mention that increasing their power can also be quite addictive. Finally Diablo is great when playing on the Net and don't forget that this game was one of the ones that made online gaming popular, (and a must). The biggest problem of the game is its repetitive nature… it is addictive, but also lacks depth and along with Diablo 2 is the main cause of carpal syndrome in the world! Yes folks, a lot of clicking in this game…

Graphics: 7/10
Design: 7.5/10

After spending thousands of Hours on Diablo and millions more in Diablo 2, I look at how Diablo looks and you know what I still like it! It is outdated, lacks variety and all but actually looks good. First of all the original Diablo had something that Diablo 2 didn't, a great dark style, with a multi-level dungeon where you could actually feel the depth. There are only 4 level styles, 5 if you count the town, so Diablo isn't great when it comes to variety however everything is nicely designed and looks quite gothic. The enemies look great, at least the stronger ones like the Dark Knights that are some gigantic walking tanks that transform into a strange whirlwind when they die, or the bigger demon-buddies that look quite intimidating. Your heroes look very good also, but don't have the appearance diversity of later games and have only 2-3 looks that rely in what armor they wear, but for its time that was good.

Sound: 8/10
Music: 8/10

I loved the atmosphere of Diablo, something in which music helped a lot. Each area of the dungeon has a unique ambient theme that fits with the overall dark theme of the game and when going out in the town you hear a very soothing and mysterious acoustic guitar theme that I personally love. The sound effects are good but not so “professional”, for example the enemies sound more like cartoonish demons than actual demons. The voice acting is quite good, especially with some characters in town.

Positives:
-Addicting gameplay with lots of items and three hero classes
-Dark, almost gothic graphics and great ambient music
-Fun on the Net

Negatives:
-Repetitive and very outdated
-Click, click, click, click, click, click, AAARRGH!!!
-The plot could have been a lot better

Also Play:
Diablo 2 (PC)
Fate (PC) Diablo for kids!!!
Titan Quest (PC)

Overall: 7/10

It looks and is old, but this game was the masterpiece of its era and paved the way for games like Diablo 2. It is a magnificent classic game, addictive and fun that despite its flaws is the favorite of many people.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/28/09

Game Release: Diablo (EU, 1997)