The ‘Diablo IV’ beta makes it clear that we are facing one of the best (and most sinister) action games of 2023

With an absolutely unique graphic finish and great personality and with its gallery of monsters that drink from the iconic fantasy classics but that have an indisputable imprint of their own, this ‘Diablo IV’ is one of the essential appointments of 2023 for lovers of the action…

By: John Tones

I don’t usually get this kind of feeling, but I haven’t had access to the ‘Diablo IV’ beta for a few days after the closed beta ended last weekend, and I can’t wait to get back behind the controls of this sensational game that, at least as far as I’m concerned, has covered a good part of the expectations I had. Many more players will be able to judge for themselves in the open beta next weekend, but until then, we are a limited number of players who we have been able to confirm the best of possibilities for this sequel: ‘Diablo IV’ is definitely a ‘Diablo’.

And not just because of its looks, delightfully old-fashioned but embellished with sophisticated graphical advancements that make it a visual monster. Once again we have an adventure in a hostile world and from an isometric perspective, without the possibility of moving the camera and with mechanics that perhaps a modern player will find repetitive, because we are facing a button masher of those who created a school and its own genre. Of course, there are new essentials: a certain verticality in the settings and, we never tire of saying it, a graphic facelift that suits the sullen adventure that awaits us wonderfully.

And although I am not the type of player who is fooled by visual excesses, I have to say that they have caught me here, with the creation of a world plunged in darkness and chaos, and reflected on the screen in a terribly perverse way and painful. From the incredible opening cinematic, which rivals in quality an animated film production, and which introduces our rival on this occasion, the creepy Lilith, we know that we are facing a world that is much more than a sinister version of the typical medieval world. of fantasy.

There’s some rot, some tangible decay in the settings that does wonders for immersion, in a way comparable (and not a comparison to be taken lightly) to an ‘Elden Ring’. The dungeons, mouths of hell whose interior and content are partially procedurally generated, are successions of corpses of previous warriors, colossi in a state of putrefaction, immense pools of half-coagulated blood, substances whose nature is not of this world. And all to introduce us to long adventures of looting corpses and massacre of demons through labyrinthine subsoils. More than one of these dungeons has had me hours looking for the boss that is hidden in each one of them.

Diablo IV: kill kill kill

What, frankly, I haven’t been able to test as thoroughly as I would have liked is the interaction with other players. I have not found too many in my journeys through the game, although I did run into some other adventurer with which to ally myself to take charge of large-scale enemies. Our colleague Sergio Cejas tells us that he came together with about thirty additional players to face some monster: I particularly prefer the traditional campaign part, but it is clear that this is one of the indisputable attractions of the game.

Although there is a cooperative game, in the end the configuration of the hero (to choose in this beta among three available -barbarian, rogue and sorcerer- of the five finals that there will be) is up to each one, and the truth is that the improvements of the character are structured in a very extensive skill tree and that allows the hero to adapt intuitively to the style of play of each one. Due to my way of playing (frontal and with few bullshit) I was able to improve heavy blows in a short time and the ability to carry more and more resistant weapons for those slow attacks.

Little by little, the game unlocks buttons on the controller to apply special blows to, but it starts with a simple attack and, before long, a somewhat slower secondary attack. AND a dodge that is new to the game and that requires a recharge time (time that, of course, can be shortened as the adventure progresses). Intuitively, even the novice player will understand that he is going to take continuous damage and must ingest healing potions almost non-stop. In a short time of play, the rhythm of the action in ‘Diablo’ is inferred, with constant attacks and more wear and tear combat than skilful combos.

With an absolutely unique graphic finish and great personality and with its gallery of monsters that drink from the iconic fantasy classics but that have an indisputable imprint of their own, this ‘Diablo IV’ is one of the essential appointments of 2023 for lovers of the action. For now, the open beta is just around the corner, and then we will have to wait for June. A hellish vacation awaits us.