Blizzard finally officially announced Diablo IV at Blizzcon 2019, their annual event that is used to hype upcoming Blizzard-related content. To accompany the announcement, we got a 9-minute long cinematic trailer, and in Diablo fashion, the trailer was stunning. The announcement couldn’t come at a better time for Blizzard as any news they have been involved in lately has been rife with controversy. Fans of the series have been waiting since 2012 for a proper sequel. Many fans were expecting the announcement to come last year at Blizzcon, but they were only let down by the “out of left field” announcement of Diablo: Immortal, which was not a proper sequel, but instead a new mobile game. This long-overdue announcement of Diablo IV is Blizzard’s first few steps in trying to get back on the positive side of video game news. Now that we know a little more about what the game will be, let’s summarize what we have learned so far.
Plans to be More Repayable than Diablo 3
One complaint that many fans had, including myself, is that once you were finished with Diablo 3, there was little to no reason to go back and start a new playthrough. Sure you could try out a new character, but you would still be playing the same quests with the same enemies as your previous playthrough. There would be different loot, as well as different types of weapons you could use, but if you aren’t crazy about loot, then another playthrough wasn’t for you. Diablo IV will bring back seasonal content; this is something that Diablo 3 did, as well as other games of service titles like Fortnite, Call of Duty and Overwatch. Seasonal content helps games have constantly changing themes that bring a new feeling of freshness each time you come back for more.
PvP mode is an addition that Blizzard hopes to bring to the table in Diablo IV. The developers are not sure how to implement it quite yet, but if they can find the right balance to a PvP mode, it is something they would gladly add to the game. PvP mode helps the longevity of games that have large campaigns, simply because it offers a whole new way to play apart from the typical PvE content of Diablo. Whether you are getting tired of the main story gameplay, or you just want something different, PvP could be a nice addition that the franchise has never seen before. Blizzard has not confirmed that they will add a PvP mode, they are waiting until they find a formula that can really make for a fun experience before they set anything in stone.
Like any good MMO or game of service, Diablo IV will look to include raid bosses and world events. This isn’t necessarily reinventing the wheel, but it’s something anyone can look forward to while they are exploring a video game world. I find that whenever I am looking for a quest to do and nothing catches my eye, I scan the map for any events popping up that I can join in on for a quick thing to do. These events are a great way to keep players on their toes, and to give out any new loot that has been added to the game.
Yes, Diablo IV will have Microtransactions
Joe Shely, the lead designer of Diablo IV, confirmed that Diablo IV will have microtransactions. Shely made sure to say that these purchases will be for cosmetic items in the game. Plenty of games do this, of course, most notably Fortnite or Counter-Strike, but some companies are received much differently when they announce that they will have microtransactions. Companies like EA or Blizzard are looked at as a sort of villain when they announce these features, while other companies, like Epic Games, are praised for their constant updates of new skins and emotes. What many consumers fail to realize, is that when a game plans on having a long life after its initial release, the developers have to add content that can keep making them money. They do this so that they can keep giving you the content that you love, and when the transactions are purely for aesthetics, I believe we should cut them a break. It’s not like they are charging people to progress in the game, or putting unfair advantages behind a paywall. It’s simply a way for Blizzard to generate extra revenue that quite frankly, is just another method to make sure their employees can keep a job. Sustainability for a game is key to keep the players happy!
The Tone Appears to be much Darker than Diablo 3
Blizzcon kicked off with a nine-minute cinematic trailer for Diablo IV, and what a way it was to shift the narrative on what Blizzard has been up to lately. The trailer is incredibly dark and grungy, which takes much more of a grounded approach than Diablo 3. When I played through Diablo 3 I didn’t get much of a spooky cult feeling, it was more of an end of the world setting, with Heaven and Hell fighting a huge war that you were right in the middle of. The trailer for Diablo IV gives off the feeling of a conflict that is more personal, something that you can relate to a bit more than some hero saving the world. If you haven’t watched the trailer yet, I strongly encourage it. It is a trailer that any longtime fan of the series or any horror fan can really get behind. If there is one thing Diablo has always gotten right, it’s their execution of cinematic trailers, and Diablo IV is no exception.
The Gameplay is Looking Very Promising
I watched all three videos of Game Informer’s gameplay for Diablo IV. The three videos consist of three different classes that will be playable when the game comes out. The first I watched was the Barbarian, a staple class of Diablo that was featured in Diablo 3. What has always been true for the Barbarian class is that it is the simplest of classes that you can choose. Some people would take that to mean boring, but at least in Diablo IV’s case, that doesn’t appear to be true. The gameplay for the Barbarian seems to be much more visceral than 3, each hit has its own impact that you can feel. It actually looks like you are hitting the enemy with all you have, and not just shooting a nerf gun at them. While I watched the Barbarian fight through these areas, I noticed that there are a lot fewer enemies on screen at once. This is more than likely to make each enemy feel like they matter, as opposed to Diablo 3 where you fought armies of enemies at once, further contributing to a more realistic feel.
The next class that was shown off was the Druid, a character who was absent in Diablo 3. Just to get this right out of the way, turning into a werewolf or a bear, and then smashing into enemies with your wolf buddies is one of the coolest looking things I’ve seen in a Diablo game. It’s the dark and disgusting version of Beast Boy, how cool is that? The Druid is an up-close and personal character to use, similar to the Barbarian. The difference is he has a few more ranged attacks, as well as a choice of companions that will fight with you. You can choose between wolves, ravens and a vine creature to accompany you through your quests. The Druid looks to be a fresh addition to the selection of characters, with a mixture of ranged and close attacks, nature spells and physical aggression, the Druid appears to be a fun character to look forward to trying out.
The third and final class is the Sorceress. As you would expect, she consists of a lot of ranged elemental attacks that Sorceress’ is famous for using. The effects on her spells look beautiful and make her feel like a total badass. She can stand back and take down her enemies without even being touched. The Sorceress seems to be much more equipped to take on large groups of enemies, showing that this class is excellent for supporting an up close and personal class such as the Barbarian. It’s a safe bet that if you were comfortable in picking the Sorceress class in past games, you will be just as confident in the class this time around. There isn’t a ton of variation at this point in Diablo IV’s Sorceress, which can change at any point of course before its actual release.
Release Date
There is no expected release date for Diablo IV, unfortunately. There isn’t even a release window, as a matter of fact, it was listed as a game that would release on PC, Xbox One, and PS4. But most speculate that this game won’t be out till much past the like cycle of the Xbox One and PS4. None of the content that we saw in the gameplay demos, aside from the classes themselves, will likely be included in the final game. It’s likely that Blizzard felt the sooner we can get the word spread about Diablo IV, the better it would be for Blizzard’s coverage in the news. It’s a smart business move, one that appears to be, at least for the moment, working out completely.
