Bul'Kathos guides my hand: A Diablo III review

The long-awaited resurrection of one of PC gaming’s most revered franchise has finally come to fruition. Much has changed in PC gaming since the Lord of Terror’s last excursion into the mortal realm. Waking up from 11 years of development under the watchful eyes of its new masters, Diablo III emerges from the blazes of hell clearly different from its predecessor. But would it be up to the task to follow up one of the most engaging and arguably the best dungeon crawler in the business?

Twelve years after Diablo, Baal and three of the lesser evils were banished from Sanctuary, a mysterious star crash-landed upon the Cathedral of Old Tristram. This in turn sets the motion of events that would once again bring Sanctuaries’ greatest champions against the Prime Evils of Hell. Presented in such a well-acted, well-rendered and well-produced manner only afflicted by its lackluster plot twists, I can only say that this is Blizzard’s story telling at its finest.

Diablo III’s strongest moments are the ones tucked away in its main campaign. With the banter of the townsfolk and the random speeches between your character and your faithful companion, Blizzard has randomly but thoughtfully created events that would make the dark and hope-ridden world of Sanctuary more like a real place. Audio logs litter the world of Sanctuary. It’s not hard to be entertained by these little stories. It may even be more interesting to listen to some of the poor souls’ dying monologues than to comprehend the main plot.

Blizzard has made a large overhaul of Diablo III’s system. Allocating stat points and talent trees have been removed in lieu of automatic stat point gain and a rune system that allows the player to customize secondary effect of their respective character's skills. The Identification and Portal scrolls have also been integrated to the characters. What’s left is a game that may feel simpler in the get-go but still has a layer of complexity under it. From the beginning, it’s clear that Diablo III is open to a more playful approach of gameplay and skill experimentation. Players would not have to deal with having to repeat the game just because you messed up your character’s build. Players are also encouraged to forge weapons and armors and combine gems at any time.

Due to the increase in mob counts, life, mana and damage totals in Diablo III, the harder difficulties demand that players concentrate on the finer points of the game. The crux of the game is to grind, optimize your gear to your stats and skills, and trial and error in battle. If one technique doesn’t work, try other skills and runes, then try again. There’s no heavy punishment if you die, only a 10 percent decrease of your equipment’s durability. Of course if you’re playing the hardcore mode where basically everything is harder and if your hero dies, he will be deleted with no chance of getting him back.

The inclusion of an MMO-style skill bar and a retuned potion belt is a welcome addition to the Diablo formula. But the spam-happy formula still remains and we would not have it any other way.

Except from the Barbarian, the characters in Diablo III brings a wide range of new ways to eviscerate your enemies in the battlefield. Sure, they do use some familiar characteristics from the past like the Wizard and Witch Doctor, which resemble the Sorcerer and the beloved Necromancer. The Demon Hunter is a somewhat of a mix between the Amazon and the Assassin, laying traps and using crossbows to rain death from afar. The Monk, however, is the most unique among the five. With the Paladin’s tried and true tank/healer template and with skills that would make any martial arts movie choreographer jealous, if you want a flashy way to play Diablo III, the Monk is your choice.

Though it is disappointing that DX 11 was not included, Diablo III is no slouch in the graphics department. Presented in an isometric camera, here is a game set in a gritty and brutal world but still has the strength to show off some colors apart from gray and brown. A sophisticated physics engine has been added to make sure that every swing of the Barbarian can stir up winds and every explosion throw enemies’ bodies into cliffs and every hole in the ground. Of course the sound department is not something to be overlooked either. Every grunt and chants your hero and every gargled screams of your enemies are heard. Every swing of a weapon and spell cast can be heard with detail.  A chilling soundtrack and masterfully voiced cut scenes continue to push the bar upward.

There are few issues with Diablo III, if any. The online DRM is annoying and Blizzard’s server side loading is still rough, but those are issues that can be mitigated in the coming months. No matter how you look at it, Diablo III is one hell of a beast.

Once again, the Diablo franchise defines action RPG and dungeon crawlers on the PC. The game has been masterfully done and there are even more features to come such as the long-awaited PvP. If you have not played any of the Diablo games, this is the time to start. If you have to sate your loot hoarding ways, then look no further.