Hello everyone. First, an introduction is due at least to give sense to where the following thoughts come. I’m a pc player since the early 90s and one of my fav genre are the ARPG. I played so many of them that i’ve lost count. I don’t like mobile gaming - even tho’ i played Immortal - nor console gaming.
Diablo IV. I see it as a way to merge the mobile/console market with the more hardcore pc one. There are many (very) good aspects in the game but also quite some bad ones.
World: I really like the idea of a World of Diablo-like game; that was something i was expecting to happen for quite some time. You can traverse the world seamlessly, and it feels alive and connected. You really took inspiration from Grim Dawn in many way eheh
Feeling: it doesn’t feel quite like a “true” Diablo game, not as much as D2/D3 or something like Grim Dawn. Too much of Immortal and/or console gaming has been imported, like the camera, less enemies, evasive move (?!?!?). The overall feeling is a bit too much on the console/mobile vibe, too much Immortal-ish.
Skills: they do not have the same, solid feeling as D2/D3/Grim Dawn’s. They don’t feel powerful enough, nor is satisfying casting them.
Quests/story: too many dialogs, too many words for a Diablo game. Too console/Immortal-ish. Also, to reach an objective you almost have to “grind” through many areas and/or wait for endless countdowns…
Progression also seems painfully slow.
Enemies: first, what happened to the trademark yellow/blue/purple auras for elite monsters?? i really hope that that (elite) near the name is a place-holder… second, it doesn’t feel very good killing them; prev/other games give a sense of being more solid and fun. I don’t see too many variations and I can’t approve that you choose the Immortal-style for some of them instead of the classic D2/D3 models.
Items: power rating, critical strike, lucky strike… wth…?! You don’t have to change the basics. Also, stats don’t feel appealing, both in magnitude and in how they are shown; D3s are so much better in both ways, clearer and more interesting.
DUNGEONS: nothing prevents the developers to have the game have randomized dungeons with assets from the area where they are. D3 did it awesomely.
Music/sounds: Good job. Again, Grim Dawn gave some lessons lol
Graphics/Art style: regarding the graphics, the game is smooth as silk although we’ll have to wait for more players/enemies/abilities in actions all together.
I hoped for a more “definite” art style. Don’t know, D3 has its own which i really like; D2 too; Grim Dawn too. In D4 it seems almost as if the art is shallow, not “punchy” enough. Too much Immortal-ish.
Finally, that skills’ tree is horrendous. who the hell came up with that idea?
D3 really gives the sense of a labour of love concerning the art style of menus, items, tabs and so on. Even the hud feels better in the previous entry.
Also, why is the bottom HUD not at the base of the screen?! c’mon…
Overall: D4 feels more like a game developed to please the console market with some more hardcore elements. I think it doesn’t feel like a “true” Diablo game - as neither do Immortal - but it could if some thing will be properly (re)made.
Suggestion for the safeguard of OLED screens: can you make it so that the many HUD’s parts could be dimmable and/or the transparency of the elements adjusted?