Diablo III’s Excellent World Design Still Ensnares My Brain

Being big by being small

Diablo III’s varied world is held together by its bright aesthetic. Screenshot taken by the author.

Diablo III’s game world is objectively much smaller than the one found in its recent sequel, yet a shrewd combination of design, pacing, and dungeon depth makes it feel so much larger.

I was initially excited to hear that Diablo IV would take place in a stereotypical modern “vast open world,”…