The Good and The Bad of Diablo IV
Last time in the series previously titled “My Notes on Diablo IV,” I had just finished the campaign and I was in the post credits glow of game completion satisfaction and happiness.
Now, I’ve invested many hours into the post-game content, as well as trying out a few different builds across different Hardcore mode characters — and I’ll admit I’ve lost a few of them forever already into the hall of heroes.
Diablo IV is a game burdened by very many years in the game-making oven, and design decisions that seem like they’re trying to split the difference between other popular games rather than just learn the good lessons of Diablos past. It’s a beautiful game with fun combat, but I also think that it leans so hard into its own open world design that it feels strangely dated and a little out of touch.
Join me for an out of order exploration of some random things I like and don’t like. I’ve played thousands of hours of the Diablo series over the years all the way back to the original, and if you pressed me to pick one as my favorite I’d probably say Diablo III, or II depending on my mood that day. Yes, I’m one of those people. Those two games are different enough that they sit at either end of the franchise’s spectrum, and IV tries…
