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Diablo 2 gets a complete remake. The overhead dark fantasy hack and slash looter finally gets a new and improved graphics remake, with smooth gameplay. But how does the beta play? Well, my review of Diablo II Resurrected Beta is very positive. Aside from an occasional technical issue it played pretty well and looked great. I’ll break it down by graphics/sound, gameplay, character build/level up, and technical issues.
Graphics and Sound
The biggest thing about Diablo II Resurrected is the graphics. They are gorgeous. Before the beginning of the game, you watch a cinematic cutscene that looks very realistic. It sets the tone for the rest of the game. It tells you that they weren’t messing around with this remake. They did it right. The way everything looks just feels right. They sit well with the source material. The same style, just greatly improved.
The lighting is absolutely beautiful. The color scheme is fitting and emits a mystic glow. The shadows are sharp and are as realistic as a Diablo game can be. The fire effects are on point and definitely set the mood for a hellish dungeon. Even the rain looks great. The sound takes the old original, but it sounds very much improved. This is the main reason to get the game in my opinion. If you don’t care about graphics then there really isn’t much reason to get this. Unless you want to enjoy the improved gameplay.
Gameplay
Now the gameplay takes on from the original mostly. I mainly played as just the barbarian. It’s slower-paced and more deliberate, at least at first. You must plan out each move you make. You can’t just go hacking away or you’ll end up swinging away at the air. Now I played on the Xbox One but the controller works pretty well. Instead of walking by 8 axis points using the N, S, E, W, keys, you get a full range of motion. However, if you want more of a nostalgic feel, try the game on the PC. Everything you can do is mapped to a button of your choice.
You can completely change the controls if you want. Now one complaint I have is that I wish they brought back the red outline that appears around the target when it’s in range to attack. In this version, you must be close enough to do the damage. The range is still long at times but can be limited compared to the original. The different heroes you can pick change the gameplay and help add to the replayability.
Character Build / Level up
Now once you kill enough enemies you level up. This gives you the choice to choose from stats and abilities. Each character has different abilities and use stats affect them differently. The stats you can raise are strength, dexterity, Vitality, and Energy. Not much has changed from the original in this regard.
Technical Issues
Because this was an online-only Beta, lag issues were occasionally present. Mostly because I was using mediocre WiFi. The game also has some sound delays. Other than those two things I didn’t encounter many other problems.
Conclusion & Review of Diablo II Resurrected
All and all I’m very happy about this remake. It captures what makes the original great. But it also adds a modern look to it that helps with what makes the original look dated. I highly recommend anyone who loved the original Diablo II to consider getting this game. To anyone who’s never played Diablo you should give this one a try if you like dungeon crawlers and or fantasy RPGs. This version made my list of the most anticipated video games of 2021. Diablo II Resurrected comes out on September 23rd.
*Featured Images and Video Clip from Blizzard Entertainment
