In the year 2000, the world was introduced to the sequel of Diablo. Blizzard North’s creation, Diablo II, continues while improving the story and reputability. Yet after 18 years, the question of whether or not the game is still relevant is a difficult one. Players must choose a class: Amazon, Necromancer, Barbarian, Sorceress or Paladin. Two new classes of Druid and Assassin are in the expansion.
It’s Replayable But Needed More Content
Each class has its own strength and weaknesses that offer a playable character for every RPG play style. Even after playing through one class, the randomness of the items, equipment, and the wilderness offer an unmatched replay value. With such a large world to explore it feels rather empty. More structures, monsters or NPCs are in desperate need. After wandering around and playing through quests, the randomly generated wilderness is fun to experience a new setting each time you log on to play. Much of the game is exploring and traveling through areas to reach dungeons and areas of interest.
The story begins simply enough but after diving deeper into the game’ single-player mode, it is easy to completely become lost within the well-rounded plot. Diablo is the hideous Lord of Terror. A hero once was able to defeat him but now that the hero is no longer alive, a Dark Wanderer is reeking havoc.
The Lack of Pickups Is Problematic
A frustration that stands out from this classic title is lack of automatic item pickups. You must scroll over each deceased enemy to find a possible item and then click on the item. It’s especially a daunting task while battling full hoards of zombies and demon.s This issue alone is enough to want to switch over to the newer Diablo III game. The graphics too is something that has not held up over time. On a newer computer, the graphics look dull and grainy. Fans of the game since it originally was released probably find it nostalgic. But for someone who is playing Diablo II for the first time, the graphics are not one of the classical elements of the game.
The Music Is Still Amazing
The background music alone is beautifully composed. The music is easily my most favorite part of the game. Listening to the soundtrack instantly transports the player to a dark fantasy world filled with evil and the light of those who oppose it. Despite Diablo II’s age, the music is as beautiful as the day it released.
Impressively, Diablo II is still popular online even with the third game of the series also being available. It’s nostalgic vibe, replay value and classic dungeon crawler elements make this game unforgettable. With a price tag for the base game of only $9.99 USD, PC fantasy gamers have little to lose while playing, except a sense of time.
Diablo II and the expansion is available through Blizzards’ website.