‘Diablo IV’: The devil is in the details

After Zelda and Final Fantasy, it may seem like an exaggeration to talk about yet another great game that defines this year. But that’s the way things are. The pandemic and supply crisis delayed several of the great games that were supposed to be released over the past few years; that has led to a glut of games in 2023, some of which will shape the future of interactive digital art over the next decade. Now it’s Diablo IV’s turn; its art director has sought to make the adjectives “gothic, medieval, dark” the basis of its best attribute: a sublime and macabre atmosphere, making the game one of the year’s best.

The Diablo franchise’s journey has been a curious one. The first game came out in 1996 and greatly influenced PC games, establishing some of the visual and mechanical bases (isometric view, inventory management designed to click with the mouse) that were essential to the games that followed. The second installment, from 2000, sublimated the formula; the next two games (Diablo III, from 2008, and especially last year’s Diablo Immortal, which was designed for cell phones) were criticized for using real money in the game and for its microtransaction system. Diablo IV was eagerly awaited with the hope that it would revive a franchise that left a lot of meat on the bone. It has not disappointed.

Diablo IV is more of an RPG (role-playing) experience. It takes elements from massive multiplayer online games, deepens the improvement of all of its mechanics, and seeks an extremely powerful visual identity. It also includes some cinematics (invoking the monstrous Lilith and her gradual conquest of the world) and a narrative to knock your socks off. With these elements on the cursed altar, Blizzard has produced a visually wonderful and extremely addictive game that strikes a very nice balance between difficulty and satisfaction.

John Mueller, Diablo IV’s art director, has stated that both the old masters and more modern artists, such as Frank Frazetta and Gerald Brom, serve as inspiration for the game. He says they’re aiming for “a medieval masterpiece.” In a video, Mueller recalled that, during his art history studies, he was influenced by Hieronymus Bosch. In fact, in that presentation, they showed a triptych, The Garden of Hell, with characters and stylistic tropes of the Devil that were directly inspired by Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights triptych. This new release clearly emphasizes visual identity as the foundation of the whole experience. This author believes that they have hit the nail on the head.

2023 is an exceptional year. Perhaps Diablo IV will not be crowned the year’s best game. It may not have invented the wheel, but it does reformulate all of its sections to offer a complete experience. The real world is eager to lose itself in the virtual world of Sanctuary where the struggle between the forces of evil and good will unfold. We can only ask that the best one win and enjoy the show.

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