Diablo 2: Resurrected review in progress – beautiful, safe remaster
Diablo 2: Resurrected is currently available. The original was one of my favorite games as a kid, but revisiting Tristram today seems strange, and not only because it’s been 21 years.
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Fans who were stung by the problematic release of Warcraft III: Reforged is worried that history may repeat itself with Diablo 2 Resurrected.
At the time of writing, the original Diablo 2 was still available on the Battle.Net shop, so that’s something.
I still need more time with Diablo 2, so I’ll have more to say on the remaster later.
There’s already a lot to say, but it’s essential to set the stage before delving into what may seem to be minor issues and achievements.
Naturally, the most noticeable improvement is that Resurrected now looks fantastic.
This is a stunning remake that captures the essence of the original Diablo 2 while also adding the clarity and detail that my mind had to fill in all those years ago.
If you want to enjoy a little of history with a few modernized modifications, Resurrected is the game for you, and any PC with a medium-spec CPU should be able to run it on high settings.
The cinematics has been redone, reaching the level of excellence seen in previous years from Blizzard’s animation group.
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One major worry is that Resurrected will not get any post-campaign assistance.
Fortunately, seasonal ladders are mentioned, allowing players to compete to achieve level 99 as fast as possible while playing through the campaign with unique restrictions and rare prizes.
I can’t comment on how comprehensive they are since they aren’t accessible in the review version of the game, but they should offer a lot of replayability.
It’s also unknown if the seasonal ladders will follow the same structure as the original Diablo 2, or whether they’ll be modeled after Diablo 3.
Diablo 2’s modernization has also offered Blizzard the opportunity to make it more approachable than its previous iteration.
There are a variety of settings for various types of color blindness, as well as sliders for controlling the strength of different colors in each of them.
For the chat window, there are also settings for font size and text-to-speech toggles.
Some essential sound effects are muted by default, so I’m glad I can adjust the audio sliders to reduce the booming skills and enhance some of the softer but more crucial auditory cues.
When I need to check where I’m going, the new minimap is smaller and handier, so the whole screen isn’t covered.
It’s also a nice touch to have three storage tabs in the stockpile for transferring things between characters.
It was also in the menu that I learned something about the game that I didn’t know when I first played it all those years ago: assaults may miss. Instead of the muffled sound effect that evaded me for 21 years,
you may now be alert to this by a large white cross that appears on the screen anytime you miss a strike.
The variety of customizable controls and keybinds available is by far the greatest benefit for both accessibility and convenience.
On PC, every key may reassign, allowing you to customize the game to your liking.
Both Xbox and PlayStation controllers are supported in Resurrected.
Those who can only play games with one hand may customize the controls to fit their requirements using specialized controllers.
I also tested out an arcade combat stick, which works very nicely.
Surprisingly, I believe that playing Diablo 2 Resurrected using a gamepad is more pleasant
and convenient than playing with a mouse and keyboard. Yes, I understand.
But, before you get your pitchforks out, I’d want to point out that as a Necromancer,
I find picking up things more challenging due to the number of corpses I may possibly revive.
I can no longer target particular cadavers to convert into skeleton buddies since the mouse cursor prioritises highlighting dead corpses above the trinkets and stuff I may acquire,
and so with a gamepad, I’m no longer hamper by an assumptive UI.
This saves me a lot of time attempting in vain to select a gem out of a pile of dead enemies, which I really appreciate.
It’s more irritating when all of this wonderful stuff is overshadowed by what’s missing.
No borderless window mode or ultra-widescreen choices are available.
It’s also common knowledge that Diablo 2: Resurrected lacks TCP/IP functionality, which is required by certain multiplayer modifications.
Instead, to access online characters, play with other players,
and access cross-progression and seasonal ladders, users must connect a Battle.Net account.
Perhaps an unavoidable move toward modernity,
bolstered by Blizzard’s citation of “possible security concerns.” However, it may leave a sour taste in the mouth of those
who recall Warcraft III: Reforged’s comparable break from established gameplay mechanics.
So far, Diablo 2: Resurrected seems to be an excellent way to play a traditional action RPG,
with excellent updated visuals and quality-of-life elements,
but it is far from flawless. The additional accessibility choices are nice and enhance everyone’s experience,
but there isn’t anything here that isn’t standard in the business.
There are also holes in its feature list,
some of which are concerningly comparable to those that afflicted Warcraft III: Reforged.
Regardless, I’ll be looking forward to returning to Tristram as soon as the servers are online,
hoping that there won’t be anything else to spoil the experience.
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Diablo 2: Resurrected review in progress – beautiful, safe remaster
