After a couple of controversial years for theDiablofranchise,Diablo 4has arrived to right the ship. It feels like a fantastic return to form for the franchise, and fans seem to be loving it. The gameplay is as engaging as ever, the story is the strongest it has ever been, and the world that Blizzard crafted is not half bad either. While that is all great to see, the best part ofDiablo 4may be its aesthetic.
TheDiablofranchiseis known for its dark and gory world. Nothing about living in Sanctuary seems fun, and the art style of almost every title reflects that.Diablowas dreary, andDiablo 2was depressing, but something happened withDiablo 3. For some reason, Blizzard chose to give it a more cartoony look instead, and that pulled many players out of this depressing world. Luckily,Diablo 4aims to rectify that by bringing players to the darkestDiabloworld yet.
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Diablo 4 Feels Like a Diablo Game Again
From the minuteDiablo 4’s opening cinematicbegins, players know they are in safe hands. It makes it pretty clear that this game will not be a lighthearted affair as people are ripped apart to make way for the return of Lilith. It is not for the feint of heart, and really shows that the game earned its M rating. The cinematic is gory and over-the-top, and it is exactly why fans fell in love with this world to begin with.
Once players enterDiablo 4, they are greeted with a very dark and dreary art style. The world is filled with bland and depressing colors, and the lands are drenched in death and destruction. There are no bright characters, colors, or areas that make this adventure feel lighthearted.Sanctuary is a depressing place to live, andDiablo 4reminds players of that every chance it gets.
This dark atmosphere is in stark contrast towhat Blizzard did withDiablo 3. For some reason, the studio chose to make Sanctuary a more cartoonish and arcady world after two very dark ARPGs. The locations were brightly lit, the characters wore dashing colors, the attacks shined like a rainbow, and everything about the world felt like a more lighthearted affair. While the story still dabbled in the darkness that the franchise was known for, the graphics made it feel like a fun romp through a magical world.
EvenDiablo 3’s opening cinematic felt tamer thanDiablo 4’s gruesome intro. Players got to watch asDeckard Cain told the storyof an impending war for the world before he was forced to flee as fire rained from the sky. It set the scene for what was to come, but it also felt a bit more cartoonish compared toDiablo 4. It almost looks and feels like an adult-focused Pixar film, whereasDiablo 4’s intro feels like something else entirely.
Diablo 3’s cartoonish world wascarried over toDiablo Immortalas well. That game is a bundle of controversy, and the bright world did not help make diehard fans want to play it. Its release made much of the player base weary ofDiablo 4, but the two games feel nothing alike. Aside from the microtransactions,Diablo 4feels like theDiablogame fans have been waiting for.
Diablo 3was not a bad game, but its art style definitely left much to be desired. Fans fell in love with this world because of its darkness, and it felt like Blizzard forgot that when craftingDiablo 3’s world. It was one of the player base’s biggest criticisms of the game, and luckily Blizzard seems to have listened.Diablo 4brings the franchise back to its roots and delivers one of the darkest entries to date, and hopefully that darkness becomes a core part of this franchise once more.
Diablo 4is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
