As I take the marginally rickety elevator to the business floor of considered one of London’s most elegant hotels, my heart leaps to my lips. I exit the elevator and lead me down a winding mahogany corridor, then up a small flight of stairs to a room centered around an enormous statue of Inarius from Diablo 4 and a Diablo 4 BAFTA photo backdrop. Cream curtains hang from high wood ceilings, and before me are two pillars of the role-playing community: Diablo CEO Rod Fergusson and Game Director Joe Shely. Lilith answered my prayers; dreams really do come true.
The conversation flows naturally; Fergusson is charismatic and funny while Shely is quiet but stuffed with personality. We’re talking concerning the Druid and Necromancer classes, the Butcher’s encounter design, and way more, but there’s one thing that stands out: each of those men are very pleased with Diablo 4.
In fact, Fergusson claims it’s “one of the best Diablo of the Diablo games” – a reasonably accurate statement given Diablo 2’s legendary fame. Is there any game that may really top one of the best dungeon crawler ever made? Both Fergusson and Shely are convinced that Diablo 4 does just that, but how?
“Diablo 4 is the right place to start out, and should you have not played for some time, it’s the right place to come back back since it has all of the things you really liked concerning the previous games, with [even more] to that,” says Fergusson. “It’s the strongest Diablo story, so should you play Diablo games for that story, it’s by far one of the best story.
“If you are playing for the combat, the sophistication across the ‘dodging’ system that is been added and the way in which the potion system works is more of a thought. When you are gaming, it is not nearly 100% pressing buttons, but you’ll be able to still do this to a certain extent.
“But additionally it is this grounded world,” he continues. “At least to start with, it is not just a visible effects bonanza where you are blinded by purple – you are on the earth and you’ll be able to feel it, you’ll be able to feel the characters; you care concerning the NPC now for some reason. It’s your fight and that is what makes Diablo Diablo. I believe it’s one of the best Diablo of the Diablo games, and should you’re recent, it’s an important place to start out.”
“People have things they loved within the early games and things they loved in Diablo 3,” says Shely. “Some of [Diablo 4’s nuance] captured the mechanical fluidity of Diablo 3’s combat – those fast-paced tactical elements – and ensured the proper pace and amount of monsters on-screen while reclaiming the darkness of Diablo 2. It was an actual journey for us, from detailing the weather to class design to actually capture [both games] satisfactorily.”
“When you bring something back after essentially eleven years, finding the road between respecting the past and innovating for the longer term is all the time a difficult balance,” states Fergusson. “It was a extremely interesting design problem to unravel and I believe Joe and his team did a superb job threading the needle.”
Given the extent of positive feedback on the recent Diablo 4 beta and the general impression I got from my preview of Diablo 4 gameplay many blood moons ago, it actually appears like the team has captured the darkness and despair of Diablo 2 but modernized it with skillful but not too intense combat. I asked the duo what it was wish to finally see the sport within the wild (the interview took place between Early Access and Open Beta), and the joy was palpable, adding a sparkle to the antique setting.
“It’s very satisfying,” Fergusson tells PCGamesN. “When you place a lot work right into a game like this, it’s different. Sometimes you do not know what you’ve so you’re thinking that “oh we work so hard” and it didn’t get the reception you wanted. Here, based on what we did in December with the previews and what we’re seeing within the beta, we all know we’re doing something people really like. It’s a extremely satisfying feeling to have the love back – it makes us a greater game.”
“It’s great to have something that we love, that’s appreciated by the fans,” Shely repeats. “These sorts of immediate reactions you see on Twitter and stuff are hilarious.” The pair then discuss their favorite moments within the beta, including a hardcore raid on Diablo 4’s world boss Ashawa, and a player who spent over forty hours within the early access beta alone. There’s laughter and hilarity, and an actual sense that Fergusson and Shely consider in Diablo 4 as much because the community.
I leave the interview with an enormous smile and the sensation that Diablo 4 often is the best Diablo game yet. The curtains have fallen on the beta, but my heart and soul yearn for more. Perhaps it’s Lilith’s magnetic pull that lures me back to Sanctuary, or my desire to finally explore the Dry Steppes, but one thing is definite; I’m incredibly excited to rediscover the mysteries of the Sanctuary.
