Highlights
- Diablo 4’s open world design is bland and missing in visible variety, with every zone feeling practically an identical.
- The map structure goes in opposition to the sense of realism it goals for, making a superficial and maze-like expertise.
- The sport lacks a way of journey and exploration as a result of its give attention to ticking off duties and clearing factors of curiosity.
My love-hate relationship with open-world and Diablo-like video games has been a wild journey to this point. At one level, every of them was my go-to style till I reached a saturation level. When Diablo 4 promised to mix each these approaches, I had my doubts however determined to dive in nonetheless. Quick-forward practically 30 hours, and I am left feeling principally disillusioned.
I am a druid, stage 50, ending Act 3 of the story marketing campaign now, and I do not really feel compelled to hold on. It isn’t simply due to the sport’s questionable itemization that feels unrewarding, or the fixed feeling of being underpowered, that are among the many commonest complaints throughout the group. My major concern with Diablo 4 is the way in which its open world is designed.
Sanctuary, though huge and visually interesting, occurs to be one of many blandest open worlds I’ve ever seen. Every new zone feels practically an identical, missing any particular contact. The seamless transitions between areas, be it snowy mountains, scorching deserts, or lush forests, lack the visible variety wanted to set them aside. To make issues worse, the sport’s somber aesthetics, characterised by darkish shades of grey and inexperienced, are likely to mix the whole lot collectively, making it tough to tell apart sand from grime or snow beneath your toes.
Consider that hanging feeling you bought when coming into the brand new space in earlier Diablo entries. All the things, from the structure to the enemies, the colours, and the general vibe, was totally completely different, inviting exploration. With the brand new pursuit of “realism,” this distinctive sensation is misplaced amongst countless swamps and practically an identical dungeons.
Diablo 4’s map structure additionally goes in opposition to the sense of realism it is aiming for. Simply have a look at it—it is an intricate maze stretched endlessly, with only a few expansive open areas, which makes it really feel extraordinarily superficial. For comparability, take a look at how the seamless open world of Ancaria appears to be like in Sacred—a sport launched some 20 years in the past.
However my principal problem is not how Sanctuary appears to be like. Sadly, Blizzard has chosen the basic Ubisoft-style method, presenting the world as a sequence of zones you must “clear” to earn development rewards. As I tried to discover this world and uncover distinctive occasions or rewards, it actively resisted, creating a relentless sense of getting an countless to-do checklist. There is not any sense of journey in Diablo 4; as an alternative, you are merely ticking off duties from progress classes and “clearing” factors of curiosity, from dungeons to strongholds, with not a lot else in between.
Positive, there are a bunch of unmarked aspect quests you may bump into when you’re paying consideration, however that is not sufficient. The random occasions you may uncover and full for a chest spawn change into tiresome slightly rapidly, as there are solely a few repeated eventualities, which solely add to the superficial feeling of this world.
Do not get me fallacious: video games like Diablo have by no means prioritized exploration over character leveling and treasure looking. However, I imagine there’s untapped potential on this facet that Blizzard is not totally exploring in its sport. The best way the world is offered in Diablo 4 may open doorways to quite a few distinctive potentialities, puzzles, and secrets and techniques which can be at present absent.
As an illustration, Diablo 4 may gain advantage enormously from injecting extra randomness into its design, slightly than sticking to a static MMO-inspired shared world. Take into consideration the latest Remnant 2 as a supply of inspiration. The best way this sport generates distinctive areas and rewards to boost the sense of journey has already captivated 1000’s of followers, and I imagine it may very well be a useful addition to Diablo as nicely.
As an alternative, I wager many gamers, myself included, are systematically working by the map with the heavy reliance on step-by-step guides, both for finding all of Lilith’s altars as quick as doable or focusing solely on the dungeons with essentially the most useful legendary facets. Maybe I am within the minority right here, however I believe only a easy shuffling of the places for these factors of curiosity may result in a way more partaking Sanctuary; one which calls for extra exploration and consciousness from gamers. This, in flip, may positively influence your immersion into this realm.
Enemies populating this world depart a lot to be desired, too. Whereas I have not cleared out the whole map but (and I am skeptical if I ever will), throughout my 30 hours with the sport throughout three out of the 5 massive areas, I really feel like I’ve spent most of my time battling nothing however bandits, spiders, and wolves. At occasions, Khazra (goatmen) or a horde of undead are thrown into the combo, however nonetheless, wherever I am going, I principally must cope with dem spiders. I obtained bored with spider-slaying in RPGs way back. Can we please have a bit extra selection?
Additionally, I am 30 hours in, and I’ve but to unlock a horse for my druid character. Who thought that getting a mount on the finish of the sport was a good suggestion? I may perceive if the world of Sanctuary was charming to discover on foot, however alas, it is simply time-consuming. Think about reaching Skellige in The Witcher 3 solely to lastly purchase a horse, or clearing out half of the Murderer’s Creed Valhalla’s map on foot—that appears like my private hell.
My time with Diablo 4 has been uneven to date, to say the least, and I am undecided how for much longer I am going to keep it up. This huge world, although impressively massive, carries a load of questionable selections that simply do not resonate with me. I want Blizzard had made a smaller sport that prioritizes depth over sheer breadth. Maybe, it is time for some substantial adjustments within the components surrounding this refined gameplay method.