
Diablo 2 from Blizzard Entertainment is an action role-playing game that was an instant classic when it initially launched in the year 2000. Twenty-one years later, in association with Vicarious Visions, Blizzard launched D2: Resurrected. This remaster faithfully restores the original game with updated graphics. I only glimpsed at D2 back in the day, but I am so happy that I got to experience it now, with an excellent fresh coat of paint.
The Diablo series is medieval European fantasy with a horror twist. The devil known as Diablo has returned to the human realm of Sanctuary, and is laying waste to humanity with his evil demons. Diablo’s intention is to bring Hell directly into the human world. It is up to you as a mortal to stop him, as holy angels are sworn not to interfere with human affairs. There is some memorable voice acting, but the story isn’t the greatest thing, for the most part. What keeps you going is the gameplay.
This game is a glorious dungeon crawler. You scour randomly generated areas in search of your quest. Mobs of beasts, and demons swarm at you. The key to survival is not only epic loot, but careful strategy with your character build. Skill points can only really be reset once per character, so don’t do it half way into Act 1 as I foolishly did. You will lay waste to endless hordes of foes as you grind experience in preparation for devilishly challenging boss fights.
To build your character, you will work from one of seven preset classes. The classes are: Amazon, Assassin, Barbarian, Druid, Necromancer, Paladin and Sorceress. In my first go, I played Assassin, but found this would be a much more fun class for if I were to play online at some point. I decided to pick another class that might be better solo, and ended up with Necromancer. This was an excellent choice, I had a lot of fun playing this class.
Be prepared while building your class for what is coming down the road. A skill you may be tempted to dump points into early could be useless in late game, when an early humble skill could be more rewarding later on. Again, saving your skill point respec for when you know how your build really works will help you a lot.
D2: Resurrected might not be the prettiest game you’ve ever seen in gameplay, but that statement alone isn’t fair. The cinematics are incredibly cool, I found myself watching them multiple times. I love how gnarly the graphical style remains, as a preservation of the original’s spirit. The graphics look like a completely different game, though with just a couple button presses you can switch between old, and remastered graphics to witness the dramatic difference before your eyes. Or, just to play with old-school graphics if that’s what you want. The graphical style does a good job communicating what is happening in the game, in a way that is entertaining.
My campaign lasted a little over forty-five hours. I would happily play again as another class, online or solo. Going alone is fine, but it would be nice to try and build an Assassin with a friend online at some point. A lot of that time was spent grinding, but not overly much. These RPGs love to have a bit of a grind historically. And before a fight with the titular Diablo, you would expect to have to put some work in, right? There were plenty of other areas to explore and enemies to slaughter along the way.

Grinding before a boss is a key part of D2. It is cathartic fun that builds the tension for your ultimate win. Don’t give up just because you got wrecked in less time than the subsequent loading screen. Learning boss behavior, working with the environment, and mastering your build will help you overcome any boss. There were a few bosses where I really felt like I was struggling, but I am so glad I never gave up because the victories were so rich.
Since my last review, I have played no other game besides Diablo 2: Resurrected. Unusual for me, as I typically keep at least half a dozen games in rotation. It just has me hooked. The enjoyment of the core gameplay loop for me is tremendous. I love the skill effects on screen, which for my Necromancer meant a legion of minions running around fighting, as I lob magic missiles from the sheltered backfield.
I imagine I will continue to play this game. Diablo 4 is coming in early June, which I would love to play, but if I cannot for whatever reason I am lucky to have D2:R. I might take a slight break from it, just to get some blood moving in other games, but I’m sure I will return at some point. This type of game is so satisfying and addicting, it is quite the feeling when you’re in the zone.
Any platform can play this game. Personally, I found it on the Nintendo Switch online store for less than $20, when it normally retails for $40. That is such a great deal for the game I played. Diablo 2 might’ve shown its age in some regards, but it still holds up respectably well. With the updated graphics it feels like a modern game while you’re playing. Whether you’re in the Diablo 4 waiting room or not, check out D2: Resurrected. I would think fans of the original would love it as much, if not even more than I did this fantastic game.
Credit: Diablo 2: Resurrected. Screenshots by me.