Action RPG gaming has come a long way since it was first conceptualized and released for the gaming population worldwide to enjoy. Several modern innovations are being witnessed in this field at a break-neck speed. If you haven’t been living under a rock for the past decade, chances are that you have enjoyed these titles at some point or the other, or at least know someone who has done that.
Among all the significant titles that were released during this time period, one game that stands tall over the others is Diablo 2, and its amazing remaster, Diablo 2 resurrected. The Diablo franchise is a stalwart of the action RPG genre, and the trend started with the first Diablo, which was launched in 1997. Quite quickly, the game went on to become one of the greatest of the genre and spawned several expansion plans that ensured the fans stayed hooked on the title like never before.
Here, we will be taking a look at the various versions of the game that were released throughout its lifetime and will be looking at some of the interesting projects that never were, so let’s buckle up, and enter the mystical world of the Sanctuary.
Diablo.
1997 marked the first year of the game’s release, and the concept the title’s concept was ground-breaking and had never been seen before in the world of action RPGs. The game is set in the mystical world of the Sanctuary and takes place in the town of Tristram, the capital of the Kingdom of Khanduras. Well, when we say in the town, what we mean is under the town, in the catacombs and mazes that make up the town’s subterranean structure.
In this game, the player roleplays as a character who takes on the evil and morbidity that is present in this town and aims to destroy it once and for all, well, he does destroy it, but the permanency of the destruction wasn’t achieved yet. To defeat Diablo, one can roleplay as warriors, rogues, and sorcerers. The fun fact is that every character makes an appearance as the storyline progresses, and each one of them possesses a specific skill set that makes them that much more useful on the battlefield.
Hellfire.
Not one to be satisfied with creating one of the best games in the segment, Blizzard went on to release the expansion plan of the game in 1997 itself, and this pack included three new characters, namely, the monk, barbarian, and the bard. When it comes to their characteristics, the monk is awarded for wearing light or no defensive armour, while the barbarian cannot cast any spells whatsoever, and the bard is one of the most balanced characters that the game had ever seen up till that point.
The hellfire package included two new dungeons that the players could play in and Na-Krul was assigned as the boss of Hellfire.
Diablo 2 and Diablo 2 resurrected.
We decidedly combine the two games under one heading for one simple reason: Diablo 2 resurrected is a remastered version of the original game that was released in 2000. One of the best games of the genre, Diablo 2 ensured a seamless continuation of the genre. Remember the permanency aspect of the game that we mentioned earlier? Well, this is where you would be able to relate since Diablo enters the body of the warrior of defeats him, and tries to free two of his brothers, Mephisto and Baal. The player roleplays as several characters like necromancers, sorcerers, etc, and uses their many skills to defeat all the evil that comes their way. In the final mission of the game, the player, roleplaying as a character of their choice, defeats Diablo in one epic boss fight.
The expansion pack, Lord of destruction, included two new characters in the game, the Druid and the Assassin.
It was in 2021 that Diablo 2: Resurrected was released for the fans to relish what they once held close to their hearts. This game was significant in more ways than one, and one of the primary factors that made it special was the inclusion of Diablo 2 resurrected runewords. The game included the expansion pack within itself and brought several major graphical and gameplay improvements that made the overall experience quite intuitive. If you want to relive the aura of the action RPGs of yore, in a modern avatar, this is a remaster that you just cannot afford to miss.
Diablo 3
The net sequel in the series, Diablo 3 was released in 2012 for windows users and introduced several character classes like witch doctors, etc. Several expansion packs graced the game, and the primary role that they played was that they included new characters into the pre-existing game. Just like Diablo 2 resurrected runewords, this version of the game brought several modern innovations in this sector as well.
Diablo 4 is something that the fans are looking forward to eagerly, and this was announced by the developers in 2019 at BlizzCon.
Now that we are aware of the various editions that this game featured, let us take a look at a project that never was.
Project hades.
Once reaper of souls was released, an internal development team led by Josh Mosqueira took it upon themselves to create a pack that would expand the avenue of the game, while boosting the overall difficulty, and changing the perspective as well. The project was pursued from 2014 to 2016 and was mothballed once Josh left the company.
Final take:
The Diablo franchise has defined the action RPG segment like nothing else, and the developers of the game made sure that the titles stayed up-to-date, and the fans of the series always had something to look forward to. If you are someone who loves action RPG games, you should check this series out by getting some diablo 2 resurrected runewords and fighting your way to glory.
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