Diablo is the most heavy metal video game series in existence. Not because of its music, necessarily, but because of the Prime Evil Vibes it puts out into the world – familiar to any who had the good sense to rebel while wearing a denim patch-jacket adorned with the artworks of iconic illustrators like Ed Repka, Larry Carroll, Joe Petagno, and Derek Riggs. It took fewer than 60 minutes for my Sorcerer to begin stalking hell-touched corridors in Diablo 4, and not much longer for them to be force-fed Petals of Blood in a blasphemous ritual. That's thrash metal as fuck. And I only wish my character looked a little more like a reflection of me as I endured the Daughter of Hatred's new reign over Sanctuary.
Your adventure in Diablo 4 begins with a campfire, five classes, and a light character creation toolset. It's more robust than anything I have seen from this series before, which is certainly appreciated – although there's less depth than you might expect from an otherwise forward-thinking role-playing game. That's a shame, because Diablo 4 is doing its best to make you believe that there's more to its heroes than a series of statistics stuffed into Legendary armor sets. The story is more cinematic and character-driven, while the presence of other players in the shared-world only heightens the opportunity for meet-cutes / expeditions into the catacombs of hell with a party of strangers.
