Diablo Immortal review of the most controversial mobile game ever

No wonder: Diablo Immortal is the most controversial mobile game ever. Come to think of it, since its announcement, “an off-season April Fool’s Joke?” From the shy smiles of a development team at BlizzCon who knew what challenge they were facing: not just succeeding in the futile task of effectively translating the franchise’s experience to mobile devices. snowstorm, but also and above all to overcome prejudices. Or at least try.

Much water has passed under the bridge since the announcement, several beta phases have taken place, and development has progressed in due time without risk. What if you entrust the creation of an action RPG to a team of experts in the genre, packed with talent and resources? An unusual action RPG unfolds, The best we’ve ever seen on iOS and Android.

But even today it is not the quality of the game, its features, a lot of content, and its outstanding technical sector that is debated. No, we’re obviously talking about microtransactions and the craziest and most extreme use that can be made of them; even where it is not binding in terms of experience, the monetization system is the same as hundreds and hundreds of other free game systems that hide the same hateful risks for those who tend to spend too much without thinking.

So make yourself comfortable, because there is a lot to be said and it will take some time: welcome Diablo Immortal review.

The birth of freemium mobile games

Anyone who knows a little about the history of the App Store knows that the strength of the Apple digital platform lies, above all, in the accessibility of its many apps, many of which are available for just one price. 79 cents.

Games also obeyed this policy, of course, but back then it was actually a mobile game: from Angry Birds to Jetpack Joyride to Temple Run to Candy Crush. Stocks that can grind monstrous numbers for relatively modest investments.

But it soon became clear that owners of thousand-euro phones were having major problems spending 79 cents on an app, so the market is on, or rather, free-to-play titles. free: games that can be downloaded for free but adopt a more or less binding monetization system.

In some cases the approach was: demo softwareThus, one or two full levels with the possibility of buying the rest by paying a few euros, but in most cases it was better to resort to traditional methods, leaving the illusion of uselessness intact. microtransactionswith or without the perverse loot box mechanism.

our benchmark

The debut of freemium games wasn’t immediately big, and so early free games were met with a mix of awe and curiosity, sometimes regardless of their actual quality. Perhaps someone will remember our reviews under the label “free game of the week”, where it is possible to observe that the mobile market is not yet monopolized by the free-to-play format, and the developers are trying various solutions to understand how. to get some blood (money) from the turnip (one thousand euro smartphone owner).

Of course, over the years the situation has changed: in the App Store and Google Play, therefore, it has become almost impossible to find premium games that are sold without microtransactions and at full price, and they are also consolidated. money making systems With in-depth studies and expert staff behind it.

Of course, this does not mean that all development teams take the same approach, and this is precisely why we have always used the same approach at Multiplayer.it. criterion, also in this case linked to the authenticity of the reference platforms and the average quality of the available games. By the way, this is why the same game reviewed in the mobile version often gets a few more votes than the PC or console version.

How invasive are the free-to-play mechanics? Possible play without spending anything Or is there really an obligation applied? And does this necessity arise immediately or after a few hours of play? The answers to these questions affect the numerical assessment in the same way as the more traditional items.

Microtransactions in Diablo Immortal

Three types in Diablo Immortal currency unit: Gold obtained by completing quests and defeating enemies; Platinum, which can be purchased using Eternal Orbs or through the sale of certain items; and finally, the aforementioned Eternal Orbs, which can only be obtained by purchasing a pack from 99 cents to 99.99 euros. Two types of Battle Pass and Gift of Abundance are added to this system, accelerating progression and multiplying rewards.

this prize fundsAs you know, what in some countries is legally equated with gambling and causing the Blizzard mobile game not to be distributed, cannot actually be purchased directly, but is only earned as a reward, for example during shipments. However, by using Emblems, the probability of finding rare and valuable items in them can be increased, the latter can be purchased and only made through Eternal Orbs.

The most controversial aspect of the Diablo Immortal monetization system lies precisely in the mechanism of the chests, as this is the only way to get it. Legendary Gems: gemstones that, when applied to equipment, enhance its qualities, significantly enrich it and bring a clear result to life pay-to-win involving different player-player modes, which manifests itself especially in the final part of the game.

But let’s go back to the conversation earlier.Invasion of free-to-play mechanics, because from this point of view the mobile incarnation of Diablo stands as a unique rather than rare case. In fact, if it’s true that the game allows you to level up without spending anything on the aforementioned endgame phase, or even clearly through some inevitable moments of accumulation of experience, it also reveals the system we’ve pictured so far. A real and delicate padlock on one of the elements that has traditionally been part of the experience of the series: the craziest equipment collection.

Ah yes: how is the game?

It is worth repeating: Diablo Immortal The best action RPG available on iOS and Android, there is little to discuss. True, there are products that are equipped with a more consistent combat system in terms of impact efficiency, and perhaps also use sophisticated defensive mechanisms to improve the player’s real skills, rather than weighing any difference in level compared to opponents, reducing evasive maneuvers. for simple positioning, but overall Blizzard production is superior to others.

As already mentioned, it was not difficult to predict a similar outcome: we are talking about an experienced and very well supported development team and a brand that is highly consolidated in its dynamics and structure, in which case it was rejected in some form. MMO However, it creates more opportunities than disadvantages, the latter being reduced to staging pure and simple sequences in which we would find ourselves surrounded by other users, at least in our eyes, fighting nothing and sometimes making the narrative “dirty”. some moments of relaxation.

the different ones classes enormous amount of objects available, each with their own skills and characteristics, that can be conquered and then recycled or sold to revive the mechanics of the game’s construction, long campaign with many collaborative implications, a fully spoken narrative sector in English, some emotion if desired, a almost perfect touch control system (but you can also play with a Bluetooth controller if you want) and an impeccable artistic direction are just some of the strengths of this production.

they serve as thirty hours To wrap up Diablo Immortal’s story and at this point, several potentially exciting mods have been unlocked, with many competitive aspects as noted, as well as a greater frequency of the pay-to-win aspects we mentioned earlier.

There are plenty of free mobile games that certainly don’t play for very long without spending anything, some even interfere in the early chapters by changing the balance of difficulty to entice you to buy potions or upgrades. Blizzard took a different path, but no less controversial: the important thing is to be aware of it.