As I take the flimsy elevator to the business floor of one of London’s most luxurious hotels, my heart breaks. I exit the elevator and am led down a winding redwood hallway, then up a short flight of stairs to a room whose main feature is a massive statue of Inarius from Diablo 4 and a BAFTA-style backdrop for Diablo 4 photos. Cream-colored tiles hang from the high wooden ceilings, and before me are two stalwarts of the RPG community: Diablo General Manager Rod Fergusson and Game Director Joe Shelley. Lilith answered my prayers; dreams come true.
The conversation flows naturally; Ferguson is charismatic and playful, while Sheli is calm but full of personality. We talked about the druid and necromancer classes, the butcher encounter design, and more, but one thing stands out: these two people are very proud of Diablo 4.
In fact, Fergusson claims it’s “the best Diablo of any Diablo game,” a statement enough considering Diablo 2’s legendary reputation. Has any dungeons been created? Fergusson and Shelley are convinced that Diablo 4 does just that, but how?
“Diablo 4 is the perfect place to start, or if you’ve been away for a while, this is the perfect place to come back to as it contains everything you loved from the previous games with [even more] on top of that,” says Ferguson. “It’s the strongest Diablo story, so if you play Diablo games for the story, it’s by far the best story.
“If you’re playing combat, the added sophistication around the ‘dodge’ system and how the potion system works is more thoughtful. When you’re playing the game, it’s not just about 100% button presses, but you can still do it up to certain point.
“But it’s also this grounded world,” he continues. “At least at first, it’s not just a lot of imagery when you’re blinded by purple: you’re in the world and you can smell it, you can smell the characters; now you are dealing with NPC for some reason. It’s your fight and that’s what Diablo Diablo does. I think it’s the best Diablo of any Diablo game and if you’re new, it’s a good place to start.”
“People have things they liked in the early games and things they liked in Diablo 3,” Scheli repeats. “A part of [Diablo 4’s nuance] managed to capture the mechanical fluidity of Diablo 3 combat, that fast-paced tactical element, as well as getting the pacing and number of monsters right on screen, all while bringing back that Diablo 2 darkness. It’s been a real journey for us, the details classy design really caught on [both games] in a way that satisfies him.”
“When you come back to something after 11 years, it’s never easy to find the line between respecting the past and innovating for the future,” says Fergusson. “It was a really interesting design challenge to complete and I think Joe and his team did a great job threading the needle.”
Considering the amount of positive feedback on the recent Diablo 4 beta and the general feeling I got when previewing Diablo 4 gameplay many blood moons ago, it definitely seems to me that the team managed to capture the darkness and the Despair from Diablo 2, but modernized. with elegant combat but not too intense. I asked the duo how it felt to finally see the game in the wild (this interview took place between Early Access and Open Beta), and the excitement was palpable, adding a sparkle with vintage decor.
“It’s very satisfying,” Ferguson told PCGamesN. “When you do that kind of work in a game like this, it’s different. Sometimes you don’t know what you’ve got and you’re like, “Oh, we’re working so hard” and it didn’t get the reception you wanted. Here, based on what we did in December with the preview and what we’re seeing in the beta, we know we’re doing something that people really like. It is very nice to feel that love back, thanks to that, we have improved.
“It’s great when the fans like what we like,” repeats Sheli. “The kinds of instant reactions you see on Twitter are funny.” The pair go on to talk about some of their favorite beta moments, including an intense foray into Diablo 4’s world boss, Ashava, and a player spending over forty hours in the early access beta alone. There’s a lot of laughs and fun here, and a real sense that Ferguson and Shelley believe in Diablo 4 as much as the community.
I end the interview with a big smile and a feeling that Diablo 4 could very well be the best Diablo game yet. The curtains have fallen on the beta, but my heart and soul yearn for more. Perhaps Lilith’s magnetic pull will bring me back to Sanctuary, or my desire to finally explore the dry steppes, but one thing is for sure; I am incredibly excited to discover the secrets of Sanctuary once again.
Source : PC Gamesn
