DIABLO IV

Diablo IV’s crypts are more hateful than Diablo III’s. They’re darker and dustier with Bloody Piles that explode like popped blisters in slow-mo. It’s also shinier, but in a dour way. Lightning shimmers across wet stone and fleshy creatures, and it sometimes rains, dynamically generating muddy puddles. Path of Exile feels cheerful by comparison.

I’m hesitant to draw any big conclusions about Diablo IV because I imagine it’ll be quite different whenever it releases, and Blizzard says that probably won’t be soon.

The demo was quite easy, for one thing. I’d guess Blizzard didn’t want players getting frustrated, especially those who had to stand in a long line at BlizzCon, so they outfitted us with strong characters. I played the 20-minute demo twice, once as the Druid and once as the Sorceress. In the latter run I was chewing through