Battling hordes of scorching hell on a smartphone is just as fun and addictive an experience as it is on PC and console. But just as every rose has its thorns, Diablo Immortal is not exempt from problems that keep it from excellence with a controversial system of micropayments and loot boxes that are giving almost more talk than the game itself.
It’s no secret that the announcement of Diablo Immortal hit fans like a jug of cold water, among other things because of the mistrust that usually exists with free to play mobile experiences. And unfortunately, some of these doubts have ended up becoming certainties with the new Blizzard and NetEase Games already in our hands. Although this RPG action game collects a good part of the essence that makes the Diablo saga great and brings it to the palms of our hands, as we were telling you these days, it also has a great sin that betrays its legacy. Throughout this week we have been battling non-stop in the world of Sanctuary both on mobile and PC, and it cannot be denied that here at 3DJuegos we have really enjoyed those cooperative games that keep you glued to the screen for hours, exterminating demons and getting some good loot. All this is present in this new free game, which I am already telling you about, is at a high level compared to other games of the style on mobiles and tablets.
In this analysis you will notice how much I have enjoyed the experience but also, I think, you will see reflected the disappointment I have felt at certain details. Because regardless of the quality of the action, graphics and design of Diablo Immortal, this mobile game continues to fall prey to the main defects that characterize free to play. Hence, the last few days there is practically no talk of anything else, with a barrage of criticism of Blizzard and some crazy situations, such as seeing a player spend $ 4,000 and then not receive legendary loot. I talk about all this in the analysis of Diablo Immortal.
Diablo’s greatness bogged down by F2P
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The story of Diablo Immortal takes place halfway between the events of Diablo II and Diablo III. Though the Worldstone has been destroyed, its shards continue to carry the corruption of Baal, and that is wreaking havoc on Sanctuary. One of Diablo’s lieutenants, skarnis trying to gather the fragments to resurrect his master and perpetuate the Eternal Conflict, aided by some cultists who are helping to complete his plans. This is where our character comes into play that we can create from among six classes availableallying with the Horadrim to prevent this fateful future.
It is undeniable that Immortal is played and feels like a Devil at all timesAs you can see, the plot isn’t particularly original, but I do anticipate that it takes you to scenarios and battle situations that will excite you if you’re a fan of Diablo, although obviously I prefer not to go into detail so as not to spoil the surprises for you. There are references to great moments in the history of Sanctuary and you will also be able to cross paths with some of the heroes and characters already seen in other games of the saga. There is the eternal Deckard Cain, the demon hunter Valla, the necromancer Xul, or we will come across antagonists such as King Leoric or Magda to name a few that you will soon see.
The argument is also just a pretext to start fighting against the forces related to the Burning Hells and level up our avatar in the game by gaining skills or equipment with which to improve our effectiveness in combat. What Immortal offers us is an adventure in a “miniaturized” version of Sanctuary for our mobiles, and it is undeniable that it plays and feels like a deviland more specifically, like Diablo 3 because of the way it manages the hero’s abilities and attributes (which you can’t modify).
There is a wide variety of enemies, many weapons and equipment to collect and use or recycle in the form of materials, wide range of skills with which to dominate the hordes of monsters that we face, and a setting worthy of the great ARPG saga. The transition to mobile It has not sat him down at all in the technical and playable field. Although it is true that in the Android and IOS versions the graphics are a little lower than what we see in the PC version, the difference is not that noticeable, except for the resolution or the size of the screen on which we play or battery consumption. Although I must admit that due to its conception as a mobile game, the interface is somewhat “orthopedic” if we decide to play on a computer, as we told you in our special on how to play Diablo Immortal on PC? It’s obvious that they thought more about our thumbs than keyboards, mice or controllers when they designed it.
In this aspect, the controls for touch screens are very well resolved and one adapts immediately to this new way of controlling our characters -in case of not wanting or not being able to use a wireless controller-. Even so, a series of concessions due to this control scheme. For now, we have a limited skill bar compared to previous titles, and these -bad that there are many per class- do not enjoy the level of personalization of the runes we saw in Diablo III. However, it is playable and it is equally fun to use them and manage our avatar with them, although I must admit that it is a Devil quite easy and in which to die is something rare to see; At least until you start participating in Rifts and high level dungeons.
This is somewhat understandable if we take into account that the activities and missions are designed to be played in short times and brief sessions. This is understood since, as a general rule, the hours that we can dedicate to mobile games are usually very spaced and do not exceed an average of 30 or 40 minutes per session. The point is that it adapts perfectly to what is expected of a game designed to be played on this type of platform.
Where it has been preserved -and even increased- the theme of personalization It is in the character creator, light years from its predecessor since now we can edit the facial and racial features of our character regardless of their gender (although do not expect an Elder Scrolls or Cyberpunk 2077-style customization to name two games). This is also reflected in how we can configure our equipment by improving it in the blacksmith or by socketing gems; using one team or another is what modifies our statistics, and it is still fun to study what we have at our disposal to know how to optimize our attack and defense with it.
As we get closer to the more advanced levels of the game we discover pay barrierscustomization too it adapts to our way of how we prefer to play. We can quietly advance through history alone or accompanied, or we can also dedicate ourselves to accomplish side quests we get in the hub city of Westmarch, to earn some extra XP, gear, gold, or upgrade materials. Alternatively, we can access the faults and modify them with the crests that we are obtaining -although only the basic ones- by completing various specific activities that give them playable modifiers and an increase in the rewards upon completion. There are also PvP game options with a certain asymmetry and that encourage the competition between clans that we can create in-game. And all this without forgetting progression during the season that is completed by performing various activities and gives us some extra resources. Come on, it won’t be for variety. But all of this comes at a price, literally.
Although it is a point in favor of the fact that a game like this is free to download and playits very nature requires that it must be monetized in some way to maintain itself, and that entails what is the great scourgefor many people, of the F2P: the microtransactions and battle passes. We knew they were going to be there, and I already said in the pre-analysis -and I maintain- that they are an option and not a requirement. To enjoy the story or most of the bulk of the PvE, they have not been an essential condition, but those who want to dedicate many more hours to this title or get fully into their competition, because at some point they will be forced to checkout . It is something that is understandable in all F2P, but it is evident that as we approach the more advanced levels of the game we discover payment barriers to get certain objects, or access to certain “high end” activities.
Forcing the player to carry out these microtransactions means that Diablo Immortal is not free from being branded as Pay 2 Win. If we add to all this that there is a PvP component, then it is a defect that is exacerbated. Not to mention that the game “reminds” us too many times that you can go to the store to get X object or currency that will help you in your game (not in vain, it is the first option that appears in the game menu). If this type of microtransaction were limited to offering more space in the stash -like in Path of Exile- or to team purely cosmetic -Overwatch case- would not be a point negativeespecially considering the set and experience that the game offers as it is free to enter.
In conclusion, Diablo Immortal is not a bad mobile game -which is what it always sought to be- and it can be a funny distraction if we are fans of the game on these devices. It is even possible to “pay off” your download just playing historywhich also then we can repeat playing another class at no cost. But unfortunately if we do not want to put “not a penny” we will not be able to see everything and in ways like PvP We’re going to fight with one hand tied behind our back. Luckily, at least the fact of playing it in small doses due to its mission design can make its use quite long and enjoyable, apart from the fact that Blizzard has already fiance new content for all players, but we will have to wait and see how do they approach it and to what extent supports in microtransactions.
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