Diablo II: Resurrected Reviews
Diablo 2: Resurrected both benefits and suffers from its faithfulness to the original title, but overall provides an adventure full of satisfying gameplay and fun exploration
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Diablo 2 Resurrected is a masterpiece in its own right; it evokes a freshness all the while hitting players with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. The sheer joy that is had when delving into dungeons to destroy the Lord of Terror and by extension is brothers (the expansion Lord of Destruction is included in this release with all of the classes/items and fixes that it brought back in the day. But players can play vanilla Diablo 2 but its not recommended for beginners) is indescribable. I am getting a giddiness just thinking about returning to the game, and not too many current video games can evoke that kind of feeling; and that’s where Diablo 2: Resurrected shines brightest.
Diablo II is one of the best ARPG's in gaming history, and Vicarious Visions haven't made many changes for Diablo II: Resurrected. Visually, there's a stark difference and it looks great while keeping the atmosphere. A few quality of life changes help keep this fresh and make it playable on consoles, but it just doesn't go far enough at points. This ageing master may have had a facelift, and it's one you can have a fantastic time with, but you can hear the creaking of its bones.
Certianly it's great to see an all time classic enshrined and restored for modern day use. Additionally it opens up the game to exclusively console players that never played the original Diablo 2 on PC. There's no denying its significance in gaming history, and looks wonderfully sharp in 4k, but the age of the source code is evident. Diablo faithfuls will get a great nostalgic kick on the clunky ever-grind that is Diablo 2: Resurrected, but it would be a difficult recommendation for any series newcomers.
Despite over 20 years on the neck, Diablo II is a regular classic whose gameplay continues to this day. However, this does not make the graphics, which makes it fitting that this restoration lovingly repaints the exterior but leaves most of the inside intact. However, some parts would have been fine with a modernization, and the forced online requirement of unstable services can create great frustration.
Review in Swedish | Read full review
So it's a very, very good remaster (remake? It's unclear when this much has been done over), then, of a rather old loot game that has had many subsequent iterations from other developers. Is it worth going back to Diablo 2, ultimately, when games that we'd argue are somewhat superior - Titan Quest, the sadly PC-only Grim Dawn... even (controversially, yes) its own sequel in Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition, which packs in brilliant local co-op that Diablo 2 entirely (and understandably, given its framework) lacks. As good as Diablo 2 is, it's an unfortunate fact that on console we'd rather play its follow-up, which felt more tailored to the joypad experience. Diablo 2 is a PC game that has been (brilliantly!) transferred to PS5, but it's still a little held back by its origins.
With its pros and its cons deliberately left mostly as sharp as they were, confirming itself as one of a kind not only for the nostalgia effect on which the Vicarious Visions have focused, Diablo 2: Resurrected has thrown the Blizzard masterpiece twenty-one years forward with a crazy care. It was not and is not a game for everyone, but what a pleasure to deal with the Devil again.
Review in Italian | Read full review
In those areas where Diablo II: Resurrected attempts to improve on the original, it absolutely succeeds. It looks infinitely better, it’s more accessible to a wider range of gamers, and it mostly feels like it deserves to live on current-gen systems. At the same time, some of the changes seem arbitrary when looked at through the lens of what could have, and should have, been updated. Part of Diablo II: Resurrected feels wonderfully nostalgic and timeless, but another part feels mired in outdated mechanics from decades past, and pretty graphics alone can’t fix that.
Diablo II Resurrected offers fans of the original game exactly what they want – the same game they left behind in 2002 with gloriously updated visuals. Everything works well on the controller (despite some inventory issues). New players might take a while to acclimate to the somewhat dated gameplay mechanics, but settling in, they will find a ton of enjoyable adventuring to be had with friends.
I’ve enjoyed playing Diablo 2 Resurrected and getting to experience the story in a visually updated way. The tweaks they made to get everything working on the console also helped a lot as it gave me far more flexibility in what abilities I had at my disposal. D2R is ideal for anyone who likes dungeon crawlers and doesn’t want everything to be explained or to be told where to go all of the time.
The atmosphere of the game is still crazy even if the narration has taken a little old. We can say the same with the gameplay, which has hardly moved one iota: it is still as nervous, catchy, devilishly catchy, but at the cost of a sometimes old-fashioned ergonomics. Nevertheless, we do not shy away from our pleasure to replay this legend in conditions much more in line with what is done in 2021!
Review in French | Read full review
Diablo II remains untouched from its original release outside of new graphics and quality of life changes, but that's mostly not a problem. It was ahead of its time back in 2000, and it's barely behind over twenty years later.
As a big fan of Diablo II to begin with, I found in this review that Diablo II: Resurrected hit all my buttons and truly brought me back to my childhood. Gameplay-wise, it's as faithful an experience to the original as you can hope to get, and while the modern graphics are dazzling, I'm here for one reason and one reason only - to kick some demon butt. Newcomers may be a bit put off by some dated mechanics, but for fans of dungeon crawlers or those who just want to relive one of the best PC games of all time, Diablo II: Resurrected won't disappoint.
Its main flaw is that it may be a game focused on fans and not so open to new players. All in all, I think anyone who enjoys ARPG will find in Diablo 2: Resurrected a game that they can enjoy enormously, and it is certainly a recommended purchase.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Diablo 2 makes its return to the market with a completely renewed graphic design, modeled to fully enhance the dark essence of one of the most iconic arpg ever. Every single piece of the visual sector has been shaped to fit perfectly with the "dark fantasy" canons of the original title, in full respect of the dogmas of a dark and enveloping artistic direction. The conservative philosophy behind the project is felt above all on the playful side, with a proposal that has remained substantially untouched compared to twenty years ago, to the delight of the most inflexible veterans.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A classic of game history in a beautiful new guise, but frustrated by outdated design.
Review in German | Read full review
Diablo II: Resurrected is a product that appeals towards the longing of the community. It adds new functions that bring it up to speed with modern games, but at the same time, it still feels like an old-school title, which might alienate some people.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
I know that hardcore Diablo 2 fans don’t want to even entertain the idea of Diablo 3 seeping into their beloved game; I totally get that sentiment and don’t want a watered-down version of Diablo 2 either. However, a few modern touches, addressing the three biggest pain points I mentioned above would have gone a long way to properly resurrecting Diablo 2 and making it a premier ARPG in 2021.
Successfully brings an icon into the modern era, and the underlying gameplay still shines. But while Resurrected does a better job than Warcraft III: Reforged, it leaves similar questions unanswered over its feature set and long-term community support.