Picture: Blizzard
By: Nick Gambino
Diablo has a fervent fan base that wanted nothing more than to stop Blizzard from putting out a mobile version of their sacred game. Well, it arrived anyway with Diablo Immortal now available to download in the App Store and Google Play.
Mobile games, especially those which rely on the popularity of a console or PC game, get a bad rap because there are so many terrible examples to point to. But for every bad example, there’s a good game you could also point to (not actual math).
Look at Call of Duty: Mobile. They took everything great about multiplayer on the console version and pared it down to your smartphone with minimal lag. Somehow playing on a smartphone felt just like playing on your console.
Now, we can’t necessarily say the same about Diablo Immortal, though reviews suggest it’s a respectable mobile game save one really big problem – it’s edging very close to being pay-to-win.
Nobody’s really downplaying the graphics or the immersive world they’ve been able to fit into a mobile app. It feels very much like a game worthy of the Diablo name. But when you feel you’re constantly hitting a pay wall, it can be frustrating.
The game takes place a few years after the events of Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction and begins with you arriving to Wortham by way of boat. This is where you’ll see a bunch of storefronts where you can spend real-world money to spruce up your character and their abilities.
Diablo Immortal features a ton of microtransactions and the ever-controversial loot box. These little money grabbers have been banned in multiple countries. The new RPG’s reliance on loot boxes has already gotten them the boot from two countries – Belgium and the Netherlands. Their local laws consider it illegal gambling (they’re not that far off).
Ok, that aside, the gameplay is pretty awesome, making it feel like a real Diablo game. You’ll control the virtual “joystick” in the bottom left corner and access all your special abilities with a series of dedicated buttons on the bottom right. You can also opt to use a controller.
I’m not saying you can’t enjoy the game without spending money, but the game is designed to nag you constantly. Download it in the Google Play or App Store and see for yourself.
