6. Diablo. 6. Diablo. 25 best hack'n'slash hames of all time (2023)

October 19, 2023

6. Diablo

Of course, this game couldn't be missing - one of the first great works of Blizzard, the father of the hack'n'slash genre and the alleged great depraver of minors. The game is almost three decades old (the first Diablo came out in 1996), and yet still alive in the memory of many players.

Nevertheless, when we try to remember what Diablo was all about - in other words, what was the point of all this isometric slaughter of skeletons and demons - today we usually only remember the town of Tristram, Deckard Cain's "Stay awhile and listen" and countless levels of dungeons, at the end of which a big roaming beast with the unambiguous name of Diablo was waiting.

Whoever didn't read the instructions (which today could be in an antique shop) probably didn't have the chance to get to know the abundant background story of the Sanctuary world. The background story explains the origin of the name of the universe, the nature of the war between angels and demons, and what or who are the Nephalems and Horadrims. Fortunately, what took place in the game wasn't too poor either - the story of the ill-fated King Leoric awaited us. His possessed archbishop Lazarus was sent straight into the depths of madness and left at the mercy of demons while depriving his youngest son, Albrecht, and condemning his older son, Aidan, to an even worse fate.

How are the mechanics in Diablo after almost three decades of game evolution? Well, hack'n'slash games aren't productions where the developers could reinvent the wheel, so the founder of the hacking and slashing dynasty essentially has nothing to be ashamed of compared to his successors. Indeed, many elements are outdated, like the lack of separate skill trees for each class (warrior, rogue, and sorcerer), sluggishly moving characters, an almost microscopic inventory, or the tedious visiting service providers scattered around various corners of Tristram. Despite this, we're still dealing with a very atmospheric, addictive, and exciting game - it can be difficult, and encounters with bosses are memorable (like the infamous Butcher from Act I). Most importantly, in Diablo, we can still use the multiplayer mode, without which slashing might never have opened its way to becoming an autonomous game genre.

It's also worth mentioning that the first installment of the series is still alive not only due to the atmosphere, multiplayer, and the rest of the previously mentioned advantages but also thanks to mods. The game is still receiving mods that change and expand various aspects of it - such as Beelzebub, which offers support for modern screen resolutions, two character classes, and a couple of side quests.