2. Diablo 2. 2. Diablo 2. 25 best hack'n'slash hames of all time (2023)

October 19, 2023

2. Diablo 2

Here is the former king of the hack'n'slash genre. Believe it or not, Diablo II reigned for several years, being a role model for all pretenders to the throne of the land of hacking and slashing. The game still has its dedicated fans, but it would be difficult to recommend it to someone who would like to start their adventure in this genre. It took many years, but eventually something better was developed. But more on that in a moment.

Let's recall that the plot of Diablo II takes place immediately after the events of the first installment. Diablo was supposedly defeated, but... it obviously couldn't have been that simple. Aidan, Albrecht's brother, whose body was possessed by Diablo, took on the burden of the soul stone imprisoning the Lord of Terror - and didn't handle this burden well. Driven by an irresistible force, he set off through the world as a dark wanderer, traveling "east, always east."

The adventure begins soon after a man, who until recently was the son of King Leoric, passes by Eastgate Keep, bringing upon it a severe misfortune in the form of a horde of undead. The player assumes the role of a hero, representing one of the five new classes: barbarian, necromancer, paladin, sorceress, or amazon. This hero inexplicably ends up in the camp of the surviving rogues and decides to confront all the evil plaguing the world of Sanctuary.

While preparing the sequel, Blizzard didn't abandon the foundation that ensured success for its predecessor; instead, they adopted the principle "the more, the better." "More," because the sequel takes a significant portion of the plot into open space; still dark and grim, but lacking the claustrophobic atmosphere of the previous installment. At the same time, Blizzard gave up on the one "hub," offering a separate base in each of the four acts.

"Better," because in addition to this, Blizzard significantly increased the pace of the game, added computer-controlled mercenaries, and expanded the character progression system by implementing three unique skill trees for each class. The multiplayer was also significantly developed through the Battle.net platform, testing experimental solutions, on which the success of World of Warcraft was later based.

Of course, let's not forget about the Lord of Destruction - an expansion released in 2001, which, among other things, introduced Act V, complementing the plot, and two new character classes: druid and assassin. In addition, Diablo II is also a legendary cow level and beautiful cutscenes, for which Blizzard is so famous today. In conclusion, I could use a wide range of pompous praises of the greatness of this title and its gameplay, but I will excuse myself with a simple fact: the last patch for this game was released 16 years after its premiere.

In September 2021, a remaster titled Diablo 2: Resurrected was released. You can read our review of the remaster version of the legendary production here.