Su Diablo III rivers of words have now been spent. We've been following the development for years, then the tormented auction house experiment upon release, then the great resumption of the expansion Reaper of Souls and the succession of updates that have made it what it is today. Although he failed to repeat the critical and public success of the extraordinary Diablo II, the third episode of the franchise Blizzard however, it kept fans first on PC and then on consoles for hundreds of hours. We shed blood, sweat and tears - not necessarily ours - into the Rifts, we searched for the best items and then even better versions of those same specimens, we completed the seasonal routes, we got bored, we ditched it for some time, then we're back, because Diablo III is like this: it's fun, especially with friends, and it best expresses the meaning of "pastime" applied to video games. And console owners Nintendo in the meantime they looked at us and waited for their moment, which arrived today with a version Switch which includes everything, absolutely everything and even something more. And that leverages the capabilities of the console to offer the ultimate multiplayer experience ... as well as the ability to exterminate monsters even outside the home. Which is pretty much the best thing that could have happened to Diablo.
What is Diablo III?
It may seem like the most obvious question in the world, especially six years after its release on PC, but the world of Blizzard has always been a long way from Nintendo platforms and you can't imagine how many Switch owners are groping in the dark when they hear about it. Well, Diablo III is an isometric action-adventure game that catapults us into the world of Sanctuarium, a medieval land tormented by monsters and demons of the worst kind, among which Diablo and his brothers stand out. In this episode we put on the shoes of the Nefilim, a chosen one who will have to defeat the forces of evil before the conflict between Heaven and Hell also exterminates humanity.
The campaign isn't particularly inspired, narratively speaking, but it tells an interesting story, divided into five acts and punctuated by various twists. The real goal, however, is to grow our character - chosen from seven classes different - and combine dozens of skills and variations of the same with the thousands of objects that are found randomly in the maps. Most of these enhance some abilities and combinations, therefore Diablo III becomes a continuous search for the best configuration, of a practically unattainable perfection but which in any case always seems within the player's reach thanks to the generous distribution of the booties and the various ways to get them.
All the contents of the Switch version
Diablo III is an incredibly long-lived title if you belong to that category of players who commonly refer to themselves as "lootwhore". If even when the search for new items on a certain character should tire you, you will have the other classes to grow and equip - perhaps with the tools already found, since there is a shared bank - and which are played in a completely different way. The Switch version of Diablo III also includes the Necromante, the class released in the form of paid DLC just last year, free here and available from the start. Obviously, repeating the campaign to exhaustion would be nothing short of indigestible, despite the numerous levels of difficulty - seventeen - and the possibility of running into random secondary objectives while exploring the maps, which is why Blizzard has implemented with the Reaper of expansion Souls - also included in the Switch version from the start - the so-called Adventure mode which, with each game, generates a series of missions per act to be completed to receive experience, money and extra loot.
The player can in fact grow the characters up to level 70, but at that point he will continue to earn experience points and increase the so-called levels of excellence, which give bonuses to be freely assigned to different parameters to further improve the characters. In Adventure mode it is therefore possible to engage in various secondary activities which include the Gates, randomly generated maps in which to slaughter hundreds of monsters plus a final miniboss, ei Major gates, timed variants of the aforementioned Rifts. The records set in the Greater Rifts are automatically loaded into a leaderboard that allows you to analyze the progression of other players and guarantees an additional level of challenge for the most competitive users. In this sense, Diablo III offers two other variations to the experience in general, whether played in Story or Adventure mode. There Hardcore mode, in fact, it is selected at the creation of the character and, very simply, it imposes the so-called permanent death: if the player is defeated, he will have to start over.
La Seasonal mode, on the other hand, it is a bit more complicated. In previous versions of the game, Blizzard rolled out each new update - and thus balances, new items and other objectives - in the form of time-limited "seasons". Players who restarted the adventure in Season Mode, creating brand new heroes, had access to new loot, challenges and rewards. At the end of the season, the seasonal heroes lose their exclusivity and all the objects and points of excellence earned are poured into the space shared by all the other heroes: the seasons therefore add an additional level of complexity, upsetting some configurations thanks to the implementation of new ones. equipment and synergies, and guaranteeing a series of timed objectives, through the so-called Seasonal route, to be completed to earn new frames, pets and other bonuses to show off when playing alone or with friends.
So the Switch version of Diablo III is a sum of every content, update and improvement implemented in these six years, but Blizzard has also thought of a few small bonuses that make this late conversion for the Nintendo console a little more exclusive. The players of the Switch version therefore have some themed cosmetic content that no other version can boast: the Cucco mascot, the Triforce frame for the portrait, a pair of wings inspired by Majora's Mask and a suit that transforms our hero into Ganondorf. None of these extras affect the game on a practical level, mind you. They are just little giveaways to The Legend of Zelda that allow you to customize a bit more the appearance of the player on the social side. The amiibo discourse is different: Diablo III is in fact compatible with the figurines produced by Nintendo, just select the appropriate option and register the amiibo to get an instant reward in the game. The extent of this "reward" is variable: theamiibo that we tested (the first version of Super Smash Bros. Link) spawns a rare enemy in place, but it doesn't seem to have any influence on the loot which was absolutely standard. However, there are persistent rumors about the possibility that in the future there will be Diablo III themed amiibo with particular abilities: we will probably know more during the upcoming BlizzCon.
Conversion
The first thing to keep in mind is that Diablo III essentially started out as a point and click title on PC, which made transposing to consoles particularly difficult. Blizzard has in fact had to rethink and redesign the controls for the joypad and therefore the interface, originally structured with a view to fruition via mouse. The second thing you need to know is that Irvine's guys have succeeded very well in the enterprise, even integrating the ability to dodge with a somersault by pressing a button - an action that very simply replaces clicking on an empty space in the map - and reprogramming in a way almost completely configurable every interaction. The most widespread opinion of those who have played Diablo III first on PC and then on consoles is that the title even earns points in its second incarnation, becoming even more like a action game intuitive and frenetic. The Switch version of Diablo III is a near-perfect conversion from a controls standpoint, and Blizzard has also taken the trouble to optionally associate the aforementioned dodge with a controller movement rather than a key.
The Switch version, however, offers the possibility to choose between various control systems. The Pro Controller it is obviously compatible, but we can also decide to play by holding the two normally Joy-Con or just one of them, which comes in handy in multiplayer mode, as you'll see shortly. The response to the inputs is precise and immediate: a little practice is enough to gain control of the character and all his abilities. Unfortunately, the Switch version also carries with it the defects of the previous incarnations on consoles, in this case the invasive aspect of theinterface and less practicality in navigating the menus: it is not an insurmountable problem and you quickly get used to it, but considering that you spend most of the time changing skills or equipment in the various windows, it must be admitted that at the beginning it can be a little frustrating.
On the technical sector there is not much to say: Diablo III is a well-kept and detailed title - some would say that it is also a little too colorful, for the atmosphere that you breathe - but it is not a polygonal monster and on Switch it runs very well to 60 frames per second, net of some small and rare slowdown in the most excited moments, such as when dozens of monsters explode at the same time under a shower of fireballs, lightning bolts and thunderbolts. We were under the impression that Blizzard has decreased the visual load a bit, reducing the complexity of some models, but it is a difference that can only be noticed by a keen eye who has already spent hundreds of hours on PC. The most important thing to add, however, is that Diablo III also works wonderfully in portable mode, where it almost seems to reach its maximum expression. The action is always clear and precise, the texts readable, and thanks to the stand-by mode it becomes even more fun and relaxing to dedicate yourself to short game sessions that always manage to give a sense of progression and completeness.
La multiplayer mode it is finally one of the strengths of the Switch version of Diablo III, if only because it guarantees a variety of ways to use it. It is of course possible to play online - if you subscribe to the new Nintendo service, of course - and participate in the games in fours through a system drop-in / drop-out practical and painless. Alternatively, just like on the PlayStation and Xbox platforms, it is allowed to play locally on the same screen. This solution has some advantages and disadvantages: the most obvious benefits concern the social aspect, since you can play in person and maybe nudge a lifelong friend in the face who has just picked up an object of ancient quality and does not have it. wants to give. On the other hand, the Switch version inherits the annoying need to share the image even when navigating the menus, freezing the action while others are playing: as we have already said, Diablo III is a title in which the menus open. continuously and you also lose a lot of time, which obviously can be annoying if you play in company. Finally, it is possible to always play locally but by connecting multiple Switches in communication wireless, probably the best solution that makes everyone happy ... especially the landlord who can maybe put his console in the Dock.
Comment
Resources4Gaming.comSV
Readers (5)6.4
Your voteThe Switch version of Diablo III is an essential purchase for those who love the genre and have not yet wanted or been able to play it in recent years: we have in our hands an excellent conversion that boasts every content and update published, plus some little exclusive extras for owners of the Nintendo console. The latter's shifting capabilities fit wonderfully into the multiplayer experience, especially locally, and embellish Diablo III with portability that seems to be simply second nature.
PRO
- All content published so far
- Extraordinary longevity if you love the genre
- Switch features enhance the multiplayer experience
- The gameplay fits perfectly with the portability
- The interface can be awkward when two or more players are playing on the same screen
- Many game modes but in the end it remains highly repetitive by nature
- A few very small graphical downgrades
