Diablo 3’s Riff On The First Diablo Is More Homage Than Remake

Diablo 3’s Riff On The First Diablo Is More Homage Than Remake

Diablo 3‘s 2.3.4 update hit the public test realm today, giving PC players a chance to play through a 16-level retro dungeon packed with bosses from the 1996 original. It’s not quite a remake, but it hits all the right notes.

“The Darkening of Tristram” special event tosses an old-school filter over Diablo 3, limits animation to make things more jerky and only allows for movement in eight directions instead of a full 360. It’s charming, at least initially.

Diablo 3’s Riff On The First Diablo Is More Homage Than Remake

The town of Tristram has been destroyed, and it’s up to the player to venture into a 16 level dungeon to take on the original Dark Lord. Once in the dungeon proper, it’s a pretty much just mildly blurry, frame-limited Diablo 3.

Diablo 3’s Riff On The First Diablo Is More Homage Than Remake
Familiar faces, familiar places.

Familiar faces, familiar places.

It took about an hour and a half to make it to the final boss. After the first 15 minutes I was tired of looking at fuzzy versions of the same stuff I’ve been playing through for a couple years now. The only thing that kept me going was the promise of facing off against classic foes like the Butcher:

Diablo 3’s Riff On The First Diablo Is More Homage Than Remake

The Skeleton King:

Diablo 3’s Riff On The First Diablo Is More Homage Than Remake

And Dr. Gemhead himself:

Diablo 3’s Riff On The First Diablo Is More Homage Than Remake

The fights don’t last very long, especially when compared to some of Diablo 3‘s more drawn out battles. Mind you I was playing on normal difficulty with a new character, who went from level 2 to 21 over the course of the adventure.

Keep in mind that this is all PTR stuff, and it could change between now and January’s official release on consoles and PC. As it stands, Diablo III‘s tribute to the 1996 classic is a charming little massacre through memory lane, ending in the biggest headache ever.

Diablo 3’s Riff On The First Diablo Is More Homage Than Remake

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