Diablo III: Reaper of My Social Life
by Chris Mudd
A few years after the initial release of “Diablo III,” Blizzard Entertainment returns to the world of Sanctuary with a renewed enthusiasm. Their work is evident in the absolutely exhilarating experience from playing the expansion “Diablo III: Reaper of Souls.”
Blizzard has cemented their reputation in the PC gaming community over the years by presenting aesthetically pleasing visuals and stellar game play. Their games play off a collection of well-paced and rewarding gameplay moments. It’s an addiction like “World of Warcraft” and “Starcraft” before. “Reaper of Souls” is no different.
Every single ability your character casts feels powerful, and the effects on the field are palpable. The differences between the varying classes of the game, including the new Crusader class, feel particular to their archetype: the support class, the ranged fighter and the melee brawler. Each class has their own individual niche, and each are extremely useful in their own way as you push your way through the higher difficulty levels.
Beyond just your character, the environments in the new “Act V” of the story feel fresh and show that Blizzard was certainly listening to the complaints from the initial release of “Diablo III,” where the visuals were somewhat more bright than long time “Diablo” fans had come to expect. “Act V” reeks of death, and the shadows loom over the course of the five or six hour adventure. You feel like the people genuinely need someone to save them, and you’re the one to do it as opposed to the first four acts where you may just be in the right place at the right time.
The soundtrack and the sound design in general also show an improvement, with rousing combat music and percussion cutting in at just the right moments. Whoever scripted that in the games code is a genius, because this is one of the few PC games that have come out over recent years where the in-game music feels like an enjoyable part of the experience and I choose to keep it on, as opposed to just opening another window for music in the background.
The search for better loot has never been more satisfying. Blizzard has implemented a new system called loot 2.0 for the expansion. The system essentially guarantees, for the most part, that every piece of gear that drops will be suitable for the current way you’re running your character. Drop rates for rare and legendary items have been upgraded, but still feel sparse enough to make their dropping exciting.
The single player experience does pale in comparison to getting a few buddies together to clear the demons as a group. The real fun of playing single player comes from the first play through of the campaign, and a while through the new adventure mode. But even after a few days of running through adventure mode’s randomly generated dungeons, it starts to feel like a grind.
Yet, that disappears when your friends join you. I’ve spent the better part of the weekends since release playing with three to four people, and each time the hours fly by in spouts of panicked yelling and laughter.
Simply put, the game is worth the price if you’re a fan of “Diablo” or if you have friends with a similar interest in the game.
Bring down the angel of death. You’ll enjoy every second of it.
