Diablo II Resurrected test: it seems that the best soups are made in old pots

If it is "only" a follow-up to Diablo and its Hellfire extension, Diablo II is often considered the quintessence of hack'n'slash, a style the franchise invented. More than twenty-one years after the release of this seminal game – only twenty if you include the Lord of Destruction expansion – Blizzard has embarked on the revamp of this timeless classic. A redesign halfway between a simple remastering and a full remake. This is probably why Blizzard subtitles its company "Resurrected". A resurrection that we could not miss, on PC history to honor its original platform.

Diablo II Resurrected test: it seems that the best soups are made in old pots See PriceRead ConclusionDiablo II Resurrected

Remarkable graphic overhaul
Nice work on the soundtrack
Cutscenes redone to perfection
Slightly redesigned interface

Gameplay that is sometimes dated
Disappearance of LAN mode
No multi-cross-platform
Some old “bugs”

Test carried out on the PC version of the game using a key provided by the publisher. Diablo II Resurrected is available from September 23, 2021 on PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X|S and Nintendo Switch.

Diablo II Resurrected only entered development in 2019. Less than two years later, it is already available and on a host of platforms, excuse me: PC of course, but also PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Switch, no one is missing. An unusually short gestation period at Blizzard that has us dangling Diablo IV for so long, but for which we have no idea of the release schedule yet. To explain such a short delay, it must be stressed that the game was developed "externally" - by Vicarious Visions - and that it does not seek to reinvent the wheel and that no new mechanics, no new content is offered. by Blizzard which, on the contrary, plays the card of absolute respect. Good pick ?

So it's Baal this remaster / remake?

Since we're among good people, we're not going to give you the full Diablo II pitch, it's not really worth it, right? So quickly. The game begins shortly after the events of Diablo, but we no longer play the hero of the first episode. This one went “towards the East” with the soul stone embedded in the skull. His departure unleashed hell and horrible creatures devastated Tristram before taking Deckard Cain prisoner. It was around this time that Diablo II began and, logically, Diablo II Resurrected. The game starts in the Rogues' camp, a kind of refuge that will serve as a starting point for this new fight against the darkspawn.

No surprise, things start logically with the creation of this future hero. There, however, Diablo II Resurrected presents a singularity. Effectively incorporating all the content of the Lord of Destruction expansion from the start, it allows us to choose from seven characters: amazon, barbarian, necromancer, paladin, sorcerer from the base game and assassin as well as druid from the extension. Obviously we're not going to complain about it even if, a little regret, Blizzard didn't take the opportunity to allow a woman/man to play for each of these seven classes. In fact, there is absolutely no difference in the behavior and development of these characters compared to the original game.

No difference, this means that the skill trees of our heroes will be identical throughout their progression on the five acts – the four of the basic game and the fifth of the extension – that counts the adventure. There too, there is not the slightest change and it will always be a question of kicking the buttocks of Diablo's henchmen, step by step, starting with Andariel who comes to conclude a first act in the form of a warm-up lap . Subsequently, this also means that we will always have this intense difference in difficulty between the different bosses and depending on the character class chosen. Those who struggled with the fight against Duriel know what we are talking about.

No doubt pushed by Blizzard, Vicarious Visions has chosen to remain as faithful as possible to the original title. It is therefore not surprising – and even rather reassuring – to see that all the adventure, all the acts and all the bosses have been preserved. The same is true for the gameplay which is faithful to what all the old people of the day before know well. The principle is therefore formidable in simplicity and it is always a question of following a main quest leading to Diablo by massacring countless waves of enemies in passing. We click like hell on the mouse in order to chain the blows, we put in place some strategies so as not to be drowned under the mass of opponents and we make the best use of our character's skills.

The summary is succinct and obviously does not do justice to the intricacies of Diablo II. For example, it does not mention this construction – level after level – of a specific build in order to specialize our sorcerer in fire or ice magic, for example. Veterans will tell you, Diablo II succeeded like few other games in perfectly adjusting the builds of the different classes and multiplying the options available. No fear to have on this plan, Diablo II Resurrected is the most perfect tribute that one can dream of this reference of hack'n'slash. A tribute that nevertheless manages to improve certain aspects.

First, it should be noted that – release on consoles obliges – Vicarious Visions has endeavored to make the game playable on the controller. The result is impeccable and on PC you will have the possibility of swapping the keyboard / mouse for a gamepad and playing on the sofa. The left stick is used to move and the skills are on the main buttons. The directional cross is used for objects on the belt and it is worth noting that you can easily make the map appear superimposed - as on the keyboard - and that the general interface does not pose any problem for use: the more simply in the world, we manipulate our hero's inventory, consult his quest log and play with his skills.

The Devil hesitates between Prada and Mephisto

Side controls, nothing to say therefore, Vicarious Visions ticks all the boxes and this resurrection of Diablo II is already a success. The other big novelty is of course related to the graphic aspect of things. It must be said that the basic game was in 640 x 480 and just writing this image definition sends shivers down your spine. Of course, Lord of Destruction had boosted things up a bit – 800 x 600! – but nothing to do with today's standards. It is of course possible to play in 3 x 840, but Vicarious Visions also takes into account wide screens with their unusual definition: there is however a downside at this level, the 2 x 160 for example does not support the whole screen and small black bands are present on the sides. Shame.

Beyond the numbers, the studio has mainly reworked all the environments and creatures. At first glance, the difference is not obvious... the fault of this nostalgia that deceives our memory. We say to ourselves that the game is "more beautiful", but without noticing how important the work done is. As was the case for example with the remastered editions of Monkey Island, Vicarious Visions had the good idea to integrate a “magic touch” so that we better perceive the aesthetic success of Diablo II Resurrected. Pressing 'G' effectively toggles between legacy and resurrected modes. It is even possible to go to the options in order to make this legacy mode coincide with the graphic options of Diablo II (640 x 480) or Lord of Destruction (800 x 600).

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For fun, a little before / after: the difference is obviously striking! © Nerces

Pressing 'G' and we are transported twenty years back… What a slap! The pixel mush is absolutely filthy on the 34-inch screen we were using for this test. New pressure on 'G' and it is a delight. This shift, our curiosity will push us to do it throughout the adventure in order to remember "how it was before", to remember each act, each environment in its original guise. Diablo II Resurrected is however not the most beautiful game in the world, it would not be a question of making you take the bladders for lanterns. We regret that more work has not been given to the animations of the different characters / creatures.

Diablo II Resurrected also lacks some more modern effects in its reflections or lighting: a ray tracing option for example? However, the work accomplished is in line with expectations and the most important thing is this feat accomplished by Vicarious Visions: modernizing a twenty-year-old game without betraying its aesthetics. In general, we may regret a slightly less contrasting universe, but we especially remember the mastery with which the studio managed to rejuvenate Diablo II by two decades, to add quantities of seemingly insignificant details – like these gutters filled in the sewers of Luth Golein – which give the whole a richer, more lively aspect.

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« Welcome to the jungle » © Blizzard

We talked about image definition, which is progressing of course, we also have to mention the presence of new lighting which transfigures certain portions of the game: it's less noticeable in the desert for example, but the interiors benefit from multiple effects, especially through fire spells, torches and other braziers. Vicarious Visions has also worked on the integration of weather effects to further enrich the atmosphere, but at no time do we have this impression of “too much”. This is where the success is the most amazing: as we said, the developers of Diablo II Resurrected managed to modernize the basic hardware, but did not distort it. A graphic success that gives an amazing coherence to the game.

However, this restoration work has its limits and we have already mentioned it when talking about animations that we would sometimes have liked to be more flexible. The same goes for all the "internal" mechanics of the game, everything that makes the salt of its gameplay. For example, we did not notice any difference in behavior in the artificial intelligence of the creatures or the mercenary companions. You have to do with a little old-fashioned side sometimes and it is undoubtedly in the management of our own character that things are the most dated. We are of course talking about the somewhat limited pathfinding or these small "jumps" of images during certain congested passages.

JVFR

Find something to equip your mercenary companion © Nerces

Visit Duriel's lair, but not the... it's up to you

On several occasions, we also railed against these misclicks on the verge of causing our loss… as could have been the case twenty years ago. All this to say that the modernization carried out by Vicarious Visions has its limits and to also say that if you had not hooked the gameplay of Diablo II when it was released, it is useless to hope to succumb to the charms of Diablo II Resurrected . We also regret that certain less gameplay aspects of the game were not further reworked: this would in no way have been a betrayal of the original work and it would have allowed more practical management of the inventory for example or returns to town, which we always do via these teleportation portals.

That said, we are forcing the line a bit here, because Vicarious Visions has modernized many aspects. Let us cite for example the possibility of comparing objects by holding the 'shift' key or even the transfer of objects between the personal safe and the inventory via the very effective 'ctrl + click' which saves precious time. During exploration, it is also no longer necessary to click precisely on each pile of gold, they are automatically picked up nearby. Vicarious Visions has also increased the size of our personal vault and added tabs to it so that we can easily share items between our characters. Inclusion requires, the studio has also integrated new accessibility options, for color blind people for example.

JVFR

Not very visible in the heat of the moment, the shards of ice are successful © Nerces

Alas, Vicarious Visions also misses a few points. Thus, the readability of the superimposed map is not perfect and we almost have a preference for that of the original game. More generally, this graphic overhaul has an impact on readability: this is not the case in all environments, but in the forest for example, it is not always easy to spot perfectly immobile enemies and we sometimes wonder who is shooting at us. The oldest will regret the absence of any LAN game mode: multiplayer is part of the game, but you have to go through Batte.net to take advantage of it. Blizzard has also clarified that the release of Diablo II Resurrected will not mark the end of the "basic" Diablo II servers.

JVFR

The interface benefits from some good quality improvements for an "accelerated" management of the inventory in particular © Nerces

A lounge and party creation system is of course on the menu. Test carried out before the official release obliges, we were not able to verify all this, but we could see that the solo characters can be launched in a multiplayer game and that Blizzard has, of course, in the idea of offer tournaments soon. On the other hand, it is important to emphasize that if our progress can be switched from one platform to another, there is no question of allowing cross-platform multiplayer. Despite fan requests to this effect, Blizzard has always been very clear that this is not their intention either now or in a few months through an update.

Diablo 2 Resurrected does not bring any new mode and if some had expressed the wish, there is for example no question of integrating two-player cooperative. Such an option will indeed be present… but in Diablo IV! Let's finish with a word on the Spanish localization of the game. First, the translation seems to us as perfect as it is complete. The whole is dubbed in Spanish and the voices are those of the original game, even during cutscenes. We had not yet mentioned this point: they have been redone and it is still possible to view the originals to judge the work accomplished. An exemplary job there again and what a slap to see "Tyrael" thus landing in Marius' cell. Great art no doubt with a tiny downside: the cutscenes are unable to exploit wide screens and retain their black bands at the top and bottom, which are therefore added to those already present on the sides. Shame.

JVFR

Diablo II Resurrected : l'avis de JVFR

Last April, when trying the technical alpha, we recognized a tad mixed feeling vis-à-vis Diablo II Resurrected. We then did not question the upgrading work carried out by the developers, but rather the relative interest of a game that was still more than twenty years old. This feeling, we must not lie, we keep it after a lot of hours spent on the final version of this resurrection. General gameplay, level design, or character progression may feel a little limited in the next hour of Diablo IV.

Newcomers will find it hard to get used to mechanics that seem rusty and even the oldest will have to let go of this "it was better before". You have to accept this old / old mix to appreciate Diablo II Resurrected at its fair value. Associated with Vicarious Visions, Blizzard is playing no tricks on us and is bringing this video game monument that is Diablo II back to life. With its revisited environments, its magnified creature models and its perfect support for the controller, the tribute is not far from being a model of its kind.

Given its aging gameplay, Diablo II Resurrected gets a good rating, but die-hard fans for whom the nostalgia will run full blast can go with their eyes closed and will no doubt give it a solid 8/10 and actually only fault it. only one thing: a little high pricing, 40 € all the same.

Diablo II Resurrected

Diablo II Resurrected obviously does not reinvent the wheel, but it does honor to this founding episode thanks to a modern aesthetic that never distorts the original game. The interface benefits from some improvements and the whole thing is perfectly playable with the joystick. The best way to (re)discover the illustrious ancestor.