Intro:
The fight between good and evil is a tale as old as time, and one that seldom results in both sides coming away happy. Diablo four takes the story and history of Lilith and creates a new variation, one where we see a more human side of the alleged, she demon. With Diablo Four being my first-time diving into the series I wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I do. From the rich story to the incredible score, to the voice acting and co-op, it’s a game bountiful with substance and is a game for every playstyle, and every pallet.
An Unexpected gem:
To be frank when I first bought Diablo Four, I wasn’t sure how much I would like it, I thought it was an overhyped series that didn’t intrigue me playstyle wise. Oh, how wrong I was…This game is by far one of the best games I’ve played in 2023, the narrative design, and voice acting is some of the best in a game. It fully immersed me and created almost a sense of dread where I was expecting the worst and seeing how the characters interacted with each other left a pit in my stomach. The looming cloud that was created by incredible writing is nothing short of amazing. The way the story made me feel, combined with how the voice acters felt every word, created every emotion was intense and satisfying to watch unfold.
The fight between Lilith and Inarious truly demonstrates this with the manipulation of the light (Inaious) and desperation of the dark (Lilith). The evil that is Lilith, but also the humanity of her shines through in this very moment, “silence is their judgment” where saying nothing is the greatest answer every received. This scene shows the humanity of good versus evil better that any book, or historical text ever will because in this moment we are shown that we are all equal, and no side is greater than the other.
Art and History:
This history of Lilith is a complex one filled with nuance and misogyny. Lilith was the first wife of Adam, created from the dust making her his equal. The refusal of submission incurred the hatred of God, which led Lilith to flee to the Red Sea, casting her from paradise. Lilith has become a symbol in modern culture of defying traditional masculine/feminine roles. She has become a symbol of sorts to represent chaos, seduction and “ungodliness”. Inarious and Lilith being the rebels of heaven who birthed a necromancer is an interesting twist on the history.
A lot of what is presented about what Lilith represents is created in a divisive way, where we are to a degree supposed to feel bad for her, but in the same notion also question her motives, she is the mother of Demons after all. Her hatred by the end of the game eating her alive making her numb, jaded to the wear and tear on her self-proclaimed soul. she becomes a slave to the very thing she supposedly was fighting against.
Mechanics, Tactics and Questions:
When it comes to how this game plays, its tactical and the player needs to understand their character and how to go about approaching certain bosses. More generic enemies get repetitive, and don’t need that much know how to beat. The bosses, especially Lilith were a proper challenge that I found enjoyable, and understanding how to beat them was really a wonderful surprise to see incorporated into the game. The way these bosses needed to be understood was on the same level as Returnal. Each move calculated, quick and thought out. Playing this game on both PC and PS5 was incredible, the cross play on this game is one of the most enjoyable aspects of this game where any spot I leave on my PS5, I can pick up at the same spot-on PC, and vise versa. It’s the ease of playability and access for the player that I really appreciate.
As far of the flow of the game is concerned, I’m curious as to why when you pick up a side quest, you then have to in a sense re-start the main quest when you pick that pack up. Maybe since I haven’t played other Diablo games it’s a reoccurring mechanic or maybe something new that was added, but it made traversing through the campaign strange and jarring to a degree when I would go back and forth between leveling up in side quests to then going back to the main campaign.
The Devils In the Details:
Diablo four entranced me with its beautiful cutscenes, characters that had meaning, dynamic boss battles, and a story for the ages that sent my brain tingling in delight. Mephisto as Lilith’s father was a twist I did not expect. Maphisto, short for Mephistopheles another historical reference in the game, was a happy surprise for me .This character turning into the one that helps to save the world from Lilith, is both clever and matches up with the behavior of the character which is manipulative.
This game took me by surprise in all it had to offer, in that I never thought I would enjoy the playstyle of this game or the delivery of the mechanics. Its rich, substantial, and creates meaning for the player. The devils in the details and the battle between good and evil has reached its breaking point.
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