


Many of my signature abilities like spinning around in a whirlwind or smashing things with big blunt objects are there intact, and there are even some mobility tactics to deal with when dodging telegraphed enemy attacks. The Crusader and Necromancer are slated to join the cast on launch. I went with a class I’ve played a ton of in Diablo II and III, the Barbarian. In this alpha, the Barbarian, Wizard, Monk, and Demon Hunter were available for play. This means that a lot of cool characters are still around and in play to interact with. So even though Diablo Immortal had a really rough start after it was booed off the stage during its announcement in 2018, I'm starting to feel positive about its upcoming release.Diablo Immortal takes place in the sweet spot between Diablo II and Diablo III chronologically. While we still don't know when the alpha for Diablo Immortal will be release in more regions, or when the official worldwide launch will happen, it's clear Blizzard is actually taking its time to create a worthwhile mobile rendition of Diablo, which is precisely what the lead designed revealed in a recent interview. The music and voicework are superb, and in total the whole thing feels really polished, which is surprising for an alpha. The tone is fairly dark, and so there's plenty of gore, though the game has a much quicker pacing that the mainline titles, which is good for mobile play but also makes for a slight empty and rushed feeling. Combat feels similar to Diablo III, though the levels are much smaller, and so work more like corridors instead of expansive environments. I experienced a few issues with the swipe-based directional controls, though quickly tapping helps with this. The touchscreen controls took a minute to get used to, but they work well enough. More or less, I came away impressed with the gameplay.

This is a long one in order to offer a solid look at the first hour of the gameplay, so feel free to skip around. Above you can watch my gameplay video for Diablo Immortal.
