Well, the leaks were true.
Fans of the Diablo franchise were treated to expected, but exciting news this afternoon at BlizzCon 2021 when Blizzard announced the long-awaited Diablo II remake known as Diablo II Resurrected. During a more in-depth look at the game, Blizzard revealed it is slated for a 2021 release. Alongside the announcement, Blizzard showcased a gameplay video that juxtaposed footage of the original game paired with the remastered version. Diablo II Resurrected will feature support for 4K graphics and a 144 Hz refresh rate. Aside from a graphical enhancement, the game remains largely unchanged. Despite worrying news in 2019 from GameSpot about corrupted files and lost assets, Blizzard managed a stunning recreation that is nearly identical to the original game.
Andre Abrahamian, the Lead Designer on the project, pointed out that players could swap back and forth to the old graphics via the “Legacy Toggle” feature because “it is really the old game running underneath.” The original experience remains largely unchanged, and any additional changes are made only for a better user experience. Should die-hard fans want a truly authentic experience, they can toggle off even these small changes. For instance, Diablo II Resurrected adds up the stats of all equipped items for a player rather than forcing them to calculate it themselves. Gone are the days of tediously trying to calculate your equipment’s Magic Find boost in your head, the Advanced Stats bar will simply tell you.
The ability to opt-in for the Technical Alpha release has already appeared on the Battle.net website. Fans can pre-purchase Diablo II Resurrected for $39.99 or The Prime Evil Collection for $59.99. The Prime Evil Collection includes Diablo 3, both content packs, a Mephisto pet, and a pair of cosmetic wings.
What is your take on Blizzard’s Diablo II Resurrected? Will you toggle off all the new additions and play it exactly as it was or are these welcome changes?
