Diablo is a 1997 action role-playing game developed by Blizzard North and published by Blizzard Entertainment for Windows. It is the first installment in the video game series of the same name.

The Story Behind Diablo

The patch contains a 16-level dungeon, four main bosses from the 1997 version and special graphics filters and 8-directions limited movement like the original game. In 1998, a PlayStation version of Diablo was released, developed by Climax Studios and published by Electronic Arts. It was scheduled for release in January 1997 by Blizzard and was widely available by January 6, 1997, but had started shipping to retailers in December 1996, some which made the game available for sale that month.

The release featured two versions of the game: the original 1996 version and a new DirectX-based version built in-house by GOG that features additional display and graphical options. Brevik attended the 1994 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to showcase the game and pitch his Diablo to other publishers. The European PAL version is translated and dubbed into French, German and Swedish in addition to the original English.

How Diablo Plays

Diablo finished 11th for the year in the United States, with sales of 354,961 units and revenues of $9.57 million in the region. Several of the remaining townsfolk assist the player such as Deckard Cain the Elder. As told in the sequel Diablo II, canonically the warrior was the hero that defeated Diablo only to become possessed.

Many higher-level weapons and armor can only be equipped if the player meets the minimum Strength and/or Dexterity requirements. Players are assigned a random number of quests from several tiers; these quests are optional but usually offer powerful unique items as rewards and help to level up the character and/or reveal more of the backstory. Its worldwide sales surpassed 500,000 units by April, 750,000 by June and 1 million by late November.

Why Players Still Load It Up

Yans finished her review, "Despite the rather pale storyline, [...] watered-down quests and a fair amount of necessary repetition, Diablo is a must for anyone interested in 'just plain fun.'" Ward stated: "Diablo is the best game to come out in the past year, and you should own a copy. This means that players going back for their second or third shot at the game will very likely fight opponents they haven't seen before. Period." Macworlds Michael Gowan wrote, "The only downside to this role-playing game is that the adventure ends too soon." Steve Klett's review for PC Games, which was reprinted in sister magazine GamePro, commented that "Diablos definitely not your typical dungeon hackfest. ...

Diablo has received critical acclaim, with an average rating of 94/100 on Metacritic. Columnist Bernard Yee commented that compared to contemporary online multiplayer games such as Quake, Diablo gives newcomers a much better chance of enjoying themselves, as they can either cooperate with other players or build their character so that they can hold their own against hostile players. And if you haven't played Diablo at all, check this one out." However, IGNs Doug Perry was dissatisfied with the controls, saying they slow the game's pace.

Diablo — Frequently Asked Questions