The new action RPG Diablo Immortal has been available for PC, iOS, and Android for a few days now. MeinMMO has taken a look at how the title performs in the first tests and impressions.
Diablo Immortal continues the dark series on mobile and has been available since June 2nd. There’s even a PC beta running in the Battle.net launcher, making the action RPG available for iOS, Android, and PC.
It is a complete Diablo game, but designed and developed with the idea of “Mobile-First”. Many players are checking it out – but how is Immortal received after the first days?
MeinMMO gathers some opinions from early tests and press impressions and provides insight into what Diablo Immortal does well, what doesn’t go so well, and why Pay2Win is such a big topic in the game.
The most important thing to know about Diablo Immortal can be seen in our video:
The Good – It’s a complete Diablo on mobile
Let’s start with the positive points: Diablo Immortal meets expectations in terms of gameplay and content, and even surpasses them in some areas. Especially the control on mobile is well received by many testers.
As noted by colleagues from GamePro: “the controls work excellently […] a very intuitive touch control” (via gamepro.de). Good controls have a significant impact on the combat, which takes on a high importance in an action RPG.
Even the graphics on mobile are a plus point. Comicbook.com states: “My iPhone 11 got a little hot in 60 FPS mode, but it looks too good to turn off” (via comicbook.com).
Time and again, it is mentioned that many testers have played around 20 hours without spending a cent, and that the game is worthwhile just for the desire to play Diablo again.
IGN mentions in its initial assessment on Metacritic: “Having enjoyed more than 20 hours of microtransaction-free gameplay, there is clearly enough content to enjoy before you consider spending money” (via metacritic.com).
MeinMMO author Benedict Grothaus also reaches a similar conclusion in his play report: I played 15 hours of Diablo Immortal without spending money – How important is the shop?
The colleagues at GameStar have already published a comprehensive test with a rating (via gamestar.com / Plus article).
The latest Diablo offers a lot for a free-to-play title. The gameplay is nice, the controls are not an issue, and the content looks good. The negative points only begin to show when looking beyond that.
The Bad – Monetization is everywhere
Already heavily discussed beforehand, after release the big criticism of the game remains: Pay2Win. Diablo Immortal offers a small help in almost all progression mechanics – for a certain price.
No one has yet made a final judgment about the actual impact of the monetization mechanics. The game has not been on the market long enough for that. But no test, no initial impression can get past the specter of Pay2Win.
As noted by “Ars Technica” on Metacritic: “The aggressive microtransaction offers make me pessimistic that Activision Blizzard will change anything in the coming weeks” (via metacritic.com).
The author wishes that it would be fair without paying in the endgame as well, but currently thinks that this will not be the case.
Even with the supposedly harmless cosmetics, there is much criticism. Players accuse those responsible of “greed.” We also have an article on MeinMMO: Even fans of cash shops do not want to buy anything in Diablo Immortal, accusing Blizzard of extreme “greed”.
Shortly after release, the PC beta also causes stress. GameStar titles: “In this state, the Windows version of Diablo Immortal cannot reconcile PC players with Blizzard” (via gamestar.de).
Performance weaknesses, crashes, and missing settings are the biggest points of criticism. But the developers are likely to address these issues.
Despite the problems on PC and the pitfalls of Pay2Win, Diablo is a solid action RPG that attracts many players. Time will tell whether the balance of monetization is right or if the endgame is strongly dependent on it.
The Numbers – The first reviews from Metacritic
To conclude our overview, we show you the numbers from the first 6 complete tests on Metacritic:
- Comicbook.com – 90/100
- Merlin’in Kazanı (Turkey) – 82/100
- iMore – 80/100
- PCMag – 80/100
- Android Central – 80/100
- CGMagazine – 75/100
Overall, Diablo Immortal stands at 81 on Metacritic shortly after launch. The user score, by the way, is a meager 2.5 after 71 ratings.
Let us know in the comments what your first impression of the game is. We are also very interested in your opinion on the topic.
If you prefer to read more about Diablo Immortal, then check here: XP Wall in Diablo Immortal: 5 tips for leveling during story standstill
