For several days now, the Alpha of Diablo Immortal has been playable, and many well-known streamers and YouTubers have already checked it out. One of them was initially more than skeptical: Rhykker. However, he now believes that Diablo Immortal does many things very well, sometimes better than Diablo 3.
Who is Rhykker? Rhykker is a YouTuber and streamer who specializes in Diablo. He is possibly the most well-known Diablo player, and his videos are considered a primary resource for questions related to Diablo. As he himself states, he makes a living from Diablo.
When the new action RPG was announced in 2018, he thought at the time that Diablo Immortal could cost him his job. He was extremely skeptical about the new game and, like apparently many fans of the genre, was outraged about a mobile version of Diablo.
Now the Alpha of Diablo Immortal is running, and Rhykker has played it. There is hardly any trace left of his former skepticism.
Diablo Immortal is “surprisingly good”
This is what Rhykker says now: In his assessment of the alpha, Rhykker calls the new Diablo Immortal a “Diablo 3.5”. It takes many elements from Diablo 3 and makes them better without simply being a mobile port:
[Diablo Immortal] basically takes Diablo 3 apart as if it were a kind of LEGO set and reconstructs it specifically as a mobile MMO. In doing so, it discards some pieces and instead takes others from another set. Diablo Immortal is entirely made to be a mobile experience.
Although he is a PC player himself and can’t really stand consoles or mobile games, Rhykker liked the new Diablo. The gameplay feels “surprisingly good,” and he found it enjoyable to simply be able to play a round on the couch. The controls are ideal for that.
Diablo Immortal will be a genuine MMO with appropriate features. Some of these fit well into the game, while others annoy experts like Rhykker. We have embedded his video with the review here for you:
What does he like about Diablo Immortal? Rhykker compares some of the elements from Diablo 3 that Diablo Immortal takes and adapts or even improves. In short, these are:
- Bounties – They don’t take as long in Diablo Immortal and integrate better into the game, not pulling the player out of the action as much.
- Portals – The “Elder Rifts” are a mix of Nephalem Rifts and Greater Rifts. You don’t need a keystone, but loot is only at the end.
- Legendary items – Instead of just enhancing a skill with ridiculous values, Legendaries in Diablo Immortal have the potential to define a build around them. They feel more significant.
- Crafting – In Diablo Immortal, you enhance your favorite gear instead of creating many (mostly useless) things at the blacksmith.
- Paragon – Points are no longer just distributed randomly across various windows but placed into skill trees that support your playstyle.
Even the combat feels better in Diablo Immortal than in many action RPGs on PC, though Rhykker doesn’t provide specific examples.
What bothers him? The biggest criticism from Rhykker’s point of view is the monetization. Diablo Immortal is free to play, but there is a cash shop. In it, while there is no equipment, there are better versions of specific upgrade items that you can earn.
This means the game is not pay to win, but pay to progress, which many players would equate with pay to win in his view. He finds that inappropriate for a PC game, but for mobile standards, it’s more than fair.
Personally, he also misses the feeling of loot. The Diablo series has always been about a ton of random drops that can strengthen the character or not. Diablo Immortal relies on an upgrade system. Rhykker himself doesn’t think that’s great, but that’s just a personal preference.
Big streamers praise Diablo Immortal
This is what other streamers say: Rhykker is not the only one praising Diablo Immortal. Some of the biggest YouTubers and top 5 streamers on Twitch think similarly about the new mobile ARPG.
- Kripparrian says on Twitter: “Pretty good implementation of Diablo on mobile, but I find it hard to play for more than a few hours without autoplay/PC emulator. Big plus: The graphics look fantastic. Big minus: It seems like gear drops and monsters scale with the level in the zone.”
- Bluddshed says in his video: “I feel like there are a lot of little things that go a long way. […] Everything feels so meaningful. […] I like the gameplay so far. I just think they should add one or two more activities.”
- The Twitch streamer Leviathan praises on Twitter: “I’ve never enjoyed waiting in my eye doctor’s waiting room so much as now, since I can complete bounties in Diablo Immortal while the doctor is late. This is just the best.”
Our colleagues from GameStar have also been positively surprised by Diablo Immortal so far. After being able to play for several hours, they believe: Blizzard’s most hated game is much better than expected.
What’s next? Blizzard has already stated that Diablo Immortal will remain free and still receive new content. So you won’t have to pay for all features like classes and story. You will only need a powerful smartphone.
Diablo Immortal is coming to iOS and Android devices. Controller support is being discussed but is not yet planned. PC emulators should work, but are not officially supported. The developers have not yet revealed exactly when it will be released.
Currently, Diablo Immortal is in a technical alpha, where much can still change. A lot is certainly not final yet. If you want to test it yourself, you can find here on MeinMMO how to register for the alpha of Diablo Immortal.
