Less than 24 hours after the release of Diablo, the game magazine Famitsu gave it a very high evaluation and provided a detailed analysis and report.
[Pokeni's new work Diablo is, without exaggeration, an epoch-making milestone of a game.
It pioneered a top-down 2D real-time combat system on consoles, which not only broadened the field of vision but also elevated the combat dimension from 1D to 2D.
Correspondingly, the operational complexity has naturally increased quite a bit.
However, this complexity brings with it a very rich and remarkable level of gameplay.
Every movement of the characters is natural and smooth, the equipment on their bodies glows with dazzling magical light, and every skill used leaves spectating players in awe.
Countless dungeons, an endless variety of monsters, and ferocious bosses—all of this has left the editors of this newspaper in absolute admiration of the game's production team, thus immortalizing its name: "Pokeni."
With this game, Pokeni has proven that they can not only develop heart-pounding galgames but also produce exceptionally brilliant combat games.
They make games with heart, providing players with an extraordinary experience.
Beyond the word 'great,' I can think of no other term to describe Pokeni's production team.
Perhaps it is precisely because of their continuous pioneering spirit and persistent exploration of the essence of gaming that they can release one excellent game after another for the players.
Diablo.
The game's story is not complex. Although players can only understand the general state of the world through the snippets of dialogue from a few fixed NPCs, the ultimate goal is very clear; the script can hardly be called brilliant.
However, the design of the gameplay process has its own unique side.
[The following section contains spoilers, please read with caution]
Take, for example, the first boss players encounter: The Butcher.
You might hear information about him from NPCs before meeting him, but whether you know beforehand or not, he is waiting somewhere on the map for your reckless intrusion.
In the dark catacombs, you need to explore constantly. There are many doors in the labyrinth; before you open them, a dark mist conceals everything inside, and you have no idea what lies within.
In most cases, the game usually just places a few annoying imps. While they might cause some trouble, they aren't fatal.
But just when you think you can sweep through everything and your guard lowers slightly, there is suddenly a room. When you open it, it immediately greets you with the most primal, hungry roar. Your health drops to nearly zero in an instant, and no matter how fast your hand is at pressing the health recovery hotkey, it's useless.
This is the game mechanic of Diablo; it always gives you its most "sincere" regards when you least expect it.
The Butcher is the same way.
Before you enter his arena, Diablo does not use NPC dialogue to inform you of what you are about to face, unlike other role-playing games.
There are no warnings placed in the scene, and it doesn't even necessarily follow the basic labyrinth map convention that "a bunch of high-level monsters will definitely be deployed around a boss arena."
When you open that door, before you even have time to be surprised by the unique decor of the room, he has already charged at you, ready to hunt you to the ends of the earth.
The sense of pressure and fear is magnified to the extreme in that moment, causing an adrenaline surge.
One wrong move and you will step into the hell of death.
It is precisely this random and punishing setting that makes players dare not relax for a single step of exploration, as feelings of fear and loneliness constantly linger in their hearts.
Coupled with the deliberately crafted lighting and detailed presentation, Diablo's horror atmosphere is exceptionally well-executed.
This is definitely a work that will give players nightmares at night.
This is not a criticism or a belittlement of the game; having nightmares isn't a bad thing. It simply shows how strong the psychological impact of this game is on the players.
While it makes you feel afraid, it also possesses enough charm that you feel compelled to experience it.]
In the report, to allow players to more authentically experience the charm and details of this game, Famitsu also included a large amount of textual explanation.
After analyzing the pros and cons of Diablo, there were about ten pages of game walkthrough content at the end.
It could be said to be quite thoughtful.
...
Due to its agile and rapid tracking capabilities, combined with excellent reporting, Famitsu's sales increased further.
The reason they were able to get first-hand information and produce such swift reports was that Aoki Haruhi provided demo cartridges and offered up all the unknown details of the company's development.
...
Many players purchased Famitsu and gave it very high praise.
"Huh? Diablo? I didn't think the art style was my type at first, but after reading Famitsu's review, I really want to experience it."
Yes, this point could be considered a flaw of diablo, but it was also a natural outcome.
The art style of diablo itself leans towards a Western realistic style. The benefits of this are twofold: first, it fits the world-building better, and second, it better renders the sense of fear and that eerie, oppressive atmosphere.
And these aspects are exactly what Shinji Mikami is best at.
It can be said that the entire diablo was produced with even more rendering power than in the previous life; naturally, the psychological impact on players was also taken to the next level.
So many players had been hesitating to buy the game, feeling it wasn't to their taste.
Players in Neon prefer games that are more anime-styled, with brighter, more natural, and animated art styles. For example, dragon quest, although it also uses a Western fantasy theme, has an overall style that is Japanese.
The fire emblem series is the same.
Currently, among the big-selling games on the market, there really aren't any with an art style as hardcore as Diablo's.
However, after seeing Famitsu's report, many people changed their minds and inherent impressions.
They expressed a strong desire to try the game.
If it really is as fun as Famitsu described.
"Eh? There are actually so many unknown details. I didn't even notice them when I was playing diablo."
"Yeah, this magazine is good. The walkthrough is very detailed, including what skill combinations different classes should use, what playstyles are available, and detailed equipment stats have all been provided.
Seeing the walkthrough makes me want to experience it in the game immediately.
It would be great if they could continue to provide such good guides in the future."
"I was really getting tormented to death when opening chests, and sometimes I'd accidentally step on a trap. I haven't even been able to collect a full set of equipment yet.
The walkthrough provided by Famitsu is really useful."
"Famitsu, look at them! What on earth are you guys doing? Can you please learn from them?"
...
Compared to the speed and completeness of the data provided by Famitsu, which put its heart into serving the players—
Correspondingly, the other Famitsu was much slower.
It was about two weeks after the game's release that Famitsu finally gave Diablo a score.
"If someone were to write a history of gaming...
If it were a Chronicle, then Diablo would be the core event of that year;
If it were a Biographical History, then Diablo could be written as a [Basic Annals].
Yes, this game is just that powerful and magical.
It has unparalleled gameplay, and the original 2D top-down real-time combat is refreshing.
In this game, you will experience an unprecedented rush of adrenaline.
There is hardly any time or enough space in the game for you to think and come up with strategic responses.
It places a higher demand on the players' pre-emptive strategy—
Skill and equipment combinations.
It makes higher demands.
At the same time, it also challenges the players' reaction speed.
The rhythm of this game is quite excellent, making one lose track of time and play for a day and a night, tirelessly working to level up and collect better equipment.
Later on, you find that the plot is no longer that important.
Of course, this is also a flaw I need to point out. Compared to other RPGs, Diablo is impeccable in terms of gameplay and creativity.
However, for this reason, the plot has been weakened quite a bit; you'll even find that after clearing the game, there are very few characters, and the monsters leave a much deeper impression on players than the NPCs.
The main characters and related plot points are all hidden within insignificant clues.
You need to decrypt and explore on your own, then piece them together like a puzzle.
It's hard to say whether this is good or bad; while it further enhances the game's sense of suspense, it also leaves the plot fragmented and the characters lackluster.
So, in terms of experience, the atmosphere gets a perfect score.
In terms of the script, however, it only gets a passing grade.
For this, I can only give this game a 9.
The comments from another editor were as follows:
"A claustrophobic, enclosed dungeon, tattered clothes and a small knife, trembling as you go deep into the dungeon, eerie background music, and the faint sound of crying from afar—it makes your hair stand on end.
Suddenly, a dark shadow jumps out of a corner; even though it's just a lowly monkey, it still gives you a cold sweat.
As you go deeper into the dungeon, it becomes more and more unsettling; the walls seem to be oozing blood.
Then a burst of wild laughter suddenly rings out: 'Hahaha, fresh meat~~' and the screen turns red.
After experiencing Diablo, you're bound to have nightmares at night.
At the same time, this also proves the value of this game.
It manages, through its atmosphere and insignificant details—
Such as messy stone coffins, skeleton monsters lying in ambush in the shadows...
Oppressive and dim lighting, giving you an endless sense of immersion. To put it more bluntly, I have never experienced such a chilling and hair-raising game.
The fear is bone-deep, playing until your hands and feet are cold.
From a professional evaluation of the game, this game has unique creativity, good game performance, and a superb atmospheric experience.
It is definitely a great work that can be recorded in game history.
So I must give such an excellent work a high score of 9.
The only drawback might be that it's not friendly enough to players; you die too many times in the early stages, and there seem to be issues with the numerical calculations.
The requirements for players are also quite high—not just strategic requirements, but the requirements for hand speed and positioning are extraordinary.
So this is definitely not a game suitable for beginners.
For this, I must deduct one point."
...
"I still haven't forgotten the feeling of my hands and feet being cold when I played alone at night.
The first four floors were fine.
From the fifth floor onwards, monsters that can turn invisible appear, hiding in corners and catching you off guard.
Even if the map for an area is fully revealed, I can't be sure if I've cleared the monsters completely.
Diablo takes place entirely underground.
You can't see even a glimmer of light.
...
The diablo immersion is very strong; when everything is silent around you, the sound of opening a chest is particularly noticeable.
The most interesting part is its skill and equipment system. How to combine and choose skills, and finding equipment suitable for those skill combinations, will become the key to victory in the game.
While these things seem scattered, they have a very strong internal connection. If matched well, you can defeat enemies easily; if not, you might perish in a sea of fire.
The game is really interesting; even if you play it ten or twenty more times, you can still gain new experiences and fun through different combinations.
This is completely different from Pokeni's previous works.
Although it's as punishing as ever, Pokeni's previous games made you unable to muster the courage to play a second time.
But Diablo is just the opposite; it's a game that makes you have a strong desire to play again after the first time.
Moreover, after clearing the game, you can unlock higher difficulty levels.
This is equivalent to Pokeni issuing a challenge to the players, shouting, 'Come and try if you have the guts!'
This way, the game becomes even more impossible to stop.]
...
[Accompanied by the ethereal sound of a guitar, I slowly stepped into this gray and gloomy world.
The howling of wolves came from afar. Passing through a small path covered with skeletons, Tristram, this small town forever shrouded in night, appeared before my eyes.
Perhaps because it's no safer here than outside, there isn't much bustle in town besides a few old-timers, but it still gave me a sense of peace and tranquility.
In a future I don't yet know, this town will become my final home.
...
Superb sense of atmosphere.
First-class gameplay.
Ever-changing skills and equipment.
Random dungeons and exploration.
These are all factors that can make Diablo a great work.
The only regret is that the script is indeed a bit weak.
Also, in my opinion, the reason a BOSS is a BOSS is because they are meant to give you a huge sense of pressure and lethality; to put it bluntly, they must be very strong in terms of numerical stats.
But that's not the case in diablo; sometimes groups of monsters pose a greater threat to players than the BOSS.
And every BOSS and monster has its own weaknesses. If you can grasp those weaknesses and attack specifically, the game becomes incredibly simple.
This actually doesn't quite fit the game's design philosophy or people's expectations for a BOSS.
For this, I must deduct one point.]
...
The editors were quite picky.
However, the score was quite high:
Diablo, which received a 36, also entered the platinum hall of fame in one fell swoop.
Although it's said that Famitsu is Nintendo's backyard, this magazine was actually quite fair in the 90s. Its core philosophy was—
Not to be affected by any outside interference; the editors give fair scores to games based entirely on their own professionalism.
This is what made Famitsu the number one game magazine.
...
Of course, after experiencing Diablo, the evaluations given by players were also quite good:
"This should be the best Action RPG played so far. Maybe the RPG part is a bit weaker because I hardly studied the plot later; instead, I spent most of my time researching skills and equipment.
But these are exactly the points that made me feel addicted to the game.
The pursuit of stats and equipment has become the greatest motivation for the game.
After putting on a new set of equipment, I always want to verify my strength.
When I defeat a higher-level monster, my first reaction is to see if anything good dropped on the ground.
Once I see a golden glow, even if it's just gold coins, my heart skips a beat for no reason.
This feeling is probably as exciting as digging up a huge diamond in solid rock, right?"
"The combat feel of the game is quite good. I don't know what others think, but I personally am quite satisfied with it.
I am a person who likes close combat and has a fighting spirit, so I chose the Warrior class at the start.
Seriously, when a Warrior hits a monster, it really has that 'fist to the flesh' feel.
The special effects are also quite good, at least much better than other big games currently on the market.
I've seen my friend play the Mage; lightning flying all over the screen and fire everywhere—the feeling is really hard to describe in words.
In my brain, there's nothing else besides continuing to fight and enjoying the pleasure of combat."
"The game's graphics are realistic and hardcore, and the special effects for item drops are really exciting. Moreover, whether it's small mobs or a BOSS, they all have their own characteristics.
In terms of using skills and chasing players, the behavior of monsters is much more reasonable and interesting than in many games.
I once stood at the edge of the underground labyrinth and observed carefully.
Some Skeleton Soldiers would walk back and forth.
A Skeleton Archer walked up to the guy with the shield, and the two of them bent over and talked for a while. I can't say for sure if they were really talking, but the behavior of the monsters in this game gives you that feeling.
They talked for a while, and you could even imagine the content of their conversation:
'Hey, no humans came today. It's so lonely.'
'Yeah, without humans, there are no new companions.'
'Hey, didn't you like that girl from last time? Why are you looking forward to new people coming in now?'
'You're too unfaithful!'
Hahaha, thinking that monsters also have their own daily lives and dialogues is very interesting."
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