There's no denying that Diablo II is one of the greatest games of all time. Besides selling millions of copies for a PC-only game released in 2000 (itself a feat accomplished by very few titles), Diablo II came to define not just a genre but many of the mechanics used in games that were completely unrelated to ARPGs.
"There are so many design elements that [World of Warcraft] took from Diablo II," said Matt Uelmen, Diablo II music composer and now a developer at Echtra Games. "So many design fundamentals, approaches to gear... I mean there's so much weird crossover in gaming... The fact that the Destiny formula was more or less developed by the team that Max was with... and that the formula behind [Hellgate: London], more or less... became Destiny."
Both Diablo II director Max Schaefer and Uelmen sat down with IGN to discuss the game that would go on to become so influential in the industry. Perhaps the most beloved PC game in history, calls for a remaster or remake have been made for years. Blizzard might even finally be listening, with a rumor from last May stating that Diablo II Resurrected is due out in Q4 of 2020 from Vicarious Visions.
Echtra just recently released Torchlight III on Steam Early Access, itself the sequel of Torchlight II which was made by many of the same developers that worked on Diablo II. Torchlight added several new features to ARPGs, including pets that automatically sell junk loot, fishing, and a character customization system.
Schaefer had much to say about ARPGs, calling it a “uniquely difficult genre to make games in.”
“There's a lot of fiddly parts to an ARPG and it's very easy for them to go wrong,” he said. “So when someone comes out with one that's a commercial success and is a fun time, you just have to respect what they've done."
Schaefer also believes that the ARPG genre is one that will forever be a staple of gaming, whether it be on PC, console, or even mobile.
"There's always a twist, whether it's turning it into a giant MMO like Path of Exile or, in the case of a guy who became one of the founders of the Torchlight franchise, Travis Baldree, made a little, tiny, super low-budget one-man version called Fate, that was just a kick-in-the-pants to play and really fun and cool. So, you know, the breadth of what can be done is great and we never look at it as... competitors, but building and expanding on the genre."
You can read the full interview over on IGN. Torchlight III is available now on Steam Early Access.
Source: IGN