Diablo

Guide Note

Diablo is a 1997 action/role-playing game developed by Blizzard North, and is the first game of the Diablo video games series. The game defined a sub-genre of action games, “hack n' slash,” and popularized the dungeon-based style of action-RPG gameplay that later games would come to imitate.

Fast Facts

1. Developer: Blizzard North
2. Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
3. Platform: PC, Mac, PS
4. Genre: Action/Role-Playing
5. Mode: Single-player, multiplayer
6. ESRB Rating: Mature (M)
7. Release Date: January 2, 1997

Diablo takes place in a dark fantasy setting, and the game begins in the town of Tristram, where you take control of either a male or female character and begin your journey. The magi order of the Horadrim have imprisoned the Lord of Terror “Diablo” in a soulstone somewhere underneath the city, and it is your quest to smite the evil lord. Diablo has numerous beasts that serve him in dungeons under Tristram, and he has also taken control of the Archbishop Lazarus.

When the game begins you can create a warrior, rogue or a sorcerer. Each character class has a different playing style, but the game plays relatively similar for each: the game is played in an isometric view, and you point-and-click your character around the map, killing monsters, collecting items, magic and weapons. There are 16 levels in total in the game, and various boss characters that you must defeat before you make your way through the catacombs, into hell itself to face Diablo.