- Diablo (series)
-
Diablo franchise 
Developers Blizzard Entertainment Platforms Windows/Mac/PlayStation First release Diablo
1996Diablo is an action role-playing game franchise owned and produced by Blizzard Entertainment. As of 28 June 2008[update], the series has sold over 18.5 million copies worldwide.[1]
Contents
Story
Diablo is set in the world of Sanctuary. In the universe there is an eternal conflict between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells. The High Heavens are led by the Angiris Council and the Burning Hells are led by the Prime Evils. At an unspecified point in time the Arch-Angel Inarius grew weary of the never-ending struggle, and, gathering a handful of like-minded angelic companions, left the battlefields. While searching for a place untouched by battle, Inarius and his followers encountered a group of Demons from the Burning Hells who had also grown weary of conflict. Led by Lilith, the daughter of Mephisto (eldest of the Prime Evils), these demons joined with the angels and, over time, intermingling caused attraction. For the first time, there were unions of angels and demons. Even Lilith and Inarius fell in love. Eventually, by gradually manipulating the very substance of the universe, Inarius created the world of Sanctuary. He also created a massive crystal-like object known as the "Worldstone," which he bound to Sanctuary and to himself. He used it to hide Sanctuary from the ever-roving eyes of the High Heavens and Burning Hells.
Over time, the union of angel and demon blood created beings with astounding powers, named "Nephalem". When Inarius saw their astounding power he grew worried that they would disrupt "his" world and planned to destroy them. But the other angels and demons pleaded with him to not destroy their children, and so he held off for a short while. However, Lilith wanted to raise the Nephalem to become her servants and make herself ruler of Sanctuary, and went about murdering the other angels and demons. For this she was banished by Inarius and he slaughtered most of the Nephalem and manipulated the Worldstone to lessen the chances of the Nephalem's power developing. This progressed almost to the point of Inarius devolving them. Lilith came back to continue her plot to use the Nephalem as an army, but was stopped by a farmer named Uldyssian-ul-Diomed, who rose against her and Inarius. He destroyed both of their cults and sacrificed himself to protect the world. This caught the attention of the Archangel Tyrael. He established the Horadrim, who were to prevent the lords of the Burning Hells from ever taking over the world. The Horadrim captured the three prime evils, first to be captured was Mephisto, Lord of Hatred, then Baal, Lord of Destruction, and finally Diablo, Lord of Terror.
The prime evils remained imprisoned until Diablo was able to reach some of the mortals who lived in the town above him, called Tristram, and started bringing minions from Hell into Sanctuary. A hero arrived and managed to slay him, and tried to contain Diablo's soul within himself. He was unsuccessful and fell under the demon's influence. With this warrior as a new host, Diablo set about to free his brothers and eventually took over the warrior's body, assuming his true form. Another band of heroes went after him and managed to slay Mephisto and then Diablo. Baal continued north and proceeded to the Worldstone. Here the band of heroes fought and eventually slew him, but not before he had a chance to corrupt the Worldstone. Tyrael arrived and sent the heroes away to safety, then destroyed the Worldstone, causing consequences that even he could not foresee.
Diablo
Main article: Diablo (game)The setting of Diablo is the town of Tristram, the de facto capital of the Kingdom of Khanduras on the world of Sanctuary. The actual fighting takes place beneath the town in a maze of dungeons, catacombs, and caves that lead into the depths of Hell.
The plot of the original Diablo game centers around a player character undertaking a series of quests to free Tristram from Hell-spawned evil, descending through twelve levels of dungeons, catacombs, and caves into Hell itself (the final four levels), where the player battles the title character, Diablo, Lord of Terror — one of the seven "Evils" (devils) who once ruled Hell.
Diablo offers three character classes and the Hellfire expansion offers three more. Players can play as Warriors, Rogues (archers), or Sorcerers. Each class has its own place in the game's history, and all three classes are seen as NPCs in the sequel. All three classes have the same general skills and access to the same spells. Each of them has a class-specific skill (Item Repair, Trap Disarm, and Staff Recharge, respectively) that has as many drawbacks as benefits, except for Trap Disarm.
Hellfire
Diablo: Hellfire was started by Blizzard and then passed on to Sierra to finish. It offers an additional three character classes: Monk, Barbarian, and Bard. The monk fights without weapons and little armor because he has great natural damage and defense due to his martial arts expertise. The Barbarian is similar to the Warrior, though without magical ability. All of his character attributes are higher, to compensate. The Bard is a character with relatively balanced statistics. However, the Barbarian and the Bard can only be played using a file tweak, as they were unfinished. Additional quests are also available through this tweak.
The addition of two secondary dungeons also did not attract many players as they took away from the game's gothic appearance — the first of these levels featured bizarre insectoid creatures who bear a passing resemblance to the Zerg from the Starcraft franchise. The second level returns to demons, though they are quite different from the main quest monsters.
Since it was finished by Sierra and not Blizzard (by their authorization), the information offered in Hellfire is not part of Diablo lore.[2] It should be noted that Hellfire does not appear on the website of either company (however, this could be due to it being out of print).
Diablo II
Main article: Diablo IIAt the end of the first game, a warrior tried to contain Diablo's soul within himself. The warrior was unable to do so, and by the beginning of Diablo II, The Lord of Terror has taken control of the warrior. Diablo set off to free his two brothers, Mephisto and Baal. Players can choose from five distinct characters (seven when including the expansion) to control in their quest, which explore the world of Sanctuary through four acts. At the end of each of the four acts, players face different devils, with Diablo at the end of the game.
Diablo II broke several sales records and was hailed in an endless stream of good reviews as having the best plot for an RPG. Notably, it was also the first computer RPG to have a significant number of female players (more than 25%)[citation needed].
The character classes, in particular, are much stronger than the previous game's. Unlike its predecessor, Diablo II provides the motivation for each character class joining the battle:
- The oracles of the Amazons foretold that the final battle when mankind would at last be free of angelic and demonic manipulation was at hand.
- The Barbarians also expect a "final battle", in which they would be key players in deciding the fate of the world.
- The Necromancers determine that the Evils have grown too powerful, and thus ally themselves with the forces of Light to restore balance to the world.
- The Paladins, wracked with guilt over their actions during the Inquisition, seek justice upon Mephisto, the true cause of the bloody crusade.
- The Sorceresses join the battle with their mighty spells to stop the corruption of magic by the Evils.
The characters from the previous game are not forgotten, however. The Rogues (as NPCs) are the hostesses of the player during Act I, and Sorcerers are seen regularly in Acts II and III. Unlike the original, each character has three distinct sets of skills/spells that they can use in the game. Several of the characters can also conjure magical minions, such as a Valkyrie (Amazon) or Skeletons and Golems (Necromancer). All players also have the option to hire a Rogue (Act I), a Warrior (Act II), or an Iron Wolf (a type of melee Sorcerer, Act III) to accompany them and help slay monsters. These "hirelings" have a few of their own skills and can usually take care of themselves.
Lord of Destruction
Main article: Diablo II: Lord of DestructionBlizzard released Diablo II: Lord of Destruction on June 29, 2001. In this expansion, set immediately after the events of Diablo II, players seek to destroy Diablo's brother, Baal. The expansion includes a new act, new items, and two new character classes:
- The Druids are descended from the Barbarians, and have come out of hiding in preparation for the final battle between mankind and the Evils.
- The Assassins have policed the mage-clans for centuries. Now, with news that Terror and Destruction (Diablo and Baal) roam free, the Assassins unleash their fury on Hell itself.
Barbarians can also be hired in the new Act. The summoned units of the expansion characters are called "minions". Hirelings can be resurrected in Lord of Destruction and can be equipped with armor and weapons.
Diablo III
Main article: Diablo IIIDiablo III was announced at Blizzard's Worldwide Invitational. At the same time it was announced, it was also revealed that behind the ice on Blizzard's splash page was the logo for Diablo III and a link to the website. The game has a gameplay trailer and a cinematic trailer. Diablo III takes place 20 years after Diablo II.[3]
Five character classes have been announced by Blizzard for Diablo III:
The Witch Doctor is a new character reminiscent of the Diablo II Necromancer, but with skills more traditionally associated with voodoo culture. The Witch Doctor has the ability to summon monsters, cast curses, harvest souls, and hurl poisons and explosives at his enemies.[4]
A returning class will be the Barbarian. The Barbarians will have a variety of revamped skills at their disposal based on the use of their incredible physical prowess. The Barbarian is able to Whirlwind through crowds, cleave through swarms, leap across crags, and crush opponents upon landing. [5]
The Wizard is a version of the sorceress from Diablo II or the Sorcerer from Diablo. The Wizard's abilities range from shooting lightning, fire and ice at their enemies, to slowing time, and teleporting around enemies and through walls.[6]
The Monk is a melee attacker, using martial arts to cripple foes, resist damage, deflect projectiles, attack with blinding speed, and land explosive killing blows.
Demon Hunter is rogue ranged class. It was the last class to be introduced. This class specializes in ranged attacks, setting traps for enemies, and evasion skill. [7]
The Archivist is a joke character. Trailers for this character were released on April Fool's Day, 2009. The Archivist character somewhat resembles the NPC Deckard Cain. Though he has highly damaging mystic abilities, he suffers from very poor health, often dying from a single hit by weak monsters.
The combat system is being redone as well. Instead of the previous skill selection system used in Diablo II there will be an action bar at the bottom of the screen. This change will replace the area where the potion-belt used to be in Diablo II.
Blizzard has released news of choosing the gender of your characters when you create them. The gender of the characters do not differ aside from visuals, voices, and possibly storyline aspects. It is also shown in many gameplay videos that when finding items, they can be enchanted, and it will add 'special' effects to the weapon.
Gameplay
There are many features that are universal in the Diablo franchise. Point and click means that the mouse is mainly used for moving and using abilities. Diablo heavily relies on the need to get better items. Items are randomly generated and usually have many abilities assigned to them. Various maps in the Diablo world are randomly generated in each game, which increases the replayability.
Due to its randomly generated maps and "Hack and slash" nature, Diablo may be loosely considered a roguelike, though with realtime gameplay, graphics and sound. It was in fact originally conceived and pitched to Blizzard as what amounted to a graphical roguelike.[8] The adventurer being based in a town above the dungeon and being able to use "scrolls of town portal" is a specific influence from Moria.
Important characters
Main article: Characters of DiabloAngels
Angels are beings of the Light from the High Heavens. They are ruled by the Angiris Council, which consists of the five archangels, and which rules over all other angels.
Demons
Demons are evil entities native to the Burning Hells. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can wield a wide range of magical powers, depending on their type. The everlasting war known as the Great Conflict is fought between demons, who believe in pure chaos, and the Angels of the High Heavens. The three greatest demons, Mephisto, Baal, and Diablo, are known as the Prime Evils and reign over their lesser brethren.
Demons cannot exist naturally in Sanctuary and must be summoned through a magical ritual or somehow take possession of a mortal's body.
Nephalem
The Nephalem are the first generation of humans on Sanctuary. They are also known as Sanctuary's Children in The Sin War books. The Nephalem are the direct offspring of angels and demons, with the potential to be even greater than both. It is believed that such beings as Bul-Kathos, Rathma, and Esu, to name a few, are the first Nephalem to be born, and that their children are the current barbarians, necromancers, and sorceresses whom we know today in the Diablo universe.
Due to the Worldstone, the Nephalem's power has been slowly drained with each generation, therefore making any new offspring weaker and weaker. This however changed when the worldstone was destroyed.
Novelizations
Many Diablo books have been written.[9]
- The Black Road
- Demonsbane
- The Kingdom of Shadow
- Legacy of Blood
- Moon of the Spider
- The Sin War
- Diablo III: Book of Cain
- Diablo III: The Order
Comics
Tales of Sanctuary by Phil Amara, Dave Land and Francisco Ruiz Velasco, is a comic book released on November 9th, 2001 by Dark Horse Comics. It features three stories:
- Rage is about Azgar, a Druid in his struggle against Baal's minions;
- The Hand of Naz is about Renit the Dark Stalker, a Barbarian who allies with the Necromancer, Cairo, to find the artifact known as Hand of Naz;
- Hatred's Bride is about Hale, a Paladin who saves a girl, Bay, from demons and seeks to protect her.
Reception
In 2010 IGN ranked Diablo 74th in "Top 100 Videogames Villains" saying that "Just saying the word "demonic" conjures up all sorts of imagery and thoughts about strange rituals, the spilling of blood, and a host of other things Sunday school teachers warn kids about".
References
- ^ "Diablo III Unveiled" (Press release). Blizzard Entertainment. 2008-06-28. http://www.blizzard.com/us/press/080628.html. Retrieved 2008-06-29.
- ^ http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=19381854055&pageNo=2#25
- ^ http://www.blizzard.com/diablo3/faq
- ^ http://www.blizzard.com/diablo3/characters/witchdoctor.xml
- ^ http://www.blizzard.com/diablo3/characters/barbarian.xml
- ^ http://www.blizzard.com/diablo3/characters/wizard.xml
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMBRHx1UsZM&feature=sub
- ^ "[The idea for Diablo] was modified over and over until it solidified when [Dave Brevik] was in college and got hooked on an ASCII game called Moria/Angband. When we pitched Diablo to Blizzard, we pitched a turn-based, single-player DOS game." Pitts, Russ (2006-06-06). "Secret Sauce: The Rise of Blizzard". The Escapist. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_48/289-Secret-Sauce-The-Rise-of-Blizzard. Retrieved 2007-12-24.
- ^ http://diablo.wikia.com/wiki/Chronology_of_Novels
External links
Diablo series and related topics Video games Soundtracks Books Other worksComics Key people Leonard Boyarsky · David Brevik · Russell Brower · Chase Clements · Stieg Hedlund · Eric Sexton · Matt UelmenBlizzard Entertainment Main franchises Other titles People Allen Adham · Dustin Browder · Andy Chambers · Tom Chilton · Shahram Dabiri · Samwise Didier · Sam Lantinga · Frank Pearce · Jeffrey Kaplan · Chris Metzen · Michael Morhaime · Rob Pardo · Bill Roper · Greg StreetMiscellaneous Categories:
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