Diablo 4 review – a hell of a good time?

PlayStation 4/5, Xbox, PC; Blizzard Entertainment
Behind the screams and stunningly-costumed demons, this is escapist junk food for gamers - which may be exactly what you're after

Diablo 4 wants you to know that it's very serious indeed. From its gripping introduction, evoking Blizzard's Warcraft 3-era heyday of best-in-class cinematics, to the richly macabre backdrops that host its continuous loop of demon-slaying ultraviolence, this is a game with a mission statement: please don't make fun of us for being too cartoonish, like you did with Diablo 3.

It's done well, for the most part. The writing harkens back to Diablo's original two outings; a gothic, low fantasy miasma of hopelessness and intrigue. Most impressively, this version of Diablo's world feels, well, like a world again; a place with history and tension, rather than a collection of maps strung together to facilitate dungeon delving.