It’s so expansive, in fact, the always-visible minimap doesn’t give you the greatest sense of where to go next. Aside from a few locked story locations (and some overlevelled monsters you won’t be ready to take on yet) there’s nothing to stop you from trying to see all of it right from the outset, picking one direction and wandering until you reach a dead end. The world map slowly fills in as you explore, unlocking fast travel waypoints to cut down on backtracking. Instead of individual maps, Diablo 4’s Sanctuary exists as a single giant explorable realm.
Or you can skip the lot if you just want to get on with the grind – of which there’s plenty. It doesn’t let up on the gore and viscera, but while Diablo IV takes itself even more seriously than previous entries, it never becomes properly scary. Pretty soon she’s possessed an entire village, convinced them to club the local priest to death, then kidnap you ready for a ritual sacrifice. The opening cinematic, which sees some unwitting grave robbers tricked into unleashing demonic antagonist Lilith from eternal imprisonment, gives us major Hellraiser vibes. A new close camera angle lets you zoom right in to really take in your environment.
Every enemy is incredibly detailed, and you can see your character’s individual equipment pieces change in real time as you update your inventory. It all looks stunning, especially when you take the time to appreciate all the little things. Even the major settlements, which aren’t quite so grubby, are filled with down-on-their-luck peasants keen to share their particular plight with you. They might all be dimly lit, but every new location oozes atmosphere: your character leaves deep trails as they trudge through snow drifts, leaps over crumbling chasms and stumbles through cobweb-covered crypts, with dynamic lighting casting dramatic shadows as you wander in front of sconces or burning pyres. “You want dark?” a rattled Blizzard designer probably said, “I’ll give you dark”. The barren deserts, gloomy forests and seemingly endless dank dungeons feel like a direct response to online criticism about its predecessor not bering as gothic or graphic as the original game.
Diablo IV’s version of iconic series location Sanctuary is grim.
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