Diablo IV is soon to be released, but knowing Blizzard that “soon” could easily be prolonged, knowing their high standards and how they like to polish a game to perfection to deliver a masterpiece product.
No release date has been announced from the studio, and all rumors are unconfirmed, but at 2019 Blizzcon, the gameplay trailer has been revealed, which looks stunning. It showed many exciting things, first of all, graphics that look amazing and will shine on new PlayStation and Xbox consoles on high-end PCs. As already said, no announcement date is set, and rumors are just rumors till the day that all Diablo fans want to come; below are ten games you should try and play while waiting for Diablo IV.
Grim Dawn
Grim Dawn is like Diablo IV an action RPG, with pretty similar mechanics and graphics. The major difference between games is the setting – Grim Dawn is set in the Victorian era, while Diablo is set in more alternate medieval times. Nonetheless, the tone of both games is pretty similar – they are both set in fictitious dark alternate worlds, where monsters and other creatures roam the world, and a hero controlled by the player is there to put an end to them and bring peace to the world.
Grim Dawn is also missing a creature like Diablo and top-notch Blizzard cinematics, but aside from that, the game can be used as good foreplay before Diablo IV.
Titan Quest
Developed by now-defunct company Iron Lore Entertainment, Titan Quest is an action RPG published in 2007. In Titan Quest, the player is located in the areas of Ancient Greece, Egypt, and China, on a quest to defeat the Titans who escaped from an ancient prison.
As already said, the company was defunct, but the former employees founded a new company called Crate Entertainment. That company developed the game that is the previous entry on this list – Grim Dawn. The similarities between games aren't accidental. No, those are to Diablo games.
Torchlight
Action RPG heavily inspired by Diablo games, Torchlight was published in 2009 with very positive reviews. Inspiration from Diablo games is not accidental, as two lead designers of the game – Max Schaefer and Erich Schaefer, previously worked on the first two Diablo games.
As in Diablo, the player controls one of the chosen class characters, explores a series of randomized dungeons, fights many enemies, and collects gold equipment and other loot. Unlike in Diablo, in Torchlight player has a companion pet – cat or a dog, who fights alongside him. Due to financial and critical success, the game was followed by a sequel – Torchlight II, which is next on the list.
Torchlight II
It took three years for Torchlight to receive a sequel. The result is Torchlight II, a more or less identical game in terms of graphics, gameplay, and presentation. Things that changed include four new character classes to choose from at the start of the play, as opposed to the three seen in the original game, the user interface is heavily redesigned, and the cycle of time of day is now present as weather effects.
The sequel also features a multiplayer that supports up to six players. Torchlight II doesn't feature so dark a world as Diablo games and lacks a story to spice up the combat, but it definitely can be called Diablo's little brother.
Path Of Exile
Path of Exile is another Diablo clone on the list. The game is set in a continent called Wraeclast, which was once a mighty empire but became a penal colony for criminals and other unwanted individuals over time. All aspects of the game are on the level, with graphics imitating that of Diablo III but with an inferior design, which is expected from a game developed by a small independent studio.
Published in 2013, it borrowed heavily from Diablo games and features pretty much everything they have except Diablo himself. Those should be good enough reasons to try this game.
Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms
Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms is a heavy Diablo ripoff developed by a little Slovakian studio called Games Farm in 2014. As the title of the game suggests, the story unfolds in the world of Heretic Kingdoms which are at an uneasy peace.
The graphics in the game aren't top of the line but are eye-pleasing, and the fighting is smooth and fun. However, the game's interface is poorly designed; it's too simplistic and not very aesthetic – it's pretty much worse than that of the original Diablo. The game holds an approval rating of 74 on Metacritic, which is not excellent but pretty decent and a recommendation to try this game out.
Sacred
Sacred deserves to be checked out, especially if you are a Diablo fan. The game doesn't offer anything new or innovative but is fun to play. Like Diablo, it offers hoards of monsters and a variety of other creatures to kill, with an occasional boos fight, and hopefully, also kill.
Since the game is old, the main downside is the graphics, but even with the fact that the game is published in 2004, that doesn't look so, cause the graphics are pretty similar to Diablo II, which was published in 2001. Sacred was published almost two decades ago, so many younger players probably didn't play it or even heard about it. Which is a shame.
Diablo
This list wouldn't be the same without an original Diablo as a recommendation. It was published long ago, in 1997, and impressed both the audience and critics. The game features addictive hack and slash, well-known gameplay, and a vast variety of enemies, equipment, and dungeons followed by many quests that the player needs to do.
For the game published in 1997, the graphics don't look so bad, but that won't be the reason for playing the game – the atmosphere, gameplay, music, and content are. The game received an expansion pack called Diablo: Hellfire the same year and features additional hours of fun and play.
Diablo II
Diablo II is as good as the original. It features improved graphics and interface, new classes with many spells and skills, new monsters, new areas, more loot and equipment, and amazingly crafted cinematics that can be rewatched countless times. The concept of constantly pressing a left button on a mouse is enjoyable – it's addictive as a drug.
The original Diablo started the franchise, but the sequel sparked the trend in producing many Diablo-inspired games. As with the original, the game received an expansion called Diablo II: Lord of Destruction.
Diablo III
Diablo never dies. In all sequels, apart from expansions, the last main quest is to kill him. It took Blizzard over a decade of development to produce an eagerly waited and expected third diablo game.
All the good things that made two previous Diablo games great are here, with the addition of modern graphics that boost the quality of the game. However, they are not so dark and cold as in the previous installment but much warmer and colorful, which was met with criticism. Diablo III is the number one game you need to play before Diablo IV comes out – even if you already played it.