And if it were possible without copyright infringement, you could have heard the warrior say "D'OH!" after sticking Diablo's Soulstone into his third eye.
The neatest thing about Diablo 1 was that the more enemies of a type you killed, you unlocked more information about it, like their resistances and weaknesses.
First time I played it was when I was 8 Playing it as a grown up and understanding what you doing is awesome But I miss how terrifying it was playing this as a kid
Not often mentioned or appreciated enough is how slow phased D1is. I believe the slow gameplay made every impression to be had much more impactful, enhances the atmosphere even further.
To anyone curious to play/replay the game, i suggest installing the devilutionx mode/port. It adds a few quality of life changes like text for items on the ground, a storage in town and a rich options menu that also allows you to customize the hellfire additions and the randomly generated quests. It also makes the game playable on mobile and on cracked consoles. There are pretty much no gameplay changes, and i think it's currently the best way to experience it. One thing i'd like to remark about the game is how grounded the melee combat feels despite how simple it is. Having fast attacks and good hit chance means you will stunlock enemies and take potentially no damage, but you can only attack one at a time and getting surrounded is a death sentence. Positioning is extremely important and it always feels tense.
Yes! I played through Normal and Hell difficulty Vanilla D2 (skipped Nightmare, lol) using DevilutionX a few weeks ago. The QoL features make it much more playable. I found Windforce with my Rogue in Normal and was able to beat Hell without too much difficulty, but going from Normal to Hell with my Warrior was much more difficult. Everything would stunlock me and it felt impossible to progress near the end.
There's actually a reason no one moves in the game. The tavern keep actually mentions it in his opening dialogue: The dark riders. Basically, unless you're heavily protected by mercenaries (like a caravan) than you're killed once you leave town. No one in town has the coin to hire mercenaries, so they are forced to stay put, protected by whatever force is keeping the town safe. On that note, that 'mysterious force' is Diablo himself: He's purposefully leaving the town alive, since he wants a stronger host than Albricht, after all, and if there's no townsfolk to spread rumors of the dark goings on beneath the town, no warriors will come to defeat him.
@@hoodedman6579 it is a bit of a plot hole, yes, but it's a small one at that, and I generally don't count game mechanics when talking lore and story; and shops in town being able to buy all the crap you bring up and sell you stuff in kind definitely fall under "game mechanics."
Even now, over twenty years later, every time I clear Act 4 in Diablo II, that Tristram Jingle from slaying Diablo makes me have feels, and memories of younger days.
The reason as to why the game went from turn based to real time is actually because they asked the devs to do so, and David was completely against the idea initially. It was not an accident.
I've made my mistakes in life, and this ranks up there on that scale. Although I would implore anyone to go listen to David Brevik's GDC speech on both D1 and D2, they're very illuminating. I should've reassessed the information before writing a script where I present information to a large number of people, but the pathway in which Diablo combat became what it was is very interesting. I think 'accident' was the wrong word, but the way they did make the transition from turn based to action wasn't exactly planned out, seeming like David Brevik discovered a way to make it in an unexpected way.
@@seer6251 Hey its a minor detail, really. I don't give a shit. Just the fact that it was originally built as a turn based game is the most interesting thing about it. Great content as usual. Love you, seer.
Yay! Diablo 1 is the scariest and most atmospheric ARPG ever made that's for sure. Had a great oppressive tone to it and the descent into hell was truly terrifying. FThe deeper you get the more isolated you feel as you realise it's you alone against hordes of horrifying monstrosities. Plus the story and especially ending is truly tragic, setting up the hopeless story that Diablo 2 would continue
I played the game recently with Belzebub mod. It adds all the removed quests back into the game, adds sets and various uniques, makes some QoL changes like adding a very big storage to town (including shared chest), adds potion slots to belts like in DII etc. With that mod your mouse actually has a chance to survive after you’re done with killing Diablo Great journey, made me appreciate the game more than I could back in the day
Wow, I wasn't expecting you to follow up on this so fast. When I brought it up, you didn't even seem sure about how you were going to cover it. Good jorb.
@@seer6251 Best town ever. Gigantic houses for what seems to be like a larger family's worth of people, 3 graveyards and a church big as big as the flippin' Burj Khafila (comparatively.) Don't know if you noticed, by the way, but Wirt and Griswold are not the only ones that made it into D2/R. Farnham's corpse is actually also visible in the lower right corner of the town. (More visible in D2R than in LOD, but it's definitely there in both cases.)
D1 does lack replayability, I personally really like the slow tactical gameplay because it feels like you can just die and you can do something about it, whereas the numbers in D2 and PoE get so big and the combat so fast that every so often you die and sit back in your chair asking "What the hell just killed me?" Which I personally don't enjoy as much as the difficult push to the end without rerolling vendors and cloning money and all that
D2 is only really half that way. You can do a lot more with a lot less than games like PoE or the new Diablo games in proportionally difficult content.
Are you SURE the real-time gameplay was a result of a bug? I remember clearly a talk from the game director stating they wanted to try it out, he resisted it but loved when he finally gave it a shot.
I read somewhere the real time stuff was implemented in a super early build before they could start working in a turn based system and internal testing thought it was super fun in real time so they just went in that direction its from the same time they dropped the idea of animating things in stop motion ã lã Primal Rage and went with pre rendered 3d graphics
you're right OP, brevik said exactly that, he implemented the "real time combat", which was essentially sped up turns with no pauses, in an afternoon, and liked it so much that it stayed kinda hard to imagine it otherwise nowadays, but the game's got strong d&d roots(like all the classes are from d&d, including the unfinished ones, with warrior being the fighter), so it makes sense that turn based was the initial choice
Okay, upon further inspection, you're probably right. I watched the GDC talk David Brevik gave awhile ago, and I think I made a slight jump in logic, although upon rewatch it's not particularly clear. He states that he rebuilds the combat in a short period of time, but it's still utilizing turn based rules. The only difference is, either on accident (like I thought it was) or just to test things out the game was running many times faster than it was supposed to be. He claims that he thought it was awesome, but if the context was he WANTED to actually get the game to do that, then that was a huge misunderstanding on my part. It still seems like the way in which the game actually made the transition between real time and turn based was a bit strange, like that wasn't going to be the way they planned to do it in a final build, but I should've confirmed way more about this, and the script in the video should've been more explanatory. Sorry about that!
@@seer6251 I saw him explain that it was a vote and everyone unilaterally wanted to make it a real time game with him being the only opposing vote but once he coded it, walked up to and struck an enemy it was so satisfying that he changed his mind instantly. Don't remember where I saw him talking about it though.
What I think Diablo 1 does better than any other ARPG I ever played is feedback from your actions. I can kill 100 of those invisible guys who appear and disappear and I will never get tired of hearing the sound effects when you damage and watching the animation when you kill them. It's just great. Also, I would really recommend you to try Hell 2 mod for D1. That thing is a monster in terms of content and depth put into this old game and the team started working on a sequel already!
About 4 years ago when I wasn't into PC gaming, and gaming in general(quite funny since I'm an IT student and spend more than third my day on a PC). I decided to one day pirate 2 games on my old family PC, It had windows 7 but honestly I think it would have struggled even on XP so I needed to find some low spec games. After a couple yt videos later I found Isaac and D1. I started playing D1 literally knowing nothing and I was enthralled, remembergrinding as the warrior waiting enough so I could go into Diablo's boss room without getting instakilled and chugged so many potions just to stay alive. And evrn though today I only boot up D2 from time to time I will always love D1. Great video Seer!
So glad I found your channel! It's cool watching this series from the beginning and seeing how much your editing and writing has improved each time. I'm glad to be along for this whole search, Seer!
Playing the demo in my computer in 1997 (i was 9) was scary as fuc... even today is a good game , although yes d2 is more a complete game D1 for being a game released in 1996 is just amazingly good. Love your videos man!
Great rundown on the game that started this whole genre. The atmosphere is fantastic, especially when your character first steps into the ruined cathedral and voices the line "The sanctity of this place has been fouled." Combine that with Matt Uelmann's (sp?) epic score and it's a very memorable (if nightmarish) experience. One thing from the first Diablo that I am glad didn't get used in any of the sequels is those spitting dog monsters - the unique packs would do nothing but spit constantly which was a total nightmare for any class (but especially the Warrior). On a side note, the best example of what a "turn based Diablo" looks like is the rogue-like "Jupiter Hell" which is a fantastic game on its own terms.
It's the atmosphere that takes D1 over the top for me. It's gameplay is, yes, basic, but it nails the feeling of progression through foreboding of what comes next. It's not the best but it's considered the granddaddy of the genre for a reason, and is still worth a playthrough for anyone who hasn't.
Man I just played the PS1 version and my 12 year old brain could only comprehend "Walk to thing and bash" so always played the warrior, as I tried the sorc once and he was so high maintenance for a kid playing his first ever ARPG 😂 Pleeease, no hurt, no kill. Keep alive and next time good bring to you.
Wow, the ps1 version is pretty rare, so I'm impressed that was your pathway to the game! Always want to try that version. Also, rip Gharbad 😔 all he wanted was to no kill
I think Diablo 1 aged pretty well, considering many games after its release being way worse. And i think the slow Gameplay is a Strength of the game. You can still it pick up at gog and have a great time. It is probably my favorite because of the Roguelike/Dungeon Crawling aspect of the game.
The lack of Run button is part of the Diablo 1 horror atmosphere. D2 introduced stamina and running, but ultimately made stamina insignificant even without players teleporting all over the place.
D3 was the game i was most hyped for in my entire life. When it released it was soooo horrible. To this day is on par with diablo immoral... Hope d4 will be okay
Same. I had D1 on PS1, used to play it 2 player more than any other game at the time. When D2 was announced I remember watching a trailer (think it had the dark wanderer traveling in wagons) and being so hyped for it that I'd actually dream about it.
@@spookzer16 i ment the release. i heard it got better when reaper of souls got released. but i was not expecting a mobile game to be any good so the hype d3 had for me is on the same astrocity level as immortal. and d3 is still not a good diablo game. its an average arpg
After Wolcen you should cover: Kult: Heretic Kingdoms, Shadows: Awakening, Victor Vran, Sacred 2, WH40K: Inquisitor-Martyr, Dungeon Siege 1+2, Din's Curse/Legacy, Ember, Silverfall Nobody Saves the World, DeathSpank, How to Survive 1+2, Warhammer: Chaosbane, Vikings: Wolves of Midgard, Avencast: Rise of the Mage, Moonlighter, Hammerwatch, Children of Morta, Xanadu Next, Ghostlore, Prince of Qin, Revenant, Throne of Darkness, Darkstone, Soulbringer.
It was the year 2000, I was 12yo and got my first PC and used to play Worms 2 at some friend's house and could finally play at my own house with my friends. I went out to buy Worms 2 for myself but couldnt find it, however I found a magazine with this devil on the cover talking about this crazy game called "Diablo", the magazine accompanied the game's disc for a really good price, so I bought it... OMG it blew my little mind, what an experience!!!
the legend . along with the atmosphere i think it cant be understated that every class has access to the spells they find , it feels so much more like a roguelike run each play thru increasing the variability when the warrior at some low level finds some spells that transforms the run . even if is in a limited state there is nothing like this in other vanilla diablo games , would love to see something like the wow ascension mod where can assemble skills from any class at each level tier in d2 . David Brevik is true legend , i wonder how / if could evaluate Marvel Heroes , wishing for its return or a singleplayer / private server version of it .
I was just about to upload a video about Diablo, but then you did it like a day before me. What a low blow, considering you said almost everything I meant to say! Either way, everything you said is incredibly important. Even the swear words. The way the game looks and feels carries it so handily that the dated, simple gameplay is almost irrelevant, and it allows itself to be enticing for a playthrough every year or so - as the experience of playing through it and experiencing the atmosphere kinda just elevates it to a completely different level. I'd go so far as to say that the atmosphere, and concept, make this game scarier than a vast number of horror games out on the market, even if that isn't saying much, considering the stuff in question. Ah well, it's in the running. It's not gonna get there - since it can't run - but it is in the running, and I'm content with that. Thanks for the video, it was a very pleasant watch!
Please, upload your video still of course! I love seeing what others have to say about topics I've covered, it helps me reassess my own thoughts and add new perspectives. Thank you for watching and for your comment, it was fun reading a video breakdown of sorts!
If you make a multiplayer character it’s much easier to farm loot, and the dungeons repopulate every new game. You can run dungeon lvl 15 to kill the arch bishop and the 3 named succubus as well as sir Gorash on lvl 16. These unique monsters can drop the best loot in the game.
Diablo 1 was the game that convinced me to buy a PC. I absolutely adore the game. I like Diablo 2 a lot as well, but I feel the influence that game has had on the genre has affected how people perceive the first game. They see D1 as "D2 but slow. D2 but short. D2 but not replayable" but for my money, Diablo 1 is just a very different game, much more akin to a classic Roguelike. The Single Player experience is a wonderful action-oriented take on those games--not nearly as punishing--but still provides the fundamental thrilling experience of taking what the game gives you and trying to make it work. Playing Multiplayer (or just making multiple new games to grind for stats and gear) provides an experience closer to Diablo 2 at the cost of absolutely destroying the game's balance and difficulty. Obviously, people can play Diablo 1 however they like. But I think everyone who wants to understand the game should play it on Single Player without restarting games to grind. Played in that way, it's still an incredible game, very different and in my mind not comparable to Diablo 2 and the legion of games that copied it.
Amazing content as usual! I think its inspiring how your writing is creative, witty, informative, and concise all at the same time. Can't wait for you channel to blow up
Another banger video :3 Do you plan on covering the ARPGs by Soldak Entertainment? Like Zombasite or Din's Curse? I like how the player isn't the centerpoint of the world and the world just keeps moving on regardless if you complete or fail quests.
Hell yeah, Faxanadu. My uncle had that for their NES and it was my first taste of the ARPG addiction. Before that my cousin and I would play text based RPGs like Legend of the Red Dragon. I got Diablo 1 on a "Games for Windows" demo disc and played through the first 2 levels probably 50 times before finally convincing my mom to get me the actual game. Which she did, reluctantly, because you know, satanic scare and all that and its a game about demons and end of days etc.
TBH i had never beat a Diablo game before. First was 3 and it wasn't super into it when it came out. X men legends, Gauntlet Dark Legacy , and other PS2 arpgs. Torchlight 1/2 were my first "real" arpgs on pc. However I got the Diablo collection for cheap recently since i owed 3 already. Decided to start with Diablo 1 and played it on devilutionX, loved every moment of it. Ended up beating the game on Hell mode for each of the classes. It just hooked me, now im on Diablo 2 R and am having a great time. OG Diablo > Hellfire.
Diablo 1 is one of the first great video game tragedies. You die a hero or live long enough to become Diablo 2. For that, it will remain my favorite ARPG, even if it’s not the best ever made.
Great memories playing this game as like a 9 year old after school. Was unbelievably difficult for my spastic self. Still managed to dupe items using the scroll pickup trick.
Gotta love Hit Rate in D1. Holy sht I'm glad it's gone forever. Someone finally realised that not hitting anything 4 out of 5 times isn't exactly the very definition of fun. Anyway! Love your show, as usual, and looking forward to the next episode.
11:00 I'll also throw in The Hell Mod as a recommendation. For TH1 it is almost the same D1+HF experience but all of the bugs are ironed out and the game is given some QoL changes and added challenges. TH2 adds many character classes, mobs, game modes and some additional areas (the game narrative stays the same though). TH3 seems to be upcoming but I don't know what it will be like exactly
Diablo 1 is very Solid overall, but the Mod by the name of The Hell 2 is incredible for not only quality of life improvements, but as well for Difficulty, Classes and different special rules you can apply to your character. It turns Diablo 1 into a New Game!
When Diablo 1 came out, our sleepy town got a Staples. My brother and I realized that if you put a $4.99 sticker over the barcode you could get full price games for $5. I did this with Diablo and it was the greatest gaming experience of my life. Praise David Brevic.
A couple years ago I was at a BBQ with some friends in the house I was living and Michelle turned the Tristram music over the speaker. I froze mid-sentence and only partially because I was tripping.
There was a way to set the single player difficulty. Basically start a new multiplayer game on the desired difficulty then quit the multiplayer game and then start a single player game. The single player game will be at the last multiplayer game difficulty. This can be a boon to level insanely fast on a new character as you can set the difficulty higher then use spells to kill a few enemies gaining insane exp and the monsters on the first level of nightmare or hell have almost no health.
Finished this one a couple of weeks ago. Dare I say, its simplicity and atmosphere/story made the experience even more addicting than the second game for me. Played the PS1 version, though.
I played through the PS1 version of the game for RetroAchievments, and it was a shockingly faithful port outside of stuff like controls and saving. The controls are good enough for anything that doesn’t require precise arbitrary aiming (so Teleport and Fire Wall suck but most other things are fine), and the load times are heinous, but emulator speed up helps that out a lot. Emulator speed up also lets you move faster in town which is nice. It also had local co-op and had access to all 3 difficulties. It’s a very interesting way to play the game overall, though I wouldn’t recommend it unless you were already a huge D1 fan willing to put up with an even slower version.
Another extremely funny and well-crafted review! Fucking love the outro so much. However, I feel like saying "A random guys mistake.." is doing a massive disservice to David Brevik and what he did that weekend to speed up the scripting of the game. He talks about it in his Post Mortem on GDC. He demanded extra money cause he hated the idea and thought it'd be a massive undertaking. It took him 1 Friday afternoon, and the first time his dude walked right over and smacked the skeleton, he lost his mind and thought it was the coolest thing he'd ever seen. He's a genuine treasure. You're pretty alright, too, Seer 😘🤙🏻
Thank you, I feel like you wrote a much more well balanced explanation of the combat rework, and his Post Mortem was the exact thing I was referring to (off memory, it has been a little while since I watched it 😓). I really regret not spending a little more time with that part of the script, and I really feel bad that I didn't refer to David Brevik with a little more reverence. He's definitely an awesome developer, deserving of praise for his contributions. To just push through that section was disingenuous, but I'll make up for this with the Diablo 2 video (whenever tf that comes out lol). But of course, thank you for your kind words as well, I try my best to make good content, and I'll keep working at it!
@Seer Dude you do a phenomenal job! Cannot fuckin WAIT for D2. I really truly assumed you knew the nitty-gritty and had seen the video. I just felt it was worth mentioning because try as I might, I'm actually the smartest person in the fuckin world and I NEED people to know that 😂
@@seer6251 i also feel like my tags always break during my responses to you. So I hope you see them and know it's all love, as you've quickly flown to the top of my list of favorite content creators these days.
Diablo may not be the best now, but in 1997 at that point in time the level of greatness relative to the time period was greater than any other arpg since. We are talking Mario 3, Doom, Space Invaders?(I'm a little young to know the games of that era) level of greatness.
For years now I idealized a Diablo 1 remake but going wild with the gameplay, to the point it's not trying to be a loot filled ARPG like the sequels, it's pointless to try to out-D2 D2 after all. But rather a slower, tenser experience more akin to a dungeon crawling version of Dark Souls than anything else. Imagine that with ridiculously high production values and a low fantasy horror atmosphere, descending into hell where death could be at any corner. It's too bad such a game would be hard to monetize as a live service so it'd never happen under Blizzard.
That 3DO is the parent company of New World Computing, 3DO was responsible for publishing HoMM3, possibly the one game in its genre people worldwide consider to be undeniably the best. You are forgiven though cause this series of finding the best ARPG fucks. You simply are too entertaining keep it up
Diablo is a great ARPG. I played the base game single player, then hellfire single player and base game diablo multiplayer. It was a ton of fun. No, it doesn't have that much replayability and once you are farming gear you are basically just rushing Lazarus and his two special succubi. It's fun to hit certain breakpoints of being powerful enough, which you hit quite quickly in hellfire without too much planning and a bit more slowly in the base game. I'd say for 15-20 hours diablo and hellfire is a fantastic piece of arpg history, and if you take it for what it is much of it is engaging and holds up reasonably well. The settings are amazing and you actually fear for your character. There is enough story, especially if you are familiar with some of the plot points of the franchise, to make it all just quite enjoyable.
Diablo 1 is the goat, but its a product of its time, being one of the first. Also, one thing I can't thank Seer enough, is the popup which informs you about the song playing. Love it.
Ooooh, that phat rap from atmosphere to welfare, I was uprepared, great combination of content and hell fire. Yike! Top wibe, no question, I'll like and subscribe.
Having played both online (without my parents knowledge) and local multiplayer for Diablo, seeing someone not dumping everything into energy and strength is weird. Meta for online play at the time was Energy Shield and maxing energy, just enough strength to use whatever weapon you wanted to use. The reason why was because of Black Death mobs, If they got a hit on your life total, they permanently drained 1 life from your health bar, energy shield prevented this. So nearly anyone who played regularly ran around with whatever their favorite character model was with a little gold ball above their head.
If you do get around to Diablo 2 in this SEERies, you should mention Median XL for the sheer fact of barbarian being a good class for once instead of base game Great vid as always!
D1. . . The atmosphere and gameplay are something else. . . Despite age and new options in the market I highly recommend this game as a gamer experience.
Multiplayer was great back in the day. You could set hostile without others knowing. Just lure em down into the depths and then add to your ear collection
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Just when we needed Seer the most.....he appears. Like a SOJ in a sea of Manalds.
and all those ballz will be forgotten like tears in the rain
wow someone actually poetic, you don't see that every year
For real, after farming NM andariel forever, I found a SOJ 🎉
There's something about the specific colour palette of D1 and the art in general, it's such a unique look.
The dark Gothic atmosphere, the sense of plunging down alone into the unknown darkness, it's a wonderful game to kill some time with.
It's warming in an ironice way 😆
I never got over how the warrior had Simpson yellow skin
And if it were possible without copyright infringement, you could have heard the warrior say "D'OH!" after sticking Diablo's Soulstone into his third eye.
The neatest thing about Diablo 1 was that the more enemies of a type you killed, you unlocked more information about it, like their resistances and weaknesses.
First time I played it was when I was 8
Playing it as a grown up and understanding what you doing is awesome
But I miss how terrifying it was playing this as a kid
Not often mentioned or appreciated enough is how slow phased D1is.
I believe the slow gameplay made every impression to be had much more impactful, enhances the atmosphere even further.
This is so true, if You have to go into a house full of demons You don't go running to that place.
To anyone curious to play/replay the game, i suggest installing the devilutionx mode/port. It adds a few quality of life changes like text for items on the ground, a storage in town and a rich options menu that also allows you to customize the hellfire additions and the randomly generated quests. It also makes the game playable on mobile and on cracked consoles. There are pretty much no gameplay changes, and i think it's currently the best way to experience it.
One thing i'd like to remark about the game is how grounded the melee combat feels despite how simple it is. Having fast attacks and good hit chance means you will stunlock enemies and take potentially no damage, but you can only attack one at a time and getting surrounded is a death sentence. Positioning is extremely important and it always feels tense.
Probably my favorite Mod since it doesnt changes the main gameplay.
Yes! I played through Normal and Hell difficulty Vanilla D2 (skipped Nightmare, lol) using DevilutionX a few weeks ago. The QoL features make it much more playable. I found Windforce with my Rogue in Normal and was able to beat Hell without too much difficulty, but going from Normal to Hell with my Warrior was much more difficult. Everything would stunlock me and it felt impossible to progress near the end.
This is a good mod. I can vouch for it.
Or you could not ruin your very first experience with the game and actually play it as is and then fuck with mods...
@@Minmataro718
QoL improvements are wonderful. You cannot deny this.
There's actually a reason no one moves in the game. The tavern keep actually mentions it in his opening dialogue: The dark riders. Basically, unless you're heavily protected by mercenaries (like a caravan) than you're killed once you leave town. No one in town has the coin to hire mercenaries, so they are forced to stay put, protected by whatever force is keeping the town safe. On that note, that 'mysterious force' is Diablo himself: He's purposefully leaving the town alive, since he wants a stronger host than Albricht, after all, and if there's no townsfolk to spread rumors of the dark goings on beneath the town, no warriors will come to defeat him.
It feels odd to think that Griswold or Adria could be poor given the sheer amount of equipment they have at any given time.
@@hoodedman6579 it is a bit of a plot hole, yes, but it's a small one at that, and I generally don't count game mechanics when talking lore and story; and shops in town being able to buy all the crap you bring up and sell you stuff in kind definitely fall under "game mechanics."
Even now, over twenty years later, every time I clear Act 4 in Diablo II, that Tristram Jingle from slaying Diablo makes me have feels, and memories of younger days.
The reason as to why the game went from turn based to real time is actually because they asked the devs to do so, and David was completely against the idea initially. It was not an accident.
RIGHT! This video is how urban legends get started (or perpetuated). I think NoClip did a full documentary on it.
yup, he wanted it to be turn-based like xcom. Also, David wanted hardcore to be the default state of the game because of xcom's ironman mode.
I've made my mistakes in life, and this ranks up there on that scale. Although I would implore anyone to go listen to David Brevik's GDC speech on both D1 and D2, they're very illuminating. I should've reassessed the information before writing a script where I present information to a large number of people, but the pathway in which Diablo combat became what it was is very interesting. I think 'accident' was the wrong word, but the way they did make the transition from turn based to action wasn't exactly planned out, seeming like David Brevik discovered a way to make it in an unexpected way.
It was definitely a lot of them stumbling over themselves in a way.
@@seer6251 Hey its a minor detail, really. I don't give a shit. Just the fact that it was originally built as a turn based game is the most interesting thing about it. Great content as usual. Love you, seer.
Yay! Diablo 1 is the scariest and most atmospheric ARPG ever made that's for sure. Had a great oppressive tone to it and the descent into hell was truly terrifying. FThe deeper you get the more isolated you feel as you realise it's you alone against hordes of horrifying monstrosities. Plus the story and especially ending is truly tragic, setting up the hopeless story that Diablo 2 would continue
I played the game recently with Belzebub mod. It adds all the removed quests back into the game, adds sets and various uniques, makes some QoL changes like adding a very big storage to town (including shared chest), adds potion slots to belts like in DII etc. With that mod your mouse actually has a chance to survive after you’re done with killing Diablo
Great journey, made me appreciate the game more than I could back in the day
Wow, I wasn't expecting you to follow up on this so fast. When I brought it up, you didn't even seem sure about how you were going to cover it. Good jorb.
I felt I took too long for another entry! But I'm glad you enjoyed, thank you so much!
Totally agree. D1 doesn’t hold up in raw gameplay but it’s ambiance has never been surpassed.
That was cool editing, how you assembled the town map by separating the buildings into layers.
Thank you! It was randomly tedious for a short effect, but I enjoy stuff like that.
@@seer6251 Best town ever. Gigantic houses for what seems to be like a larger family's worth of people, 3 graveyards and a church big as big as the flippin' Burj Khafila (comparatively.)
Don't know if you noticed, by the way, but Wirt and Griswold are not the only ones that made it into D2/R. Farnham's corpse is actually also visible in the lower right corner of the town. (More visible in D2R than in LOD, but it's definitely there in both cases.)
yeah that was bad ass
D1 does lack replayability, I personally really like the slow tactical gameplay because it feels like you can just die and you can do something about it, whereas the numbers in D2 and PoE get so big and the combat so fast that every so often you die and sit back in your chair asking "What the hell just killed me?" Which I personally don't enjoy as much as the difficult push to the end without rerolling vendors and cloning money and all that
D2 is only really half that way. You can do a lot more with a lot less than games like PoE or the new Diablo games in proportionally difficult content.
You had to play D1 in multiplayer to access harder difficulties and better loot.
I would argue it has slightly more replayability cause there is variation in what quests you get.
d1 more replaybility with random levels quests drop and monsters, than d2
Are you SURE the real-time gameplay was a result of a bug? I remember clearly a talk from the game director stating they wanted to try it out, he resisted it but loved when he finally gave it a shot.
I read somewhere the real time stuff was implemented in a super early build before they could start working in a turn based system and internal testing thought it was super fun in real time so they just went in that direction
its from the same time they dropped the idea of animating things in stop motion ã lã Primal Rage and went with pre rendered 3d graphics
you're right OP, brevik said exactly that, he implemented the "real time combat", which was essentially sped up turns with no pauses, in an afternoon, and liked it so much that it stayed
kinda hard to imagine it otherwise nowadays, but the game's got strong d&d roots(like all the classes are from d&d, including the unfinished ones, with warrior being the fighter), so it makes sense that turn based was the initial choice
Okay, upon further inspection, you're probably right. I watched the GDC talk David Brevik gave awhile ago, and I think I made a slight jump in logic, although upon rewatch it's not particularly clear. He states that he rebuilds the combat in a short period of time, but it's still utilizing turn based rules. The only difference is, either on accident (like I thought it was) or just to test things out the game was running many times faster than it was supposed to be. He claims that he thought it was awesome, but if the context was he WANTED to actually get the game to do that, then that was a huge misunderstanding on my part. It still seems like the way in which the game actually made the transition between real time and turn based was a bit strange, like that wasn't going to be the way they planned to do it in a final build, but I should've confirmed way more about this, and the script in the video should've been more explanatory. Sorry about that!
@@seer6251 I saw him explain that it was a vote and everyone unilaterally wanted to make it a real time game with him being the only opposing vote but once he coded it, walked up to and struck an enemy it was so satisfying that he changed his mind instantly. Don't remember where I saw him talking about it though.
What I think Diablo 1 does better than any other ARPG I ever played is feedback from your actions. I can kill 100 of those invisible guys who appear and disappear and I will never get tired of hearing the sound effects when you damage and watching the animation when you kill them. It's just great. Also, I would really recommend you to try Hell 2 mod for D1. That thing is a monster in terms of content and depth put into this old game and the team started working on a sequel already!
Hitting skeletons feels dope, can confirm
zombie, succubus sound etc^^
About 4 years ago when I wasn't into PC gaming, and gaming in general(quite funny since I'm an IT student and spend more than third my day on a PC). I decided to one day pirate 2 games on my old family PC, It had windows 7 but honestly I think it would have struggled even on XP so I needed to find some low spec games. After a couple yt videos later I found Isaac and D1. I started playing D1 literally knowing nothing and I was enthralled, remembergrinding as the warrior waiting enough so I could go into Diablo's boss room without getting instakilled and chugged so many potions just to stay alive. And evrn though today I only boot up D2 from time to time I will always love D1. Great video Seer!
So glad I found your channel! It's cool watching this series from the beginning and seeing how much your editing and writing has improved each time. I'm glad to be along for this whole search, Seer!
Playing the demo in my computer in 1997 (i was 9) was scary as fuc... even today is a good game , although yes d2 is more a complete game D1 for being a game released in 1996 is just amazingly good. Love your videos man!
Great rundown on the game that started this whole genre. The atmosphere is fantastic, especially when your character first steps into the ruined cathedral and voices the line "The sanctity of this place has been fouled." Combine that with Matt Uelmann's (sp?) epic score and it's a very memorable (if nightmarish) experience. One thing from the first Diablo that I am glad didn't get used in any of the sequels is those spitting dog monsters - the unique packs would do nothing but spit constantly which was a total nightmare for any class (but especially the Warrior). On a side note, the best example of what a "turn based Diablo" looks like is the rogue-like "Jupiter Hell" which is a fantastic game on its own terms.
It's the atmosphere that takes D1 over the top for me. It's gameplay is, yes, basic, but it nails the feeling of progression through foreboding of what comes next.
It's not the best but it's considered the granddaddy of the genre for a reason, and is still worth a playthrough for anyone who hasn't.
Woo yeah woo yeah Seer Diablo content. Balls.
Just stumbled upon your content today and have been on a binge since.
How have I not heard of you before. Love your content, please keep it going
My jaw dropped to your editing you got a new subscriber.
your choice of soundtrack is consistently exquisite
Man I just played the PS1 version and my 12 year old brain could only comprehend "Walk to thing and bash" so always played the warrior, as I tried the sorc once and he was so high maintenance for a kid playing his first ever ARPG 😂
Pleeease, no hurt, no kill. Keep alive and next time good bring to you.
Wow, the ps1 version is pretty rare, so I'm impressed that was your pathway to the game! Always want to try that version. Also, rip Gharbad 😔 all he wanted was to no kill
Nothing yet..almost done
I think Diablo 1 aged pretty well, considering many games after its release being way worse. And i think the slow Gameplay is a Strength of the game.
You can still it pick up at gog and have a great time.
It is probably my favorite because of the Roguelike/Dungeon Crawling aspect of the game.
The lack of Run button is part of the Diablo 1 horror atmosphere. D2 introduced stamina and running, but ultimately made stamina insignificant even without players teleporting all over the place.
Ya it hobbles the player cause it puts you on edge when you are swarmed and running away
yes stamina system is bad finally, they should have kept the slow movment or make alway runs system... or a system of "sprinting"
when i started the video, i was like ',be careful what you are about to say on this one my mate'' but turns out is a great review. great job
i remember playing D1 before D2, and when I saw those first screenshots of D2, I was the most hyped I've ever been about a new game
D3 was the game i was most hyped for in my entire life. When it released it was soooo horrible. To this day is on par with diablo immoral... Hope d4 will be okay
Same. I had D1 on PS1, used to play it 2 player more than any other game at the time. When D2 was announced I remember watching a trailer (think it had the dark wanderer traveling in wagons) and being so hyped for it that I'd actually dream about it.
@@mugnuz No way you just called D3 on par with diablo immoral. Hate D3 all you want, but that's going to far!
@@spookzer16 i ment the release. i heard it got better when reaper of souls got released. but i was not expecting a mobile game to be any good so the hype d3 had for me is on the same astrocity level as immortal. and d3 is still not a good diablo game. its an average arpg
"Hey big pineapple, only you can defeat the empire of Bidablo
Shift into gear, grab your family, and may the force be with you!" -Wrecker Cain
D1 matched the feel of Legacy of Kain, Blood Omen. Dark, gritty, the world sucks, deal with it.
That's the Gen X mindset, basically lol.
After Wolcen you should cover:
Kult: Heretic Kingdoms, Shadows: Awakening, Victor Vran, Sacred 2, WH40K: Inquisitor-Martyr, Dungeon Siege 1+2, Din's Curse/Legacy, Ember, Silverfall
Nobody Saves the World, DeathSpank, How to Survive 1+2, Warhammer: Chaosbane, Vikings: Wolves of Midgard, Avencast: Rise of the Mage,
Moonlighter, Hammerwatch, Children of Morta, Xanadu Next, Ghostlore, Prince of Qin, Revenant, Throne of Darkness, Darkstone, Soulbringer.
oh my fuck, Nox was the shit.
(but didn't he cover it already? am I trippin?)
It was the year 2000, I was 12yo and got my first PC and used to play Worms 2 at some friend's house and could finally play at my own house with my friends. I went out to buy Worms 2 for myself but couldnt find it, however I found a magazine with this devil on the cover talking about this crazy game called "Diablo", the magazine accompanied the game's disc for a really good price, so I bought it... OMG it blew my little mind, what an experience!!!
Man, I miss those 90's days of playing Diablo and flight simulators.
the legend . along with the atmosphere i think it cant be understated that every class has access to the spells they find , it feels so much more like a roguelike run each play thru increasing the variability when the warrior at some low level finds some spells that transforms the run . even if is in a limited state there is nothing like this in other vanilla diablo games , would love to see something like the wow ascension mod where can assemble skills from any class at each level tier in d2 . David Brevik is true legend , i wonder how / if could evaluate Marvel Heroes , wishing for its return or a singleplayer / private server version of it .
I was just about to upload a video about Diablo, but then you did it like a day before me. What a low blow, considering you said almost everything I meant to say!
Either way, everything you said is incredibly important. Even the swear words. The way the game looks and feels carries it so handily that the dated, simple gameplay is almost irrelevant, and it allows itself to be enticing for a playthrough every year or so - as the experience of playing through it and experiencing the atmosphere kinda just elevates it to a completely different level.
I'd go so far as to say that the atmosphere, and concept, make this game scarier than a vast number of horror games out on the market, even if that isn't saying much, considering the stuff in question.
Ah well, it's in the running. It's not gonna get there - since it can't run - but it is in the running, and I'm content with that.
Thanks for the video, it was a very pleasant watch!
Please, upload your video still of course! I love seeing what others have to say about topics I've covered, it helps me reassess my own thoughts and add new perspectives. Thank you for watching and for your comment, it was fun reading a video breakdown of sorts!
If you make a multiplayer character it’s much easier to farm loot, and the dungeons repopulate every new game. You can run dungeon lvl 15 to kill the arch bishop and the 3 named succubus as well as sir Gorash on lvl 16. These unique monsters can drop the best loot in the game.
Diablo 1 was the game that convinced me to buy a PC. I absolutely adore the game.
I like Diablo 2 a lot as well, but I feel the influence that game has had on the genre has affected how people perceive the first game. They see D1 as "D2 but slow. D2 but short. D2 but not replayable" but for my money, Diablo 1 is just a very different game, much more akin to a classic Roguelike. The Single Player experience is a wonderful action-oriented take on those games--not nearly as punishing--but still provides the fundamental thrilling experience of taking what the game gives you and trying to make it work. Playing Multiplayer (or just making multiple new games to grind for stats and gear) provides an experience closer to Diablo 2 at the cost of absolutely destroying the game's balance and difficulty.
Obviously, people can play Diablo 1 however they like. But I think everyone who wants to understand the game should play it on Single Player without restarting games to grind. Played in that way, it's still an incredible game, very different and in my mind not comparable to Diablo 2 and the legion of games that copied it.
Amazing content as usual! I think its inspiring how your writing is creative, witty, informative, and concise all at the same time. Can't wait for you channel to blow up
Another banger video :3
Do you plan on covering the ARPGs by Soldak Entertainment? Like Zombasite or Din's Curse? I like how the player isn't the centerpoint of the world and the world just keeps moving on regardless if you complete or fail quests.
Hell yeah, Faxanadu. My uncle had that for their NES and it was my first taste of the ARPG addiction. Before that my cousin and I would play text based RPGs like Legend of the Red Dragon. I got Diablo 1 on a "Games for Windows" demo disc and played through the first 2 levels probably 50 times before finally convincing my mom to get me the actual game. Which she did, reluctantly, because you know, satanic scare and all that and its a game about demons and end of days etc.
Your video editing skills are incredible.
Still excited for Minecraft: Dungeons and Gauntlet: Dark Legacy! Great video as always!
Amazing video as always. Hits you right in the nostalgias!
This bizarre, cussin' poetry that you fill entire videos with has become the cadence of my dreams. I yearn for your bullshit, sir.
TBH i had never beat a Diablo game before. First was 3 and it wasn't super into it when it came out. X men legends, Gauntlet Dark Legacy , and other PS2 arpgs. Torchlight 1/2 were my first "real" arpgs on pc. However I got the Diablo collection for cheap recently since i owed 3 already. Decided to start with Diablo 1 and played it on devilutionX, loved every moment of it. Ended up beating the game on Hell mode for each of the classes. It just hooked me, now im on Diablo 2 R and am having a great time. OG Diablo > Hellfire.
Diablo 1 is one of the first great video game tragedies. You die a hero or live long enough to become Diablo 2. For that, it will remain my favorite ARPG, even if it’s not the best ever made.
I never got to experience Hellfire, seeing the Crypt and Nest were trippy to me!
Great memories playing this game as like a 9 year old after school. Was unbelievably difficult for my spastic self. Still managed to dupe items using the scroll pickup trick.
Gotta love Hit Rate in D1. Holy sht I'm glad it's gone forever. Someone finally realised that not hitting anything 4 out of 5 times isn't exactly the very definition of fun. Anyway! Love your show, as usual, and looking forward to the next episode.
ill never understand why they don't make this game today
The music starting at 5:47 is the stage 2 theme from the NES game Snake Rattle 'n' Roll.
Tchernobog is game of the year many years in a row.
Also the senator remark was gold!
This is why I subbed to this guy, nothing but laughs and facts!!
Can't wait to see your video in Shining Force Neo and Shining Force EXA, great arpg.
11:00 I'll also throw in The Hell Mod as a recommendation. For TH1 it is almost the same D1+HF experience but all of the bugs are ironed out and the game is given some QoL changes and added challenges. TH2 adds many character classes, mobs, game modes and some additional areas (the game narrative stays the same though). TH3 seems to be upcoming but I don't know what it will be like exactly
The Hell is an absolute banger!
Love the videos Seer. Glad I stumbled upon your channel.
Diablo 1 is very Solid overall, but the Mod by the name of The Hell 2 is incredible for not only quality of life improvements, but as well for Difficulty, Classes and different special rules you can apply to your character. It turns Diablo 1 into a New Game!
new seer just dropped lesgooooooo
When Diablo 1 came out, our sleepy town got a Staples. My brother and I realized that if you put a $4.99 sticker over the barcode you could get full price games for $5. I did this with Diablo and it was the greatest gaming experience of my life. Praise David Brevic.
When the Tristram soundtrack hits - mmmmmh
"My blade sings for your blood, mortal. And, by my Dark Masters, it shall NOT be denied!"
- Warlord of Blood
A couple years ago I was at a BBQ with some friends in the house I was living and Michelle turned the Tristram music over the speaker. I froze mid-sentence and only partially because I was tripping.
There was a way to set the single player difficulty. Basically start a new multiplayer game on the desired difficulty then quit the multiplayer game and then start a single player game. The single player game will be at the last multiplayer game difficulty. This can be a boon to level insanely fast on a new character as you can set the difficulty higher then use spells to kill a few enemies gaining insane exp and the monsters on the first level of nightmare or hell have almost no health.
0:40 my man spitting hot fire!
Yes. Seer finally got to the OG Diablo!!!!
Can't wait for the D2 vid in the same series!
Finished this one a couple of weeks ago. Dare I say, its simplicity and atmosphere/story made the experience even more addicting than the second game for me. Played the PS1 version, though.
Awesome review as always, you APE!!
Your vids reminds me of early AVGN but for my favorite games. Thank you for the great content!!
Just way better and not cringe
I played through the PS1 version of the game for RetroAchievments, and it was a shockingly faithful port outside of stuff like controls and saving. The controls are good enough for anything that doesn’t require precise arbitrary aiming (so Teleport and Fire Wall suck but most other things are fine), and the load times are heinous, but emulator speed up helps that out a lot. Emulator speed up also lets you move faster in town which is nice. It also had local co-op and had access to all 3 difficulties. It’s a very interesting way to play the game overall, though I wouldn’t recommend it unless you were already a huge D1 fan willing to put up with an even slower version.
i remember finishing the game with my brother in the psx, good old times
Your scriptwriting skills are phenomenal
I just love this series. Pure entertainment, thank you seer.
Another extremely funny and well-crafted review! Fucking love the outro so much. However, I feel like saying "A random guys mistake.." is doing a massive disservice to David Brevik and what he did that weekend to speed up the scripting of the game. He talks about it in his Post Mortem on GDC. He demanded extra money cause he hated the idea and thought it'd be a massive undertaking. It took him 1 Friday afternoon, and the first time his dude walked right over and smacked the skeleton, he lost his mind and thought it was the coolest thing he'd ever seen. He's a genuine treasure. You're pretty alright, too, Seer 😘🤙🏻
Thank you, I feel like you wrote a much more well balanced explanation of the combat rework, and his Post Mortem was the exact thing I was referring to (off memory, it has been a little while since I watched it 😓). I really regret not spending a little more time with that part of the script, and I really feel bad that I didn't refer to David Brevik with a little more reverence. He's definitely an awesome developer, deserving of praise for his contributions. To just push through that section was disingenuous, but I'll make up for this with the Diablo 2 video (whenever tf that comes out lol). But of course, thank you for your kind words as well, I try my best to make good content, and I'll keep working at it!
@Seer Dude you do a phenomenal job! Cannot fuckin WAIT for D2. I really truly assumed you knew the nitty-gritty and had seen the video. I just felt it was worth mentioning because try as I might, I'm actually the smartest person in the fuckin world and I NEED people to know that 😂
@@seer6251 i also feel like my tags always break during my responses to you. So I hope you see them and know it's all love, as you've quickly flown to the top of my list of favorite content creators these days.
Diablo may not be the best now, but in 1997 at that point in time the level of greatness relative to the time period was greater than any other arpg since. We are talking Mario 3, Doom, Space Invaders?(I'm a little young to know the games of that era) level of greatness.
For years now I idealized a Diablo 1 remake but going wild with the gameplay, to the point it's not trying to be a loot filled ARPG like the sequels, it's pointless to try to out-D2 D2 after all. But rather a slower, tenser experience more akin to a dungeon crawling version of Dark Souls than anything else. Imagine that with ridiculously high production values and a low fantasy horror atmosphere, descending into hell where death could be at any corner.
It's too bad such a game would be hard to monetize as a live service so it'd never happen under Blizzard.
Bro you was spitting bars in the begging there😂
That 3DO is the parent company of New World Computing, 3DO was responsible for publishing HoMM3, possibly the one game in its genre people worldwide consider to be undeniably the best. You are forgiven though cause this series of finding the best ARPG fucks. You simply are too entertaining keep it up
Diablo is a great ARPG. I played the base game single player, then hellfire single player and base game diablo multiplayer. It was a ton of fun. No, it doesn't have that much replayability and once you are farming gear you are basically just rushing Lazarus and his two special succubi. It's fun to hit certain breakpoints of being powerful enough, which you hit quite quickly in hellfire without too much planning and a bit more slowly in the base game. I'd say for 15-20 hours diablo and hellfire is a fantastic piece of arpg history, and if you take it for what it is much of it is engaging and holds up reasonably well. The settings are amazing and you actually fear for your character. There is enough story, especially if you are familiar with some of the plot points of the franchise, to make it all just quite enjoyable.
Faxanadu :O
I had a 3D0 :(
Ive also played D1 on ps1 hundreds of times
Diablo 1 is the goat, but its a product of its time, being one of the first.
Also, one thing I can't thank Seer enough, is the popup which informs you about the song playing. Love it.
hype love ur work ur a true artist at cappurting the hidden joy we all forgot ty keep it up
Great video about perhaps the most iconic ARPG ever made… Please do a Zelda II!
Man i love the way Seer speaks. Also, i tried Diablo 1 a few years ago but god damn, it did not age well.
Unironically, the mod scene for D1 has made it better than everything else in the genre outside of D2.
The Hell 2 is absolutely unreal
Ooooh, that phat rap from atmosphere to welfare, I was uprepared, great combination of content and hell fire. Yike! Top wibe, no question, I'll like and subscribe.
Having played both online (without my parents knowledge) and local multiplayer for Diablo, seeing someone not dumping everything into energy and strength is weird. Meta for online play at the time was Energy Shield and maxing energy, just enough strength to use whatever weapon you wanted to use. The reason why was because of Black Death mobs, If they got a hit on your life total, they permanently drained 1 life from your health bar, energy shield prevented this. So nearly anyone who played regularly ran around with whatever their favorite character model was with a little gold ball above their head.
HECK YES!!! Finally you get to the GOAT!
Love the content! Thanks for the video.
Feels good to be a mega chad for this seer lad, his content is pretty rad. Was this bad?
6:35 , is this not identical to "Mind Over Matter" keystone passive in POE? pretty neat
If you do get around to Diablo 2 in this SEERies, you should mention Median XL for the sheer fact of barbarian being a good class for once instead of base game
Great vid as always!
Tristram music is one of the best game music ever. I can stay awhile and listen to it. :]
Just fired it up this year. Really enjoyed it after all this time. I had it on PlayStation and it was amazing
D1. . . The atmosphere and gameplay are something else. . . Despite age and new options in the market I highly recommend this game as a gamer experience.
FINALLY a respectable candidate
Multiplayer was great back in the day. You could set hostile without others knowing. Just lure em down
into the depths and then add to your ear collection
Holy shit man you sound JUST like James Rolfe aka AVGN. Anyways great video!