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The start of the Diablo 2 Resurrected alpha has allowed players to draw a comparison between the new release and the original game.
A new video from Gamespot puts the new alpha version side-by-side with the original game, which launched in June 2000. From as early as the character selection screen, it’s clear what a difference the past two decades have made. As you might expect, things like lighting, character models, and particle effects have come a very long way.
Those enhanced visuals continue into the gameplay, with a dramatic improvement to textures and other visual effects. But for everything that’s changed, it’s also clear how faithful Blizzard’s remake is to the original game – as the Sorceress class runs around an opening area, every environmental detail is recreated perfectly.
Combat encounters are similarly faithful to the original, even if the environment art has received a substantial update. In a section of the video featuring the Amazon class, the player is surrounded by exactly the same monsters in exactly the same corner of a dungeon as they would have been 20 years ago. One area that hasn’t changed too much, however, is the UI – while things like your health bar and inventory are a little crisper, they’re one of the most easily-recognisable aspects of the remake.
If you’re not a fan of the new graphics, or you’re just aching for the nostalgia hit that only early-00s graphics can provide, you’re in luck, as the remake will let you toggle between classic and updated visuals without affecting the gameplay at all. Diablo 2 Resurrected is currently set to release some time this year, the existence of the alpha hopefully means that it won’t be too far away.
Diablo 2 Resurrected should help scratch that ARPG itch while we wait for Diablo 4.
