The Game
Most gamers know what to expect when it comes to phone games. They're not always popular or looked at favorably, but if executed correctly, they can still be enjoyable and profitable. Games Like Mobile Legends, Pokemon Go, and Fortnite show how one can incorporate main titles into the mobile sector, and Blizzard wanted to try their hand at it. They've been successful with titles such as Hearthstone, so it only made sense they would go through with it in the form of Diablo Immortal. It's just such a shame that, despite how fun this game is, it's undone by what undermines many phone games: Greed.
The Announcement
Diablo Immortal already had a lot hampering its success when a foul stink was permeating around it, courtesy of Blizzcon 2018. There were many rumors about Diablo 4's development swirling around that time, and players at the event were waiting with bated breath for its announcement. Instead, they were disappointed with the announcement of Diablo Immortals, with the presenters of the game appearing surprised by how visibly upset and put off the crowd was with the mere idea of a diablo phone game. Expectations were high in short, and those expectations were not met. You could even point to this moment being the turning point of Blizzard as a company, which started the snowball effect of all the bad PR they had received for years afterward.
Many Blizzard fans saw this phone game's announcement as a betrayal to the customer base since most of them played on their PCs, with many speculating and claiming that the game company was doing this to tap into the Chinese phone game market. Whether this was true or not, it hamstrung the game's launch from the getgo, and the state of affairs would never improve for them from there.
The Gameplay
As far as how the game itself plays, Diablo Immortal is actually quite fun for the platform it is on. There are six classes that you can choose from, the movement of the characters is smooth and serviceable, and it genuinely feels like a diablo game, just on a smaller scale, but for the most part, it works.
Even online play seems to bring out the best elements of the game, as groups of players can tackle dungeons together. Sadly, once one has reached the fifteen or thirty-minute mark of the game, its real issues begin to ooze out of the many cracks formed by Blizzard.
The Monetization
Monetization is becoming more common in gaming nowadays, but how it's implemented can make or break specific titles. Blizzard chose the 'break' route through the XP paywall they've set up in the game, specifically designed to entice players to pay copious amounts of money to make any real in-game progress. The fact is that you're not going to get the scarce and highest-rated gear in this game unless you cough up the cash. You can most definitely try and grind out the equipment the old-fashioned way, but it will be the equivalent of squeezing blood from a stone. Even worse, this time-consuming process won't speed up unless you use crests to expedite the process of getting this new gear, which won't go any faster unless large amounts of money are spent.
This is especially true for players who reach the endgame where pay-to-win mechanics come into play and almost become necessary for players to be relevant by then. The gacha system will become incredibly infuriating for players hoping to grind this out the old-fashioned way, as you may have to rely on the pity system's fifty-fifty try guarantee of a 5-star legendary item. Even players with the greatest of patience will find themselves exasperated by others who simply spend money they don't have.
The Reputation
With how poorly the build-up and execution of this game have been, one has to wonder how well Blizzard's reputation is holding up right now, mainly since they're now releasing footage of Diablo 4.
If this phone game was a way of promoting their new sequel, then it's being met with mixed results, to say the least. An argument could even be made that this phone game could sow fears of a monetary system that's just as predatory in the future, which could scare off future players. With all of the controversy in the past staining Blizzard's rep, the last thing it needed was a game like this further slinging mud upon it.
The Conclusion
Diablo Immortal certainly isn't the worst-developed phone game spawned online, but it's definitely amongst some of the most predatory. Some of Blizzard's most seasoned and loyal fans will see right through their less than stellar monetary practices and will continue to lose faith in Blizzard's future products and thus may not buy into the Diablo 4 hype.
With all of this being said, Blizzard should hope it can gain ample amounts of excess funding from this phone game and that Diablo 4 does indeed live up to the hype, less its value plummets to dangerous levels in the eyes of their own consumers.
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