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Diablo (cont.): Platypus Nostalgia

 The Mother of all Photo Dumps?

I beat Diablo I. Never played it before. Missed it in 95 in favor of StarCraft. After that, it was the critically acclaimed action rpg, Titan Quest (an improvement on the Diablo franchise in many ways). Coming back to Diablo in 2026, I can say that it has lost nothing over the years.

The experience of playing Diablo is one of ever-growing dread and tip-toe care. If you've done everything right, you will survive that final encounter on your last health potion with your poor little rogue. After that... comes one of the greatest surprise endings in gaming history. Tragic.

Looking at other games I'm aware of, the first Diablo is unique. The sequels are power fantasies devoid of the Resident Evil-like dread. Titan Quest is triumphantly optimistic. The Legend of Zelda can only go so dark and remain Nintendo's 2nd "killer app". Diablo feels like a first session of 80s DnD or Advanced Heroquest. It is an indomitable monument at the turn from pen and miniatures to the digital world.

Note: if the images below look grainy, clicking on them will resolve the issue. Content and style are heavily influenced by Bolton's Marada the She-Wolf and the 1981 Conan the Barbarian.















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