Genre: RPG
Developer: Vicarious Visions
Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment

The two original Diablo titles-- which this reviewer bought on their respective "day ones" back then-- were striking in their use of pre-rendered, isometric stage "tiles" and characters. This remastered version replaces them with actual geometry-- the fidelity of which is so high, that it looks pre-rendered while retaining the advantages of polygonal graphics, such as perfect dynamic lighting. Diablo 2's villages, towns, forests, monasteries, and sewers have always dripped atmosphere, but have never looked as good as this. All of the disturbing personality of the enemies has been retained as well. If there is a knock, it's that this Switch rendition is a bit on the blurry side.

Matt Uelmen's Diablo II soundtrack is one of the most iconic of all time: with its absolutely chilling acoustic guitar progressions and swooning bass work, one can almost feel the music itself sobbing. Between the music and the artwork, this must be one of the most atmospheric games ever created. The sound effects are equally good, the title sounds like a blacksmith's shop, and the enemies perish with creepy death sounds. There is some NPC blurb voicework that has an appropriate level of campiness to it, along with superb voice acting in the title's occasional FMV sequences.

Where the "Baldur's Gate" titles-- as good as they are-- can feel esoteric in 2025, Diablo and its sequel retained the RPG-ness but boiled it down to basics, and as such the games have aged really well. In this Switch version, the analog stick is for movement, while A, B, and combinations of L and various buttons activate attacks and abilities. The d-pad quick-uses slotted items. The randomized level designs always produce phenomenally fun areas, and unlockable teleporters make navigating the game world a breeze.

Beyond the incredible aesthetics, from a gameplay perspective it feels like Diablo II mastered the entire genre's formula all the way back in 2000, and everything since has just been trying to replicate that success, with mixed outcomes. Even the aspects of Diablo II which superficially seem dated at first blush-- like maintaining a limited inventory on a grid, or having all of these potions-- wind up giving a nice texture and rhythm to the game, which "dumbed down" modern-day formula takes lose. This Switch port only loses out on a perfect score due to the title looking quite a bit better on other platforms.