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More than anything, Diablo 3: Eternal Collection proves how much of Blizzard's role-play game has aged. Six years after its initial release, the dungeon robot remains as gratifying as ever. Despite some technical concessions, he found another welcoming home on the Nintendo handheld.
For those unfamiliar with Blizzard's booty festival in 2012, Diablo 3 puts you in the shoes of a super-demon feller in an infernal and gothic world. You explore five disparate regions from a descending point of view, improving your character and creating new loot as you battle the mob bosses and their monstrous swarms.
With the eternal collection, Diablo 3 includes all the extensions, all the characters, all the quality of life improvements that the RPG has ever added. One of the most remarkable options is the ability to play Adventure mode from the beginning, eliminating the need to browse the story slower.
Of course, by coming on Nintendo Switch, Diablo 3 has also become a portable game. And it works. It works incredibly well.
In fact, I can think of some games better suited to a portable port. Much of Diablo 3 plays better in short bursts, from the 10-minute chase for this next legendary article to the satisfying tide of a challenge flaw. I got bonuses by going to work and I organized my inventory back. Of the 50 hours I spent with Diablo 3 on Switch, about half went on laptop mode. This is another testament to the novelty of the Nintendo console, certainly, but also the elegance of the design of Diablo 3.
Movement is always natural on analog controllers – whether you play with the Joy-Cons or Pro controller – and custom controls make it easy to optimize your character's build at any time. As was the case with the previous jump of Diablo 3 on PS4 and Xbox One, the mechanical jump to Switch is painless and fluid. It is just as easy to rely on muscle memory while focusing on the kaleidoscopic display of magic and fire. To paraphrase the designer Don Norman: a good design is invisible.
When it comes to visual fidelity, Blizzard has ensured that Diablo 3 on Switch works at 60 frames / second – except for the rare occasions when elemental effects do not work, the Eternal collection is remarkably clean. Even during high-level defeats, with hundreds of demons covering the screen, the dungeon crawler has maintained a smooth and steady pace. The number of frames per second is also stable in handheld mode, and the shifting of these creatures is as satisfying as ever.
The resolution of the Eternal Collection, on the other hand, is a little more confusing. In the moored mode of the switch, Diablo 3 looks very good, or at least, at the height of any other isometric game released in 2012. With the 720p resolution of the portable mode, the situation becomes more cloudy. I mean that literally and metaphorically. In the darkest areas of Diablo 3 – there are many – I have to adjust the brightness of my console thoroughly to see what's going on. Even in this case, there is a slight veil over everything, making the character models look more like mirages than real characters. The irregular outlines and foggy panoramas of the wearable mode are not huge flaws, but after playing for long periods in docked mode, they tend to stand out.
However, what they do not do, is harm to Diablo's thrilling fight. And of course, in the pure tradition of the series, this fight is often more exciting with a friend or two.
Few cooperative experiences compare to a monk, a demon hunter, a barbarian and a wizard working together to gradually reduce crowds, one demon at a time. It's a special pleasure to see my character's build factor in a larger group, and even more to see how the dynamics of this group is changing the way I play. I'm still mainly focused on killing all possible enemies, but I'm also thinking of tanking with my crusader, healing with my monk or litter of corpses to give more ammo to my necromancer ally.
As in previous versions of Diablo 3 on the console, Eternal Collection can place up to four players on one console at a time. The management of objects is less satisfactory in this scenario, either by quickly equipping a new loot without appreciating the subtleties, or by putting the game on hold for the entire party in order to increase your damage by 100. points. The radial menus are still as imprecise as usual, but I have a hard time finding a better solution without a mouse or keyboard.
I went into eternal editing hoping for a eulogy for one of my favorite games. Instead, I came across a celebration.
And although Diablo 3 on Switch gives you the ability to use Joy-Cons as individual controllers, be aware that it's counter-intuitive and tedious, with poor button mapping and excessive use of motion controls. Blizzard did their best with Joy-Con, but if in doubt, stay with the Pro controller or the Joy-Con double deck.
The Eternal collection brings the added ease of playing via LAN connection on the respective switch of each player. It is helpful that the camera focuses solely on your character, especially in the most hectic times of Diablo 3. But I still could not help but prefer the local cooperative. There is something new, even nostalgic, to play on the same screen, watching the same chaos unfold as the person next to you. Diablo 3 on Switch allows many ways to play with friends and, whatever your preference, the experience still holds.
Like the best games, Diablo 3's improved with time. And despite some setbacks, the switch is now my favorite home for the extraordinary RPG. It includes all major enhancements made to the formula by Blizzard, as well as the added versatility offered by each switch port.
Diablo 3 is a game of long-term goals made in short thrilling bursts. It's rewarding and subtle. It's flashy and noisy. I spent six years enjoying it and will probably spend six more years there. In terms of video games, it's been a long time – I entered the Eternal Collection hoping for a eulogy for one of my favorite games. Instead, I came across a celebration.
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