The launch of Diablo occurred in 1996. Although his debut was produced exclusively on PC, in the end, ended up with two more versions, one for Mac and one for PS1 (the first PlayStation), both came in 1998. Its development was complicated and went through different stages, but the result was a success, so much so that it was crucial for Blizzard to become the giant we all know. Beyond the commercial success it represented for Blizzard, it should be noted that Diablo marked a before and after in the genre known as an active role. After his arrival, this genre acquired growing popularity and the "clones" soon began to arrive, although curiously none managed to replicate that unique charm that had the franchise. With the launch of Diablo 2, there was the consecration of a franchise that has lived its lowest hours after the launch of Diablo III and the announcement of Diablo Immortal. About the first, I must say that it has been in a pretty good state after all the patches it has received, which offers a technical section with brilliant details thanks to its successful artistic direction and that presents bomb-proof gameplay, so much that I still play it With some frequency. On the second I understand the frustration that could generate among the most diehard fans of the franchise that Blizzard announced this game in BlizzCon 2018 instead of Diablo 4, but we must be fair and understand that it is an interesting project focused on mobile devices and that we can not negatively assess something that has not even been released yet. We are going to give Blizzard a vote of confidence and hope that this year, finally, they will decide to give the first details of the next installment of their well-known franchise, taking advantage of the BlizzCon 2019 framework, an event that will be held from November 1 to 3. Meanwhile, and to liven up the wait, we wanted to give shape to this special article where we will review ten curiosities of the first Devil and we will also see five things that we expect from Diablo 4.

1. It was going to be a turn-based game

Curiously, one of the elements that best defined Diablo, his development centered on the action in real time, was not present in the original conception of the game. In its earliest stages, it was focused as a project similar to Fallout, a game that, as many of our readers will know, used a turn-based combat system with marked role elements (aim, elusive, etc). In other words, Diablo was going to be a medieval Fallout, although luckily, in the end, this plan was discarded and it was decided to integrate the system that we all know.

2. Diablo was only going to offer a class

Another of the most important aspects of Blizzard's classic is the possibility of choosing between three different classes: warrior, archer, and magician. Well, this did not initially enter into his plans either. During most of the development only the warrior figure was contemplated as a unique character that, however, we could customize by adjusting its attributes and acquiring different spells and weapons. Classes were added at a late stage, which explains, for example, the absence of exclusive skills and the presence of the warrior in almost all cinematics.

3. Face Devil, and at the time

Fighting the terror lord was not enough, in its first stage, the developers planned to introduce a time limit that symbolized a transition between planets and stars. When the timer reached zero these celestial bodies would end up aligned and would make Diablo much stronger, which made it very difficult to finish him off. It ended up suppressing this idea because it went against the final nature of the game itself, by encouraging the players not to explore the different dungeons and to launch themselves as soon as possible with the terror lord.

4. There is no secret level of cows

Fans of the franchise will know that the arrival of Diablo 2 was the introduction of the known secret level of cows, one of the most "epic" and fun locations that a videogame has ever had. When that level was discovered, rumors began to circulate about the possibility that it existed in the first delivery, a theory that still remains today, but the reality is that no, there is no secret level of cows in Diablo. The same happens with the third installment, although Blizzard introduced levels and "secret" zones that have enemies and very particular elements. The "equivalent" to that level is known as Whimsyshire, and as you can see in the attached video has nothing to do with the original.

5. There was a version for Game Boy

It was in development for quite some time, although in the end, it ended up being canceled. Despite the technical limitations of the Nintendo notebook, the prototype had a reasonably good finish, and I think it could have had considerable success. We do not know what led Blizzard to make the decision not to go ahead with the project, but it is clear that the limitations imposed by the cartridge were decisive, not in vain the company came to consider the release of this version in three different cartridges, one for each character. The only version for consoles was PS1, an adaptation that I could prove at the time and that was not at the level of the PC version, but had the advantage of offering a mode for two players.

6. You can still play it online

Diablo is, without a doubt, the game that has received the most support of all history, so much so that even today, almost 23 years after its launch, we can play it without problems through blizzard.com. If you have the version that has recently arrived at Good Old Games do not worry, you can also access the classic online mode and enjoy the game in all its splendor, that is, as it reached the market in 1996. We remind you that the version that commercializes Good Old Games is not a remaster or a remake, it is a simple update to support level of the classic of the late nineties, so do not expect "leading" graphics.

7. The filming of a film based on Diablo began

The popularity of the franchise is enormous, so it is not strange that the filming of a film based on it began. According to the latest information I have been able to find, Legendary Pictures acquired the rights to carry out this project, but in the end, it ended up being canceled. Right now the only one that is working on something similar is Netflix, although the well-known platform for streaming content has opted for animation, which suggests that we might end up seeing something similar to the Castlevania series.

8. Blizzard cut a lot of content

In the beginning, the developers gave shape to hundreds of spells and enemies, and also to a large number of objects that ultimately did not become available in the final version. We are not clear what it was that led Blizzard to make this decision, although it is true that many of them were present on the disc of the game and could be unlocked. Some elements of that content that was not used in the original ended up arriving in the expansion of Diablo, and also in later installments.

9. Devil asks you to eat vegetables

When we face the terror lord in the final stretch of the game we can hear him say something totally threatening but unintelligible. Listen to the beginning of the video, is it really bad? If you wonder what it means you may be disappointed to know that nothing, it is simply a message from the developers reproduced backward that says, literally: [quote_colored name="" icon_quote="no"]Eat your vegetables and brush your teeth after every meal[/quote_colored]

10. It was created by Condor Games

Although everyone associates the Diablo saga with Blizzard, the truth is that the original project was born thanks to Condor Games, responsible for titles such as the Justice League Task Force of Mega Drive. The two studios came into contact thanks to the development of the game (Blizzard made the version for Super Nintendo). In full development of Diablo, the guys at Condor Games ran out of money and ended up being bought by Blizzard. This not only allowed the development to continue but gave Condor Games more resources to improve its project and a new name: Blizzard North.

Blizzard plays a lot with Diablo 4

Much has been spoken during the last months of the next and expected delivery of the franchise. Blizzard is known for taking developments calmly, and Diablo 4 is not being the exception. However, in this case, we must bear in mind that the company is under severe pressure for three main reasons:

• The huge success that Diablo 2 had.
• The "disappointment" that was for some Diablo III.
• The time that has passed without we have news of the project.

There is still nothing clear about the future of the franchise beyond Diablo Immortal, but we want to end this special by sharing with you five simple keys that we believe that Blizzard should take into account when it comes to shaping Diablo 4:

1. Keep the camera and the gameplay: we have seen rumors that said that Diablo 4 had a prototype similar to Dark Souls, but that ended up being canceled. Frankly, it is not a good idea, since such a sudden change would completely ruin the essence of the saga.
2. Recover the system of runes and gems of Diablo 2: one of the elements that contributed most to maintain interest when we had very high-level characters were the runic words since they forced to "farm" for long periods of time, boosted trade and allowed to create very powerful objects. All a success in the second installment of the franchise that, unfortunately, did not remain in the third.
3. An important technical leap: in Diablo III, the artistic design and the setting helps a lot to make the game look very good, but its graphics section is, in a strict sense, quite simple. The new release of the franchise should improve a lot in this regard and take advantage, really, the potential of new generation consoles.
4. Eliminate the always-connected mode: forcing the player to be always connected to the Internet in order to play is an error. I know that Blizzard is unlikely to end up introducing this change, but it would be beneficial to the player.
5. Introduce events and dungeons of high difficulty: this could significantly improve the lives of the game when we reach a high level and we have advanced equipment.

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