Diablo is a legendary series of Action RPGs. It has inspired many imitators, but non have quite matched the brilliance of Blizzard’s series. Now with the Nintendo Switch, Blizzard has brought a port of Diablo III to a Nintendo system for the first time. But how does it play on Nintendo’s hybrid platform?
Diablo III looks absolutely amazing on the Switch, in both handheld and docked mode and I was amazed by how well the game was ported. It feels like nothing was lost except for some graphical fidelity that most will not notice. Combat feels natural and I quickly got into the groove and found myself playing until the battery drained.
This brings me to the next point. Diablo was optimized well for Switch but will drain the battery quickly. I was able to get around 1.5 to 2 hours of playtime before needing to charge it again. This may be annoying to some, but the reason you will notice is because the game just draws you in and makes you forget about everything else in life. I will also note that my Switch overheated once while playing the game, but this i more likely s due to a problem with my console and it has occurred from other games. I still felt it needed to be mentioned here in the interest of disclosure.
What was unique to this game though, was the way the HD rumble acted. At times It felt like it was replicating the feeling of weapons moving, but at other times, it felt like the game was just putting a lot of pressure on the joycons. I will say that I asked others and only 1 other person encountered this issues. I still feel it was worth mentioning though. Playing in docked mode had none of these issues, and allowed the game to look even better, which makes sense given the way the Switch works, It may not be on the level of the Pc or PS4/Xbox One versions. But it is still a good version of the game.
Speaking of disclosure, before I go any further, I must say something. I became extremely overstimulated when playing the game to the point where I actually had chest pain and had to stop. This is not a fault of Blizzard at all, but a health issue on my part and I verified that other reviewers who got the game, did not have the same issue. If you are prone to overstimulation though, you will need to moderate your play time as I learned to do.
I began playing the game in 10 minute bursts, which ended up giving me a nice perspective on how Diablo III functions in terms of being a handheld game. Surprisingly, I got a lot more enjoyment out of playing the game a few minutes at a time. It was a great way to pass the time when at an appointment, and I genuinely learned to appreciate it in a new way.
In terms of multiplayer, I tested out the online with another reviewer and am pleased to say how well it works. There was no lag, no glitches and no errors as we played. We cleared out a few dungeons, leveled ourselves up and got some legendary items. I daresay this was the best online co op experience I have had on Switch thus far.
The Switch version comes with some neat bonuses, such as a Ganondorf transmogrification set, that lets you transform your equipment to make yourself resemble the king of Evil. This will appear in the stash when starting the game, along with an item that will let you use amiibo. Using the amiibo will summon enemies to attack you and drop extra loot. I gained one legendary weapon this way, which helped me out a lot. There was also a Cucco pet, along with other pets that are available in all versions. This version also lets you start in Adventure mode right away, in case you don’t want to have to play through the story again.
This version also starts you at a seasonal character at the class selection screen, which I found to be a neat touch. You can of course switch to the regular way of playing, but I like that Blizzard took steps to ensure that Switch players would get to experience every aspect of the game. The bonus StarCraft pet is even included along with other cosmetics that reference other Blizzard games. It is clear that a lot of love and care went into bringing this game to the Switch, and this shows in the end result.
I am very impressed with the port overall. Nothing feels left out, and the bonuses are a very nice touch. Blizzard knocked it out of the park here, and I must recommend the game. Just keep my warning above in mind, if you feel any discomfort while playing the game.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided by Blizzard Entertainment for the purposes of this review