The same thing happens with Diablo 4 Gold Immortal and it's obvious before you reach the final game because it's embedded into the game's structure. The drop of loot is less effective, while character progression is artificially controlled and divided across too many systemsthat are hard and difficult to play. It has been more artfully concealed than it was at the start in Diablo 3, but it's also a tedious grind. A battle pass purchase or paying a huge sum for legendary crests doesn't help much to get an awesome item drop isn't as exciting than just getting it.

I'm unsure if there is a way to isolate the core elements that make Diablo fun from the mechanics of free-to play monetization. If there could be, Blizzard and NetEase have not yet found it. They've created a mobile version of Diablo game that's easy and enjoyable. It's even lavish at first. If you're able to spend enough time playing it, there's no doubt that the essence of Diablo has been cut off, chopped up and sold back to you piecemeal.

Diablo Immortal isn't much worse than a free-to play Diablo could have been. It's true that the game will slash you every turn with a thousand different microtransactions, but they are all in unfathomable currencies. It is necessary to grind to achieve victory especially if you decide not to pay for the game. What you will get for doing this is a flabbier duplicated version of Diablo II's narrative.

And yet, for all its flaws, I enjoyed Diablo Immortal more than I disliked it. It has all the aspects that make the series work with its thrilling gameplay, its nimble character customization, to its strong sense of settingand its ever-growing collection of exciting loot. In fact, Diablo Immortal even has some interesting gameplay twists that I hope Blizzard will keep in place as they work on Diablo IV.

If you worried that F2P mechanics could undermine Diablo Immortal If so, then your concerns were justified. But if you had hoped that Blizzard could offer a worthy mobile spinoff to fill the gap between the next major game in the series then you did not hope to be disappointed. Read on for our full buy Diablo 4 Gold Immortal review.