Review : Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls on Xbox One

Diablo 3 has been out for a couple of years almost on multiple formats and finally makes it’s way over to the next generation consoles, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Out originally on the PC and Mac the game has been tried and tested, perfected and tweaked over the years. Now available for next gen we have got the Ultimate Evil Edition that includes the original Diablo 3 and the Reaper of Souls expansion. Yes, this game is the same game out again with the extra content but I honestly think it was necessary. The Xbox One certainly needs as many titles, great titles, as it is. And as it’s a role playing game I dedicated a week of solid hack and slashing before writing this review.

Here’s why Diablo 3 is a necessity on next gen:

Adventure

If the idea of joining a crusade, taking up arms against hoards of enemies and fighting across mortal realms interests you then look no further. Diablo 3, if you haven’t played it already, is that game where you’d raid various dungeons and large open playing fields racking up a huge kill count before fighting mini bosses. What makes this game’s adventure so engaging is the fact you hardly ever have to repeat, back track or grind your experience points from kills in the same location for hours. Progressing forward, visiting new locations and grabbing all the loot is usually what most gamers look for which is what Diablo 3 offers. Clearing entire areas of foes, building up the biggest kill combo and finding hidden items is something too catered to for the more hardcore gamer which is also another option. Look no further for your adventure needs.

Friends

What’s better than going on an adventure and fighting off foes? Doing all this with a friend or a bunch of them. Diablo 3 still offers local cooperative play on the same console, up to 4 players, as well as online Xbox Live play for 4 players too. For every individual friend that joins your party you will be provided with an XP boost. As fun as this is you’ll notice you would sail more easily through the game but it’s still a great perk for playing with others. The Reaper of Souls expansion adds exploration to the open world in Adventure Mode that allows you to hunt bounties on the elder evils that lurk throughout the mortal realms. What this means is that you can play the game with a target objective as opposed to the story mode, something recommended to do after completing the game for replyability.

The Ultimate Evil Edition has a cool feature which allows you to send and receive items from friends. You’re more likely to do this amongst friends rather than random people unless you’re really lucky and get gifts from people you don’t know. Nothing is welcomed more than a wonderfully crafted bit of kit, which at times, you might not be able to equip yet but it’s better than a poke in the eye. Also the more friends you have that play Diablo 3 on your format the likely you’ll come across the nemeses enemies from another friend’s game. Fighting and slaying these rewards you instantly and gives your friend a that the nemeses came from a gift which too can be shared.

Reaper of Souls

Other than adding in the Adventure Mode the expansion the Apprentice Mode is a console exclusive feature to play with friends. Having one member of the group who should be a high level take the lead all other lower level characters will get significant boosts. Players will see their stats boosted to a level which the game thinks you’ll be able to survive on. The lead higher level character still plays a big role as if he doesn’t look after his guest apprentices they’ll most likely be worm food. This mode is mainly for playing to have the increased rate of experience, loot and gear but I personally can’t see this being the mode to play primarily.

The difficulty setting in Reaper of Souls is pretty much the only strange thing about the game. Easily resolved it’s not enough of an issue to criticise players who will start the game on the lowest setting will notice within the hour that the game becomes too easy. I was recommended to bump up the setting to the next level after every Act but ended up pushing it up twice to Expert within my first session. On the plus side the higher the difficulty the more experience points and loot you’ll acquire as a difficulty bonus which can all be altered in the game’s pause screen. If you find yourself or the group you’re playing with cutting down enemies in seconds with ease and no danger to your health bar then it’s time to up the difficulty.

Other additional goodies

I’ve always love games that come with their previous content attached to the game disk, DLC and all. Reaper of Souls is indeed the expansion that comes with the original Diablo 3 game but also an additional Act and the Crusader character. Once you get to the new Act, 5, you’ll meet Myriam the Mystic who offers you two options. You can Enchant which will change a single stat on any piece of gear for another stat of similar strength or Transmogrify your items to reskin them to look like other items. If you have also played the game on the previous console’s format you can transfer your character over through your account if connected to the internet.

Verdict

I’ve never really played this genre of game before and I must say I was out of my comfort zone. Blizzard have created a game which has a learning curve that eases anyone at any skill level to enjoy. The fact that the Ultimate Evil Edition comes as a whole package is a bonus offering more than your average game getting your money’s worth. The fact there’s additional locked difficulty settings and the Adventure Mode available upon completion thrives with replayability. Even though the game has been tweaked with every outing for the better the difficulty setting is its only fault and can result in players blitzing through the entire game in less than half the time if not tweaked by the player. Other than that Reaper of Souls is a necessity for gamers on the Xbox One.