Free 'Diablo' remake is coming to 'Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls'
What would the original Diablo look like as a new game now, 20 years after the original launched?
Blizzard is going to answer that question for the game's 20th anniversary. An upcoming free update for Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls adds a rebuilt version of the PC gaming classic for players to explore.
In "The Darkening of Tristram" a new 16-level dungeon pits players against the original game's bosses. The layout of each level is randomly generated, just as it's been since Diablo launched in 1996.
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While the remade Diablo will benefit from Diablo 3's graphical and gameplay enhancements, Blizzard is offering fans a way to tap into the lo-fi feel of the original. The update will include a "Glorious Retrovision" filter that makes everything look pixelated, and characters will only be able to move in eight directions, a contrast to Diablo 3's more organic movement.
Note that while the "Darkening" update is free, it does require the Reaper of Souls expansion. If you just own vanilla Diablo 3, you won't get the new content. If you're in that latter group, consider the upgrade; Reaper of Souls makes Diablo 3 a significantly better game.
There isn't a release date set yet for the update, but fans that play on PC will be able to give it a shot soon. "The Darkening of Tristram" will be added to the Public Test Realm for Diablo -- a frequently updated beta server where patches are tested in a live environment, prior to release -- sometime next week.
Once Blizzard releases an update to a PTR, it's usually finalized and released to the game's main servers a few weeks later. That could be the case here, though it's also worth noting that Diablo's 20th anniversary falls on Dec. 31.
Topics Blizzard Entertainment Gaming
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
