So let us give thanks to the heavenly hosts that Diablo II: Resurrected has arrived to fix that minor glitch and provide Grandad with a fresh set of threads so that he can once again strut among the cool young kids.

To describe the game as "Diablo II, but pretty by modern standards" would be the easiest thing in the world to do. It is not entirely untrue; however, the amount of passion that has been poured into this project by the talented people at Vicarious Visions is worthy of much more praise than simply "made it look better." This project has been given a lot of attention and care by Vicarious Visions. This is not merely a remastering of the game; rather, what has taken place is a proper rebuild of the game. Practically every constraint that used to be there in the earlier days of the game's setting has been uncovered and reimplemented in the modern version of the game's world. It would be entirely too simple to simply take an existing sprite and remodel it to modern standards; however, the people at VV took the time to revisit the old development resources that were present some twenty-and-change years ago, and they worked to make sure that the original vision of the Blizzard North team was realized in beautiful high definition. It is evident that original concept art, 3D models, and even cinematic resources were utilized in order to guarantee that the soul of Diablo II was retained in the game.

The game, in its entirety, feels like a liberation of the original inspiration that was built so many years ago

1. It is a triumphant example of what can be accomplished with contemporary elbow grease and a great deal of respect for its roots

2. I found that I was constantly pressing the in-game toggle key to view the old graphical styling

3. It gave me the impression that I was experiencing a living artbook of Diablo's development, which allowed me to comprehend the capabilities of development options from 20 years ago in comparison to those available today

4. To actually see it is a thing of beauty

As for the game itself, well, it shouldn't come as a surprise that it is every bit the gloomy, exciting action role-playing hack-and-slash experience that captivated an older generation of players back at the beginning of the second millennium. In other words, the game is exactly the same. You are a stalwart adventurer, plucked from the fabric of mediocrity and tasked with a grand adventure to pursue the Dark Wanderer, and perhaps extinguish evil from this miserable world once and for all. As you piece together the tragic story of what happened to the adventurer who came before you, who also believed they would be the one who would vanquish evil, you will find that the darkness is filled with all manner of monstrosities waiting for you there.

Your journey, which takes place over the course of several Acts, will take you from misty moors to sun-bleached deserts, pygmy-infested jungles, and finally, Hell itself. The claustrophobic dungeons are where you'll find the true heart and soul of Diablo, despite the fact that each environment is distinct and expansive in its own right. You will travel through a wide variety of dungeons during the course of each Act, which may consist of stony passages, forgotten temples, or fleshy hives of giant bugs. However, one thing is consistent between all of these dungeons: they are extremely dark.

Because the game has always used a light radius system to truly lay out what you can and very much can't see, you will likely experience a sense of unease as you make your way through the claustrophobic areas that have the potential to become your tombs. The experience of navigating through an all-consuming darkness while clearly hearing the snarling of demons in the dark is what distinguishes Diablo II from other games. It creates wonderful organic moments, such as when you round a corner and find a horde of undead waiting for you, or when you open a door and find hulking, spiked beasts that are delighted to see some fresh meat. These kinds of encounters are fantastic. Even in the more tranquil parts of the game, you'll find that you're drawn to the literal in-game flames like a moth to a candle; the atmosphere will just carry you along like a cartoon character following the aroma of a pie.

A fairly obvious upgrade has been made to the game's sound layering, which is another one of the game's improvements. The croaking of frogs and the call of birds in wild areas, the clanking of metal armor or the rustling of leather – and the telltale signs of loot falling on the ground are all clearly audible and instantly recognizable. The ambient noise further elevates the rich environments. It should come as no surprise that the enhancement of this already fantastic benchmark is buttery goodness within your headphones of choice because the aural presentation in Diablo II was a significant part of the game's glory at the time it was released. If you have never heard the sound of a chipped skull hitting the ground before, I dare you to try and tell me that it does not sound exactly like what you would expect such a thing to sound like.