Diabolic

Genre: Action-RPG

Players: 1

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Review:

(Note: This game is included in Dark Theme Bundle, along with Breathing Fear, Dark Burial, Don’t Be Afraid, and Swordbreaker. It is also included in RPG Bundle, along with Aborigenus, Event Horizon, Skull Rogue, and Weakwood Throne)

Diabolic is an Action-RPG released on PC in 2018 and ported to Nintendo Switch in 2020. This is a game that seems to be aiming to be a cheaper alternative to games like Diablo or perhaps Gauntlet, selling for $5. As for whether it’s a bargain or a case of “you get what you pay for”, well…

Graphically, Diabolic uses a pixel art style that’s nothing special. It does what it needs to, but not much more than that. However, things get stranger when you start to talk about sound. Diabolic is a strangely quiet game – it seems like the only sounds in the game are your own attacks, as enemies are completely silent, as are their attacks. As for the music, it’s… surprisingly quite good, actually. However, it’s a poor fit for the game, as the lovely placid piano and violin melodies do not mesh well at all with battles against dozens of skeletons, wolves, and other enemies. Plus, with the oddly silent nature of this game, this quiet music jumps to the forefront, making it seem even more odd.

As for the gameplay, this is simple, slow, and above all else painfully easy. Your walk speed is painfully slow, but this doesn’t make combat any harder, as you’re still faster than enemies, and enemy AI is dumb and approaches you in a single-file line to be slaughtered en masse by your fireballs or sword swipes. In fact, it seems that the only way they can get the edge on you even temporarily is when they spawn surrounding you. There’s very little variety to the combat, also – you have your sword swipe, the rechargeable magic fireball, and a limited-use crossbow attack, and that’s it… not that you’ll need more than that. I found myself leaving behind full fields of health pickups I never needed to use, to the point where I might consider this game to be baby’s first Action-RPG if the gameplay were engaging enough that I thought it’d keep a baby’s attention.

If you want Diablo, get Diablo. Or get Children of Morta, or one of the Torchlight games, or one of countless other good Action-RPGs that provides fun, variety, and an actual challenge. But don’t be fooled into thinking that Diabolic is a low-cost alternative. Inexpensive or no, this game’s slow, boring gameplay and complete lack of challenge mean there’s little here to offer anyone.

tl;dr – Diabolic is an Action-RPG that seems to want to be a low-cost alternative to games like Diablo and Gauntlet, but the slow, repetitive gameplay and complete lack of a challenge make it a game that isn’t even worth its $5 price tag.

Grade: D+

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