Announced at BlizzCon alongside a stunning cinematic trailer, Diablo IV was also playable at the show. With Blizzard on hand to talk about all aspects of the game with confidence and a willing ear to listen to feedback - it was an opportunity we couldn't pass up. So much so we ended up playing the demo several times.

Emerging from a cavernous crypt to wander the grassy hills of an overcast and dreary Scosglen in Diablo IV, you see a small village in the distance. Between you and that peaceful respite – monsters, beasts, goat men, and other creatures to slay. The new real-time cinematics that feature heavily in Diablo’s return allow Blizzard to highlight and put a focus on character as well as the vast open world of the now seamless Sanctuary to explore.

From dynamic weather effects, art direction that highlights the stark contrast between light and shadow, seeing things like the grass sway according to the whims of the wind, the day-night system that can change the overall feel of the familiar in an instant, to the improved geometric detail in the environments – Diablo IV looks incredible. Like some of the most evocatively dark concept art for the series come to life.

And then, like clockwork, the camera settles into that familiar isometric position and you begin to fully grasp the tagline - ‘A Return to Darkness’.

Click Here to Read Our In-Depth Diablo IV Preview