In December of 1996, Blizzard Entertainment introduced players to the world of “Diablo,” a classic hack-and-slash action RPG. Twenty years later, Blizzard is bringing the beloved original game, all sixteen levels of it, into “Diablo III.”

It was November last year when Blizzard revealed they were redoing “Diablo” in the current game, Polygon reported. The recreation will be a free download to those who have the “Reaper of Souls.”

“Diablo was a game that sort of changed gaming overall,” lead game designer Kevin Martens said. “To think back on that legacy and to have an opportunity to make something special, we wanted to do a big event that honored that history,” he added in an announcement video of Diablo for the upcoming “Reaper of Souls” patch. And so they did.

The original “Diablo” experience will be delivered through an event called “Darkening of Tristram,” which should ring bells for those familiar with the original game. “Darkening of Tristram” will bring back the days of Tristam in all of its old-school splendor through what the developers call “glorious retrovision.”

An overlay of the pixelated filter will replicate the look and feel of the original. If that is not enough, the camera and animations are also adjusted accordingly, the movement is limited to eight directions, and sounds will replay more frequently; all this for that 90’s vibe.

Senior game designer Joe Shelly illustrated this by pointing to “The Butcher,” a creature encountered in both the first and second installment of the franchise. Shelly noted that even though they have assets for the said character that was already present in “Diablo III,” the team opted to redo the monster to specifically suit the style of the said event.

To cover more of the “Darkening of Tristram” event, the developers recommends to “click on everything” and be on the lookout for references regarding the original game. Playing through the event with a new character is also said to elicit more of that “Diablo 1 feeling.”

The Anniversary Patch 2.4.3 for “Diablo III” is expected to come soon so stay tuned for more exciting updates!

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