Game Impressions So I've spent a good deal of time with the game, so I'm going to leave some imps. These are my opinions of the game, so it's perfectly fine if you disagree with them. First, I'll state the good. The graphics are great and the production values are high on this one. Weapons leave trails of light in their wake as they slice through enemies, objects shatter into pieces in believable ways, enemy models are varied and detailed. Armor pieces from DH4 have been replaced by armor sets in DH5, so you no longer have to worry about having a mismatched character model when you're slicing/shooting/looting your way through a dungeon. Yes, that's an aesthetic feature, but I know I hated having to choose between a cool looking armor piece vs one with better stats. Now you don't have to. By only having one armor equip, the focus on gearing your character has now shifted from armor pieces to weapons and active skills. The 5 different weapon types all offer unique advantages and fit into different playstyles. The element system, and the ability to switch between two weapons encourages players to collect at least one weapon of each element, and my natural curiosity prompted me to try out each different weapon type. The other three equips grant different active skills, meaning that each will have a very tangible effect on the playstyle of your character. For example you can have an elemental shield, or you can have a projectile AOE attack in the back slot. This is a neat addition that will further encourage players to experiment with the loot system. And all characters get a roll, which can be used 3x in a row before a cooldown is necessary. Much better that the last games that forced a long CD after using a movement/dodge skill. Because skills are based on equips, there are no skill points to be had. So they've added new fusion and evolution systems that can help you upgrade gear as weak as your starting set into something formidable. Now for the bad. The game is freemium, so there are no doubt going to be points at which gameloft makes a grab for your wallet. Interestingly enough, Gold (the main in-game currency) is much easier to spend than it is to collect. The fusion and evolution systems burn it very quickly, and you make very little money by selling it. So naturally, one of the early ways of farming money is to partake in the CoC-like Stronghold system. I found it very satisfying to find and fuse minions to make them more powerful. It is also fun to test out your own dungeon to see how strong your minions really are. As a money-making system, it worked well for me at the beginning of the game, but as I moved up the ranks most people's dungeons had been cleaned out and I couldn't farm them as fast. There's also a stamina system (separate systems for stronghold and main campaign). This was annoying, but it never really impeded my progress. In fact, I never really felt the need to spend my gems (you get more for completing missions for the first time, pretty generous) on stamina. The only thing I considered spending my gems on was more inventory slots (minions, gear, and fusion/evolution materials all occupy a limited inventory). Finally, there's the story. On paper, it sounded kinda cool to be a bounty hunter in the DH universe, but as usual it just kinda serves as background to go to different regions and beat up monsters. Last, there's the ugly. This game suffers from the same problem as spider-man did, the camera is way too close during most parts of the game. This makes ranged weapons much less satisfying to use (you end up killing all enemies off-screen), and makes melee animations appear a bit choppy since you're seeing them much more close-up than you would normally. Also, the camera prevents you from seeing enemy projectiles and other attacks that you could otherwise avoid skillfully. Basically, the camera view is this game's Achilles heel in my opinion. Overall, I'd probably give it a 6/10. If they fix the camera angle and add in co-op play to some capacity, I would probably raise my score to a 8, since those are my two main complaints.
And the same mechanics that are used to infuse games with a social framework (and to justify always online reqs, or at least necessitate them), CoC-style base building and P&D-style watchmacallit, CAN be applied to offline, single-player games as well, with AI opponents in place of the hordes of the internet. Not with the same impact, but perhaps to a very good and very different effect. Without taking away from the dungeoneering and lootin' and hordin'. (Not that always online reqs are a bother for me and my flat-rate, uncapped mobile connection. But I can see how they can be a huge issue, and they go hand in hand with other implementations and mechanics that are often more irksome.) Me, the combat is what drives me away, coupled with the lack of live co-op.
Yeah, the combat and lack of any real story worth caring about/a propper world rather than short, meaningless levels is really what ruins this game for me as well. Then again, with all the free-to-play elements in this game I highly doubt gameloft would be able to create an immersive, believable world. Not that gameloft seems to really be trying to do that in the first place...
Finally later on hard missions give Ya 3* items / loot if Ya farm em enough. Got some 3* materials for evolution which is nice. Problem is I have to wait until Tuesday to get the ancient trinket. So far the dailies have been crazy hard, hope I can obtain a trinket Tuesday for my Evo.
Yer right, lack of immersion (and the suspicion that this might not be a top (1000) priority of Gameloft, nor their target audience) is worth listing among the top issues (on a par with the combat and lack of co-op, for me). Which is doubly the shame this time around, as the downright sexy graphics would have offered nearly unprecedented possibilities in creating an attractive, lived-in, engrossing game world, not just in a DH title, but among most or all Diablo-likes for the platform.
Even Diablo 3 is not an "immersive, story-driven" game, it is about killing things and getting loot. Most players skip the junk dialogs in this type of games anyway. The full voice acting here is already top notch for mobile. Asynchronous coop is standard in mobile games and far more practical for majority of the players, the DH real time multiplayer were for the most part, lagfests. Agree the regular attacks are too powerful compared to specials. Would prefer specials to play a much bigger role but will hold onto my opinion until a little later in the game. I can get through most of the early levels in Diablo 3 with melee attack alone, doesn't mean much. #35 on top free games and climbing, getting hotter! Grossing will hopefully come over time!
Needs a small tweak with the friend allie AI. Most of the time they stand in spike traps. Other times melee allie character dont engage correctly. Also, would be nice to have their HP bar indicated somewhere. As a range player I lose track of them and they end up going too far ahead.
Oh, I never said Diablo was (and that is probably one reason I've never cared for any Diablo title). Silverfall, Titan Quest, Path of Exile and even Sacred 1 (to a very small degree), however, made attempts immersive settings, with bare means but sometimes (ok, perhaps rarely) quite appealing results. DH1 and 2 actually did offer some small windows into an attempt at an immersive world as well, and the storyline in DH2, with the risen prince who returns for the heartbreakingly bitter task of slaying his twisted, undead true love, brought back by his own inability to let love go, might just have been entirely unique in the rotting mire of high fantasy gaming. The voice-acting in DH5 is well done, but the writing betrays it. Good thing I rarely go for what is standard in mobile games, then The realtime co-op in DH2 actually worked near flawlessly for me, and was a very sleek, pleasant gaming experience. And co-op:ing BG:EE (as well as a few other iOS titles) a lot recently has wetted my appetite for mobile co-op in a huge way. But the primary reason the lack of co-op in DH5 is an issue for me is partially that I got the incorrect impression there would be live co-op (though I cannot fer the lack of me remember from where), and downloaded the game primary for this, and partially because it would suit the current format of the game better than ever, and mesh beautifully with the base building and social aspects. My issues with the combat go far, far beyond balance issues of attacks, and reach down to the *perceived* fundamentals of the genre. (Which is the reason I've NEVER truly been on good terms with ANY Diablo-like, until Victor Vran finally broke through the walled clickfest garden with truly twitch-based - if still far from as intricate as I'd prefer - combat. Fans of the isometric action RPG who sometimes misses emerging victorious thanks to your own abilities, go earlyacess all over that shit!) But again, these are the reasons I have no fun with DH5, and for why I find it simplistic and bereft of depth, width, variety and immersion. I've no illusions that my preferences mesh with those of the target audience of the game, or the market at large. I do believe it is possible to create a hybrid that captures the minds and fingers of both groups, though...
Okay i don't know if I'm crazy or if its a bug? Regardless of what username i try to apply for it comes up that it isn't allowed because it contains a banned word? I wanted my GC username (Sebattytan) but i cannot figure out what part of it is banned? Ive had this username for years and i have never had this kind of issue haha
DH5 is awesome. The stamina is not a concern and I love the graphic. As a free game, this is the best free game around. So I Opened 1 free gem box for completing normal map and got a 3 stars Bow and by using that bow to complete normal map till I opened 2nd free gem box and got a 4 stars armor. Awesome stuff!!! Add me as fren fbda
Is there anyway to refill your health potions? I'm afraid to use my last one because the others haven't refilled yet. I thought they would have regenerated by now.
The health per kill is sometimes a life savior. When u can get a set of those, u hardly need potion haha!
There isn't a win/loss stat in the game? I can't find one. Kind of a let down without one. But nonetheless, the game is fun.
