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Diablo II: Resurrected in the test: Like back then, only in pretty – if the servers work

Oct 21, 2021

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Diablo II: Resurrected is impressive. The graphic style of the remaster is immediately reminiscent of the original from 2000, but the title is hardly recognizable. The much nicer graphics, however, also require a fast PC. In the test, ComputerBase clarifies how well the game and PC version work.

Table of contents

1 Like back then, only in pretty – if the servers work
1. New edition after 21 years
2. New engine over the old one: works great!
3. Old vs. new graphics – what a difference
4. A decent graphics menu with useful options
2 benchmarks in Full HD, WQHD & amp; Ultra HD and frame times
1. The test system and the benchmark scene
2. Benchmarks in Full HD, WQHD and Ultra HD
3. Less, but much more stable FPS on Radeons
3 Game review and conclusion
1. How good is Diablo II: Resurrected?
2. Conclusion

New edition after 21 years

Diablo II revolutionized the hack 'n' slay genre in 2000. 21 years later, players can now relive the title with significantly more beautiful graphics. That doesn't sound particularly exciting after the recent, repeatedly disappointing new games. But Diablo II: Resurrected has managed to optically retain the style of the original and look almost modern at the same time. On the other hand, there was only playful fine-tuning.

The test clarifies whether that is enough to still be fun today. ComputerBase has looked at both the game itself and the technology behind it, including numerous benchmarks.

Currently, players are plagued by server problems

< p class = "p text-width">It should be mentioned at this point that Blizzard has had massive server problems with the game in the last few days, so that even the way to the main menu was a hurdle for many players. Since then, Blizzard has worked on the problems several times and also introduced a waiting list – but the server problems are still not really resolved.

New engine over the old one: works great!

Diablo II: Resurrected was not developed by Blizzard itself, but by the Vicarious Visions studio, which also developed the successful remastered versions of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.

Even if Diablo II: Resurrected looks completely different from the original, the original engine is still working in the background, as otherwise the revision would only have been possible as a much more complex remake. It is therefore possible to restore the original graphic by pressing the “G” key. Anyone who does this realizes: It looks ugly by today's standards! And not only that: Diablo II only runs with 25 FPS in the original, more is simply not possible. In addition to the indelibly outdated look, there is also a hefty jerk. It is hard to believe today that that didn't bother anyone back then.

And you can hardly believe how good Diablo II: Resurrected looks with the new graphics. This is implemented using a modern engine that has been placed on top of the old engine, whose inputs are intercepted and reprocessed. Regarding the animations, the game cannot keep up with current genre colleagues, apart from that Resurrected does not have to hide behind Path of Exile and Co. and sometimes even looks better.

And not only that, because the remaster is no longer limited to 25 FPS, instead the frame rate is unlimited. The game only uses DirectX 12 as API, there is no alternative.

Old vs. new graphics – what a difference

If you press “G” while playing, you can switch back and forth between the original and the new graphics in Diablo II: Resurrected without interruption – including the old limitation of only 25 FPS. The editorial team used this function to create several comparison screenshots and also a video.

In both cases the best possible quality was used. The new graphic was accordingly created in Ultra HD, in which the maximum level of detail was activated manually. With the old graphic, the highest possible rendering resolution of 800 × 600 including “shadow gradient” is selected.