Diablo (1996). Play online

Summary

When EA brought Diablo to the PlayStation in 1998, the shift from mouse‑driven point‑and‑click to a true controller scheme felt surprisingly natural. Climax Studios rewired the navigation so the left stick steers the hero while the right button handles attacks, adding an auto‑aim filter that keeps ranged combat fluid even without a mouse.

The biggest surprise was the split‑screen couch co‑op: two players can each grab a controller, team up, and carve through the random dungeons together on a single TV. It’s the only place the game ever offered a two‑player mode, making monster‑hunting a shared binge.

Visually the port got its own polish—dynamic lighting flickers in the catacombs, and there’s an optional speed boost for those marathon runs. The story can be narrated by a gruff voiceover, so you don’t need to hunt for lore‑books if you prefer to keep your eyes on the action.

The PAL version even includes French, German, and Swedish dubbing, reflecting the global push. Although it skips online Battle.net, the local multiplayer and controller‑centric design cement this version as a unique piece of retro gaming history.

Storyline

Diablo, the classic PlayStation action‑RPG, drops the player into the fictional Kingdom of Khanduras on the world of Sanctuary. A lone hero arrives at the ruined town of Tristram and plunges beneath its cathedral, navigating sixteen dungeon levels that wind from dank catacombs to the fiery depths of Hell itself.

The lore explains that three Lords of Hell, including Diablo the Lord of Terror, were exiled into the mortal realm after eons of celestial war. The Horadrim sealed them in enchanted Soulstones, burying Diablo’s stone beneath an ancient monastery that later became Leoric’s cathedral. King Leoric, the manipulative Archbishop Lazarus, and the cursed Prince Albrecht all fall under Diablo’s influence, turning the town into a nightmare‑filled haunt populated by the Skeleton King and other horrors.

While the main campaign ends with the hero slaying Lazarus, confronting Diablo, and driving the Soulstone into his own forehead, the expansion Hellfire adds a non‑canonical quest to defeat the demon Na‑Krul, offering a fresh horror‑laden twist on the Tristram saga.