Diablo fans have another reason to celebrate, as not only had GOG.com offered a re-release of this iconic game, but the service is now giving fans a chance to once again play the Hellfire expansion.
For those not familiar, Hellfire was an expansion for Diablo released in 1997 and developed by Synergistic Software. The problem was that it was not an official Blizzard product and thus did not have Blizzard's endorsement. Even so, Hellfire was nominated for the “Best Add-On” award in 1998.
The storyline of this non-canonical expansion happens as an aside to Diablo's main story arc. In this one, a sorcerer has unknowingly released the demon called Na-Krul to Tristram while performing a ritual. To the sorcerer's credit, he manages to magically seal the doors before the demon can escape. The player is tasked with going to the demon's lair and destroying it.
As an expansion pack, Hellfire adds a number of improvements to the original game. It adds a monk class along with new dungeon settings and additional quests. The expansion even added new game items like oils that can affect statistics and runes which can be placed as traps. There were also new features, like giving players the choice to move faster through the "jog" toggle and getting a spell that was able to highlight objects on the floor as if there was a cursor placed on them.
Even if Hellfire is indeed considered "unofficial," the number of Diablo players who want to experience this add-on has resulted in Blizzard giving the go-ahead signal for it to be added with Diablo purchases at GOG. Thus, when launching Diablo, the expansion is now made accessible. In order to allow it to run using modern systems, Hellfire comes with high-resolution support and compatibility updates.
Released in 1996, the original Diablo game rose to the top of the charts due to the almost perfect gaming experience it offered. One of the key aspects many players found appealing was that the dungeon levels were randomly generated. Though the dungeons followed the same parameters, it had the feeling of being in a new level. Its multiplayer has been cited by many critics as one of its strongest points.
Two sequels followed with Diablo II being released in 2000, and an official expansion titled Diablo II: Lord of Destruction was released a year later. The third game, Diablo III, would be released in 2012.
Diabo is being sold at a 10% discount thanks to the GOG Summer Sale Festival, which ends June 17.
