So three months ago, for the first time ever on digital distribution, the classic RPG Diablo was finally released on GOG. Without any shadow of a doubt, one of the games that formed the childhood of many players my age but when GOG came to an agreement to bring it to their platform, there was no mention of the Hellfire expansion.
The reason for this is fairly simple, it was never actually developed by Blizzard, nor was it authorised. It seems that Blizzard has no issues now because they've agreed to have it incorporated with their version of the game at no extra cost to those who buy from GOG.
After a successful re-release of Blizzard Entertainment's original action-RPG Diablo® earlier this year, GOG.COM is pleased to offer players a chance to try the Hellfire™ expansion.
Originally developed by Synergistic Software and released in 1997, Hellfire was not an official Blizzard product and did not carry Blizzard’s endorsement or label. Despite that, in response to Diablo players who have expressed a desire to experience the content, Blizzard has given the OK for it to be included as a free add-on with Diablo purchases on GOG.COM.
Hellfire offers a non-canonical single-player storyline where players must defeat a powerful demon named Na-Krul who is threatening Tristram. The expansion also adds a Monk class, new weapons and items, new missions, locations, dungeons, and enemies. Hellfire will be accessible while launching the original Diablo.
It's been a long time since I've played Diablo, to be fair, having not actually played the GOG version yet either. What I do know is that with this version you actually get two versions in one. The first is the original, issues and all, as well as an updated version supported with work from Blizzard themselves. Here's what it says on the official page:
Travelers looking for the authentic Diablo experience can play the game as it was in 1996, with period-appropriate 20 FPS SVGA graphics, and the ability to matchmake through the classic version of Blizzard’s Battle.net® online-gaming service.
For those wanting something a bit more modern, Blizzard and GOG.COM have collaborated on an updated version of the game tuned for today’s gaming PCs, which includes out-of-the-box Windows 10 compatibility, a host of bug fixes and high-resolution support via aspect ratio-correct upscaling.
Diablo, with the expansion, is currently 10% off during the GOG Summer Sale Festival which ends on the 17th of June. If there was any time to pick up one of the games that made the powerhouse that is Blizzard, here you go.
About the author: Chris Wray has been writing at Wccftech gaming section since 2015 and is an opinionated bloke from the north of the UK (think Ned Stark). He enjoys video games, films, books, beer, whisky and other alcohol. He also supports Manchester Utd and for some reason he writes profile pages in the third person. His expertise is in gaming and the games industry, primarily on the PC. In addition to this, he works with and contributes to the finance and tech sections.
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