Diablo IV Age of Hatred Collection Switch 2 Review
Version Reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
The Diablo franchise and I go way back. As a matter of fact, my wife introduced me to the franchise when I was just a teenager, and she was just the girl next door. Ever since then, we’ve been fighting the hordes of Hell together, all the way up until Diablo III. Now, Hell has arrived on the Nintendo Switch 2, bringing Diablo IV, along with both expansions, Vessel of Hatred and Lord of Hatred, into one complete package. But will all this hatred seep into the package, or will my love for the franchise conquer all? What’s It Like? Choose your starting class, assign your skill points, and stay awhile and listen as we review Diablo IV: Age of Hatred Collection for Nintendo Switch 2.
Diablo IV takes us back to Sanctuary, a world caught between the forces of Heaven and Hell, where the return of Lilith threatens to plunge humanity into darkness. As the Wanderer, you’ll travel across Sanctuary, uncover Lilith’s plans, and become caught in a conflict that ultimately brings you face-to-face with the Prime Evil Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred. The story continues in Vessel of Hatred, which I can’t go into too much detail without spoiling the base game. Then comes Lord of Hatred, which takes the battle to the ancient region of Skovos. With Mephisto’s followers spreading across Sanctuary and the Lord of Hatred himself preparing to unleash his power, you’ll need to join forces with old friends and unlikely allies for a final confrontation that could decide the fate of humanity. Now, being a complete package, when you first start the game and create a character, you’re given the option to jump straight into the latest expansion and skip both the Diablo IV and Vessel of Hatred storylines. But, in my humble opinion, it’s definitely worth playing right from the start to experience the entire legacy. I did this with one character, and despite the Diablo IV base game being more of a slow burn, it made me really appreciate how each expansion ramps up the tempo and raises the stakes, especially in Lord of Hatred, which felt like it turned things up to 11.
For those who have never been to Hell before, Diablo IV plays out as an isometric action RPG that focuses heavily on visceral combat and demons… lots of demons. You choose from eight classes, including melee-focused options like the Paladin and Barbarian, hybrid classes like the Druid and Spiritborn, and ranged and spellcasting options like the Sorcerer, Warlock, Rogue and Necromancer. Each class has a myriad of skills and abilities that you can build your way, allowing you to turn the tides of battle and ultimately save Sanctuary.
What I enjoyed about Diablo IV is just how much freedom each class gives you, allowing you to choose modifiers for your abilities and create a build that suits the way you want to play. I experimented with all of the classes, but ultimately took a Paladin through the base game, a Sorcerer through the expansion packs, and a Warlock through the endgame… variety is the spice of life, they say. Each character and class felt different, and experimenting with builds was one of the more interesting aspects of gameplay as I rose through the ranks. Loot will also determine how you build your character, with the endgame revolving around running Helltides, dungeons and other activities to find gear that specifically suits your playstyle. Powerful equipment can completely change how a build functions, and finding those perfect pieces to complement your abilities becomes an important part of the endgame progression. Seeing a Legendary or particularly powerful piece of gear drop is still one of the most exciting aspects of the franchise, and Diablo IV manages to capture that excitement while also spoiling the player for choice when it comes to things to do.
While one could argue that Diablo II and III offered large areas to explore, Diablo IV scales up the adventure across a fully realised open world of Sanctuary, full of towns and locations to visit, as well as additional content and gameplay opportunities as you work your way through the lengthy campaigns. These areas are populated by other players running around the world, while dungeons, Helltides, world events and other activities give you plenty of reasons to explore beyond the main story. There are also world bosses, where several players can come together to take on some seriously powerful enemies for rewards and glory. The world is so huge that mounts have been introduced to help you traverse it, but thankfully, one of the quality-of-life improvements means you no longer need to rely on scrolls of town portals. You can quickly return to the nearest town and use the waypoint system to travel to locations you’ve previously visited, making getting around Sanctuary much less of a chore. If grouping up with strangers isn’t your thing, you can play 2 players on the same console, and the game lets you team up with friends through cross-play and features cross-progression. During my time with the game, I teamed up with friends on both Xbox and PC, and the whole process worked seamlessly. Being able to jump between platforms and continue progressing the same character is a fantastic feature, particularly for a game designed to be played over such a long period of time. But this also leads into what I found to be one of the biggest downsides of the game: the constant need to be online.
I completely understand the game’s online features, and cross-play, cross-progression and the shared world all rely on that infrastructure. But the lack of an offline mode on a hybrid portable console means some of the benefits of bringing Diablo IV to a handheld are lost. There were times, although admittedly not many, when I experienced lag while playing completely by myself through the campaign, and when I’m sitting down to play a single-player portion of the game on a portable console, having my experience affected by my internet connection can be frustrating. I sincerely hope Blizzard considers implementing some sort of offline mode in the future, because being able to take Diablo IV anywhere is one of the biggest advantages of having it on Switch 2. The game already feels incredibly well suited to portable play, but being able to play it without an internet connection would make that experience feel far more complete.
The world of Sanctuary is brought to life with stunning detail, from the different biomes and battlefields to the bustling towns and outposts that stand on edge. There’s a lot of incredible detail here, and in my opinion, it elevates Diablo IV to one of the most visually stunning games currently available on the Switch 2. There are two modes to choose from: a Quality Mode that offers extra visual detail and aims for a locked 30fps, and a 40fps mode that removes some of that detail in favour of those extra frames. For the most part, Diablo IV performs incredibly well, and despite playing the majority of my time in the 30fps Quality Mode, it felt like a smooth and consistent experience.
There were minor hitches when teleporting to new areas, where the game would almost seem to slow down for a few brief moments before quickly resuming. I also noticed some hitches in the final expansion towards the end, but these never got in the way of gameplay and never managed to detract from my enjoyment of the game. There were also moments when travelling at speed where textures appeared at a lower resolution, eventually popping in with more detail after a few seconds. But overall, Diablo IV runs well and is visually impressive, especially considering just how much is happening across Sanctuary. For a more detailed breakdown, stay tuned to What’s It Like? for some platform comparisons and a graphical deep dive.
For my demon slayers looking into accessibility, there’s an impressive array of options here that make for an incredibly comprehensive suite. There are far too many to mention here, but I do want to highlight (pun intended) that you can highlight enemies to make visibility easier, as well as customise nearly every aspect of the UI, controls, colours and audio. There are options covering a wide range of needs, and it’s clear that accessibility has been given a lot of consideration throughout the experience. Surprisingly, the game supports a USB mouse, but not Joy-Con mouse mode. It also oddly supports touchscreen for menus, but not gameplay. That said, it’s always amazing to see big titles invest in accessibility, because when everyone gets to play, the world is a better place. As always, I recommend further research into finding out if Diablo IV: Age of Hatred Collection suits your needs.
At $105 AUD, Diablo IV: Age of Hatred Collection on Switch 2 commands a premium price, but one that’s on par with the same offering on other platforms. There’s a lot of content here, and even rushing through the campaigns will take a good 25–30 hours in my experience. Once the campaigns are complete, the endgame adds incredible value and replayability, with plenty of activities to keep you coming back for better gear, stronger builds and more powerful characters. Add in the ever-changing seasons, the open-world activities, and the sheer amount of content available across the complete package, and there are potentially hundreds of hours here for those willing to sink their time into Sanctuary.
The Diablo IV: Age of Hatred Collection is an exceptional package and a technically impressive port that has sunk its claws into me. The ever-escalating campaign across three stories, the open-world design, and the sublime endgame all come together to create a fantastic experience on the Switch 2. I was so impressed by just how well Diablo IV fits the Switch 2… The game is built around short bursts of combat, constant progression and the ever-present temptation of just one more dungeon for that one piece of loot. It feels almost tailor-made for a portable system, making the online requirement all the more frustrating. For longtime Diablo fans, this is a substantial package that brings together years of content into one enormous adventure. For newcomers, it offers an incredibly deep action RPG with enough content to potentially keep you playing for hundreds of hours. After spending so much time in Sanctuary, I can safely say that Hell has found a surprisingly comfortable home on Switch 2.
So What’s it Like? Diablo IV is like Diablo, only bigger and bolder than it’s ever been.
In the interest of full disclosure, a review copy was provided by the publisher, but this doesn’t influence my score.
Enjoyed our Diablo IV Age of Hatred Collection Switch 2 Review?
✨ Support What’s It Like? Want to help keep this independent Nintendo outlet running? Here are a few ways you can support:
🌐 More Nintendo reviews and guides: https://www.whatsitlike.com.au/
☕ Buy me a Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/whatsitlike
🎥 Join the Patreon for behind-the-scenes content: https://patreon.com/u102681944
