Diablo IV and Prophecy

Okay, first thing's first - I have to admit to giving into the dark side and buying Diablo IV. I am not a fan of Blizzard these days as a business and I'm not a big fan of many of the turns WoW has taken since the days I was really active in it. But... Diablo IV is a solid ARGP-looter. The story is above average, told pretty well, and was compelling enough for me through the campaign. If I didn't already have an appreciation for Diablo lore, I'm not sure I would praise the story quite so highly, but I think I'd still have to say it's better than the norm for such games.

So as a level 49 rogue having completed the main story, but not yet gotten into the 50+ "endgame," that's my review: good game, pretty good story, worth playing if you're reasonably into the game style.

The cash shop deserves to burn in hellfire (~$25 for a cosmetic class ensemble?) and the company is iffy, but the game itself is good.

What lingers in my mind after playing is the use of prophecy, as the story centers around one issued by the nephalim Rathma (child of the angel Inarius and demon Lilith).

Prophecies are, narratively, perhaps a little cheaty and arguably lazy. I mean, the author(s) knows what's coming, so they can write one out no problem. How characters react to it can be entertaining to watch, even if that is ultimately up to the author(s) as well. 

I think the last time I really considered it was with God of War: Ragnarok. There, the characters struggled against a prophecy even though certain elements were vague enough to be misinterpreted and part wasn't revealed until the end.

In Diablo IV... things are unclear. Early parts of the prophecy seem obvious, but as it goes on, things get fuzzier. Some characters clearly misinterpreted parts, but there are parts that may not have come true yet.

And here is where we get spoilery...

I saw my corpse, and from my mouth crawled Hatred,

Artistic, but Inarius kills Rathma and Lilith retrieves from his body a key to Mephisto's (Lord of Hatred) realm. 

A father burned his children on a pyre,

A bit unclear, though this could be reference to how we see Inarius' clergy burning people at the stake in several places across the land. It could also be reference to the loss of Inarius' faithful in their assault on Hell. Either way, I think we can check the box there.

and a mother molded a new age from the ashes,

Lilith seemed to think this would be her, creating a stronger Sanctuary. Inarius' faithful painted this as being Prava, the high priestess, picking up the pieces.

So what's the "truth?" Well... I'm not sure on this one. Arguably, Lilith's actions may have set things in motion that would lead to a "new age," but it isn't clearly so by story's end.

I saw the weak made strong,

a pack of lambs feasting on wolves,

Elias and Lilith bank on this being the denizens of Sanctuary (who are left) being strong enough to fight off the forces of Hell. That might come true, but isn't apparent yet. The only weak clearly made strong would be the player and, to a lesser extent, Neyrelle. The heroes soulstoning Mephisto could be "feasting on wolves" or it could be a more general fighting back. I feel like calling this fulfilled is being a touch generous, but okay.

Tears of blood rained on a desert jewel,

This line is clearly called out when Lilith opens a portal beneath a desert city and it starts raining blood. Pretty on-the-nose.

and the way to Hell was torn asunder,

Yep, she did that too.

Then came a spear of light, piercing Hatred's heart,

Oh, fun! Inarius saw this as him killing Lilith, thus redeeming himself. He did stab her with a broken pole arm, though didn't kill her. And he wasn't redeemed. Also, she's the "Daughter of Hatred," but Hatred with a capital "H" would be the Prime Evil thereof: Mephisto. Silly angel, not everything's about you.

Lilith may have taken this line as depicting her stealing Mephisto's power. Her interpretation isn't fully clear.

This could have been a reference to the holy army of Inarius marching into Hell, but is probably more likely to be the use of a soulstone to trap Mephisto. It's a little generous to call a two-foot crystal a "spear," but it sort of fits the imagery.

Or... this part may be unfulfilled by the end of the game.

And he who was bound in chains was set free.

Inarius thought he could redeem himself and be welcomed back into the High Heavens - no such luck. 

Lilith and Elias seemed to think this would be them freeing Sanctuary from being stuck in the Eternal Conflict by doing some sort of survival-of-the-fittest apocalypse of Sanctuary leaving only the strongest left.

So who is freed? Well... no one?

Mephisto wasn't really so much "chained" as reforming his power. He's been stuffed in a soulstone as is on Sanctuary rather than in Hell, but I don't think that qualifies as free by any stretch.

This is why I waffle a bit on the previous line as well. The prophecy feels uncompleted by the time the credits roll. Maybe I'm missing something. Maybe Rathma is wrong. Or maybe the prophecy intentionally being drawn out into DLC that's planned.

But it was entertaining to see how characters found different meaning in the same words. 

I do wish Lilith's plans were a bit clearer by the end. Her goal of making Sanctuary strong enough to shake of the Heavens and Hells permanently was an appealing one. Of course it was undercut by her approach - raising cults and culling the weak doesn't make humankind that much stronger, and absorbing her father's power doesn't seem like it would help either. She projected a fascinating matronly presence that seemed to barely conceal an innate malevolence. Lilith acted like a mother who wants the best, but is pathologically incapable of true compassion or human understanding.

Inarius was the most driven - an angel seeking redemption in the eyes of the Heavens while feeling nothing but contempt for his own followers and "children." He was a real jerk who saw only what he wanted to see and paid the price.

Mephisto... well, damn if I didn't kind of like him. You would think a Lord of Hatred would be a raving monster, but his presence in the game is comparatively calm and calculating. Maybe that's because his core essence is regenerating. He came across as the sort of villain one could share a respectful nod with and part ways, knowing you may have to fight to the death at some point in the future.

The core human characters of the story are reasonably solid, though a bit less stand-out in my mind and they don't expend much time thinking about the prophecy so much as stopping Lilith. I liked them overall. Of course, this is a Diablo story and they're all put through the wringer.