Though early reviews of Diablo 4’s gameplay have been favorable, many players believe the game’s user interface leaves much to be desired.
Diablo 4 is currently in open beta, and players have flocked to the world of Sanctuary to see what the latest installment in the franchise has to offer, despite the fact that the user interface has left many fans hoping for something better. The topic of user interface in Diablo games generates a remarkably diverse set of opinions from all corners of the community, with many fans clinging to Diablo 2’s nostalgic look, while others prefer Diablo 3’s sleek redesign. Though Blizzard has been open about its deep dives into Diablo 4 and the Sanctuary world, the UI has largely remained a mystery until now.
It’s no secret that both players and Twitch streamers have been enjoying the open beta, despite some frustrating bugs along the way, such as Asmongold’s Diablo 4 beta character being deleted due to a network disconnect crash. The key pillars of a Diablo game have arguably been gameplay and atmosphere, and while many fans agree that Blizzard has nailed these aspects in Diablo 4, the game’s dungeon design, as well as the user interface, appear to be the major gripes.
A thread started by GoofyMTG on the Diablo 4 official subreddit sparked a debate about the game’s decision to forego the use of Diablo’s iconic font in favor of a generic Arial lookalike. It quickly morphed from its initial topic of discussion into a broader critique of Diablo 4’s user interface, with many players, including cubes158, using the thread to point out flaws in the current UI’s design. Diablo 4’s user interface feels inefficient, with a lot of wasted space and a lack of customizability, thanks to an unremarkable font that clashes with the game’s aesthetic and overly large buttons and text.
The user experience appears to suffer from a lack of logical options as well, given that Diablo 4 allows players to salvage all items with the click of a button but fails to provide an option for selling all items concurrently. The inability to select a sorting method for a game known for its loot piata nickname, a bare-bones quest journal fly-out menu in Diablo 4’s map screen, and a Challenge menu that begs for a more compact design are among the other complaints listed. Fans of Diablo 4 who are playing with friends in a clan might also have trouble getting used to the chat box’s bottom-right location because there is no option to move it to better suit preferences.
The foundation Blizzard built for Diablo 4 undoubtedly speaks volumes about the game’s potential, but it might take players some time to get used to the interface. Although Diablo 4’s developers are mainly focused on fixing login problems and errors, it might help if its user interface (UI) was made more individualized and customizable either at launch or during its initial round of content patches.
Diablo 4 releases June 6 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Christian Miller
