Reverse Design ― Diablo II

The Reverse Design series looks at all of the design decisions that went into classic video games. This is the sixth installment in the Reverse Design series, looking at Diablo II. Written in a readable format, it is broken down into three sections examining three topics important to the game:

1. How does Diablo II borrow from different types of games like action RPGs, classical class-based RPGs and Roguelikes?
2. What are the different types of randomness in Diablo II and how do they work?
3. How do elaborate level-up mechanics keep players interested in a relatively short game for dozens or hundreds of hours?

Patrick Holleman founded The Game Design Forum in 2010 with the specific goal of publishing scholarly articles about videogame design. On that site he originally published the Reverse Design series, which has been used by game designers and students across the world to improve their understanding of their craft. Material from that series has been used in online courses as well as University settings, including the University of Toronto and Cornell. His writing has also appeared in Paste Magazine, Indie Game Magazine and Tutsplus. In addition to his writing, Holleman has worked as a part-time producer and consultant in the game development industry. He lives in Pennsylvania.