Do You Remember The PS1 Version Of Diablo? Yeah, Me Neither

As a longtime Diablo fan, I’m pretty familiar with most entries in the franchise, and I strongly believe that Diablo 4, in its current state, is the best the franchise has ever been. However, Diablo 2 can be credited with making the Diablo series into what it is today and pioneering the ARPG genre as a whole. Even before Diablo 2 took the world by storm, the original Diablo laid the foundation for its successor to thrive, but most players, myself included, have likely forgotten about the franchise’s console debut, and you’d be forgiven if you did.

While the Diablo series is mostly associated with PC gaming, most modern releases can be accessed by console players as well. Diablo 3 really pushed the series onto home consoles, with versions for the PS3 and Xbox 360 releasing just a year after the game’s PC launch. While these ports paved the way for Diablo 2: Resurrected and Diablo 4 to find success on consoles, the first Diablo game to ever appear on a platform other than PC was the original game’s PlayStation 1 release, which has largely been forgotten for good reason.

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Diablo 1 on the PlayStation 1 is One of the Franchise’s Strangest Relics

When I think of the PlayStation 1, I think of games like Final Fantasy 7, Metal Gear Solid, Crash Bandicoot, Silent Hill, and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. One game I definitely do not associate with the PlayStation 1 is Diablo, which feels more like an icon of 90s PC gaming, along with Doom, Quake, and Warcraft. Yet PlayStation 1 owners could access Diablo on the console as early as 1998, with the port from EA coming just a couple of years after the PC version’s launch.

Balance the critic averages

Easy (6)Medium (8)Hard (10)

The original Diablo has its quirks and plays almost like a survival horror game rather than an ARPG. It was much slower-paced than even its successor, Diablo 2, since there was no option to run, meaning players would have to walk everywhere. Enemies also moved a lot slower, but it was still incredibly easy to find yourself surrounded with little else to do but succumb to your fate. The combat of Diablo also required more patience than its successors, with slow attack animations and casting speeds that made battles more precise and methodical encounters, and this was especially true for the PS1 version.

How Diablo 1 on the PS1 Differs from the PC Version

No online play, but 2-player local co-op
A “History” option on the main menu with a narration of the game’s story
The option to increase the game’s speed
Lower resolution graphics, but reflective water
Huge file size, requiring 10 Blocks on PS1 Memory Card storage
Controller support, but no DualShock support

One of the biggest differences between the PC and PS1 versions of Diablo is the lack of online play, with the console port opting for 2-player split-screen co-op instead. This version also ditched the classic mouse-and-keyboard controls of the PC version, requiring players to use the d-pad of the PlayStation controller for movement. Some quality-of-life additions to the PS1 release of Diablo included an option to increase the game’s speed, which was very necessary given the overall slower pace of the game compared to modern Diablo entries. It also condensed the game’s lore into a narrated “History” section of the main menu, which made the story of Diablo easier to follow than finding books hidden throughout the world of Sanctuary.

Graphically, Diablo‘s resolution was decreased for the PS1 port, making it look a little more blurry than on PC. However, some areas included graphical improvements, such as reflective water surfaces. A huge kicker for many PlayStation fans was the massive file size for Diablo, requiring 10 of the PlayStation Memory Card’s 15 total Blocks of data to create a save file. This also meant that Diablo had infamously slower loading times on the console compared to the PC version.

Is Diablo 1 Worth Playing on the PS1?

Although it’s largely been forgotten now, the PS1 port of Diablo was a great way for console players to experience Blizzard’s original ARPG without needing access to a PC in 1998. However, today, this console port is by far the inferior way to experience the first Diablo, especially with the PC version of the game available on GOG and physical disc versions of the PS1 port going for ridiculously high prices. The GOG version also includes the Hellfire expansion for Diablo, something the PlayStation never received.