In a recent interview, Diablo III lead content designer Kevin Martens talks about the state of the game when it first launched back in 2012, and how he stands by the decision to keep the Internet connection a requirement. Eventually, the interview talks about Reaper of Souls, which hits retail shelves later this month. He admitted that the Adventure Mode is the biggest selling point of the expansion.
"I would call Adventure Mode the primary feature of the expansion," he said. "That said, I think Act V is our best act, so we did take everything we learned there. And you do have to kill Malthael once with one character before Adventure Mode is unlocked. But knowing that you don't have to play story mode over and over again allows people to relax and just enjoy Act V for what it is; and they may or may not come back to it after that, but they don't have to. It doesn't feel as onerous to sit through those things."
Martens was asked if he thought the expansion's $40 cost was a bit pricey for the amount of content Reaper of Souls offers. His answer was that Adventure Mode completely changes the game. Players don't kill Malthael and the game is done; they're finally starting Reaper of Souls once the big boss is taken down.
"As good as Act V is, once you get into Adventure Mode and you see the promise of everything random that Diablo does; that makes replayability the point of the game. It's not linear anymore so you're experience is different every time you come in," he said.
Earlier in the interview, he said he felt bad about the game's launch, but pointed out that Blizzard released eight major patches, made big tuning passes, provided many months of support and added new content.
"That's what I think I like about expansion development. It's kind of our second at-bat and we know a lot of things about what's actually fun about the game," he said. "And we don't have to fight against player instincts or make guesses.
To read the full interview, head here. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls arrives March 25.
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