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Hellfire

aka: Diablo: Hellfire

Critic Reviews 75% add missing review

GameStar (Germany) (88 out of 100)

Hellfire bietet nicht nur ein paar Zusatzlevels oder kleinere Bugfixes, sondern eine ganze Reihe von Neuerungen – vorneweg natürlich die vierte Charakterklasse. Aber Vorsicht: Sollten Sie nur die acht neuen Stockwerke mit Ihrem Stufe- 30-Veteranen im normalen Schwierigkeitsgrad durchspielen wollen, werden Sie an einem langen Nachmittag durch sein. In den ganzen Genuß kommen Sie hingegen, wenn Sie Hellfire zum Anlaß nehmen, mit einem neuen Charakter (vorzugsweise natürlich dem Mönch) noch mal von vorne anzufangen. Dann bekommen Sie die ganzen zusätzlichen Waffen, Objekte und Quests mit, beherrschen einige der neuen Zaubersprüche in hohen Ausbaustufen und genießen das nach wie vor geniale Diablo in einer Art Deluxe-Fassung. Ich kann Hellfire wärmstens empfehlen, zumal es die lange Wartezeit bis Diablo 2 verkürzt.

Dec 1997 · Windows

Retro Archives (17 out of 20)

Hellfire apporte à Diablo exactement ce qu’on attendait d’une extension: du contenu. Celui-ci, qui aurait pu être plus important, se montre relativement inspiré sans toucher au génie: une nouvelle classe un peu redondante et un tantinet trop puissante, accompagnée de deux environnements bien réalisés mais jurant un peu avec le reste du jeu, ainsi que de petits ajouts de confort bienvenus. Rien de bouleversant, mais quitte à prolonger l’expérience de jeu, on aurait tort de la bouder.

Jul 25th, 2021 · Windows · read review

Gameplay (Benelux) (85 out of 100)

Hellfire heeft alles om de Diablo liefhebber weer enkele onvergetelijke avonden te bezorgen. Een aanrader.

Dec 1st, 1997 · Windows

PC Action (Germany) (84 out of 100)

Ein neuer Held, acht neue Levels und sechs neue Zaubersprüche reichen aus, um einen Großteil der alten Faszination wiederherzustellen. Aber es gibt auch einige Kritikpunkte: Es ist nicht weiter schlimm, daß man sämtliche Gegenstände verliert, wenn der bestehende Diablo-Charakter übernommen wird. Vermutlich will sowieso jeder mit dem Mönch spielen. Doch die acht neuen Levels bieten fast keine Quests. Die altbekannten Personen im Dorf werden überhaupt nicht einbezogen! Das schlimmste ist allerdings, daß Hellfire keinen Mehrspielermodus unterstützt. Es ist also nicht möglich, mit dem Mönch im Internet zu wildern. Hellfire bietet somit wieder längeren Spielspaß, dank des neuen Charakters auch mit den alten Levels. Im Vergleich zu Diablo ist es aber, von wenigen Verbesserungen abgesehen, eben doch nur eine Mission-CD.

Dec 17th, 1997 · Windows

PC Games (Germany) (82 out of 100)

Aaaaaaargh! Mein "Veil of Steel"! Mein schöner "Overlord's Helm"! Der "Ring of Truth"! Die Früchte nächtelanger Streifzüge – alles futsch! Grund: Beim Übernehmen eines alten Charakters werden u. a. die entbehrungsreich zusammengeklaubten Unique Items konfisziert – da fühlt man sich wie Michael Schumacher, dem man den Führerschein wegnimmt. Mit einem gut abgehangenen Character brauchen Sie aber trotz dieses Handicaps nicht länger als ein, zwei Abende zum Durcheilen der acht Etagen nebst Sichten und Abmurksen sämtlicher Kreaturen. Das ist etwas dürftig für die angesetzten 40 Mark, wie ich finde. Mein Tip: Schicken Sie Ihre alten Singleplayer-Charakter in Rente und starten Sie ganz von vorne mit dem Mönch. Hellfire kaufen oder nicht? Ja, wenn Sie mit zusätzlichen Dungeons, Monstern, Waffen und der neuen Heldenklasse liebäugeln. Nein, wenn Sie sich vorwiegend im Netzwerk bzw. Battle.Net herumtreiben.

Dec 3rd, 1997 · Windows

Electric Games (82 out of 100)

If you are a fan of the single player game and wish to experience new quests and challenges, then Hellfire will provide you with some quality entertainment until Diablo II comes out. You'll be playing a lot of the original game in the process, but new spells, weapons and items will help you get through that portion. If you are primarily a multiplayer Diablo fan, then hellfire is not for you. Bottom Line: One excellent new character class, eight new levels, many interesting new monsters, spells, weapons, armor, and other items. You will have to relive much of the original game in order to access the Hellfire levels. No multiplayer capabilities, huge hard drive requirements.

1998 · Windows · read review

Game.EXE (81 out of 100)

Sierra помогла поклонникам Diablo скоротать время до Diablo 2. Два новых уровня, мириады свежих врагов. Новое оружие и, конечно, монах. Новый персонаж побеждает нового Босса? Но только с вашей помощью.

Jan 1998 · Windows · read review

Online Gaming Review (OGR) (8 out of 10)

Hellfire is a worthy expansion pack to one of the greatest games of the year, and not simply a rehash of what you’ve already seen. The attention to detail is sure to please, along with the many new spells, items, monsters, and puzzles. As indicated in the opening, Hellfire suffers greatly from not being able to run on Battle.net and this is sure to frustrate many players. The worth of this product rests solely in what you expect to get out of it. If you’re looking for a single-player experience then Hellfire should keep you occupied. However, if teaming up with some friends is how you like your Diablo served, well, you’re just going to have to wait for Diablo II.

Dec 24th, 1997 · Windows · read review

Adrenaline Vault, The (AVault) ( )

Well, all right. A good-sized shard of new quality gameplay has landed. Even with the released lack of multiplayer and a couple of irritating elements, this is one fun dungeon crawl. The sadistic atmosphere, lively wildlife and new features abound make Hellfire well worth the money for Diablo fans. I suggest you arm yourself well, for Na-Krul awaits….

Dec 29th, 1997 · Windows · read review

Gamesmania.de (80 out of 100)

Es gibt kein großartiges Plus, aber auch keine offensichtlichen Mängel. Einige neue Musikstücke wären nett gewesen. Davon abgesehen wurden die neuen Missionen geschickt in das bereits bestehende Material eingebaut, Bugs des Originalprogramms entfernt. Die neuen Höllenkreaturen sehen nicht nur gut aus sondern kommen auch gleich in Scharen auf mich zugestürmt, so daß selten Leerläufe entstehen. Grafiksets gibt es nur zwei neue, dafür spielt man eine ganze Weile, bis man die beiden Obermotze erledigt hat. Die Animation der Spielfigur selbst hätte überarbeitet werden können, da sie nach wie vor etwas holprig wirkt. Schade, daß bereits vorhandene Diablo-Charaktere vollkommen "ausgezogen" werden, bevor man in Diablo loslegen kann. 15 000 Credits bleiben Euch, das restliche Geld sowie Eure Rüstungen verschwinden im Nirvana. Meine Empfehlung: Hellfire installieren und Diablo komplett von vorne spielen.

1997 · Windows · read review

Computer Gaming World (CGW) ( )

The other disappointment is the fact that HELLFIRE is single-player only. There are no modem options at all, so you won't be able to play this one on battle.net or with a friend on a dial-up connection. I can see how trying to link up HELLFIRE with original DIABLO may be a problem, but the lack of any modem play in HELLFIRE is astonishing, especially as multiplayer mode is one of DIABLO'S biggest selling points. Even so, HELLFIRE is still a first-class job. The new graphics and music are on a par with DIABLO. The enhancements to the original product, plus the new material and new character class, have really freshened up the game. HELLFIRE is a welcome expansion on a great theme, and one that single-player DIABLO fans shouldn't miss.

Apr 1998 · Windows

IGROMANIA (8 out of 10)

"Ну вот, опять Diablo" - воскликнут наши читатели, и в какой-то степени будут правы. Действительно, об этой игре не писал только ленивый. Можно подумать, что все о ней уже известно, и возвращаться к ее описанию не стоит. Мы же надеемся, что у игры за это время появилось много новых поклонников, к тому же, на радость всем фанатам игры Diablo, наконец-то вышли дополнительные уровни - Diablo: Hellfire.

Mar 1998 · Windows · read review

Power Play (75 out of 100)

Als Solospiel jedenfalls ist Hellfire sicher nicht schlecht – obwohl die alten Dungeons nicht verschönert wurden – doch der eigentliche Diablo-Spielspaß zündete erst durch die Gruppendynamik. Solo beschränkt sich der Spaß auf wenige Stunden, erst recht mit einem geübten Helden im Gepäck.

Dec 1997 · Windows · read review

Gamezilla (75 out of 100)

Hellfire is a great expansion pack for the Diablo single player experience. Unfortunately, at this time, you cannot use the new weapons, etc. in multiplayer games without using a user-produced patch, like the one here. (Gamezilla takes no responsibility if you decide to use them). But if you can get past the lack of multiplayer support, you'll find a lot of value here. Hellfire earns a 75 for being a solid expansion to a great game but at the same time failing to deliver any multiplayer compatibility.

Nov 3rd, 1999 · Windows

GameSpot (7.5 out of 10)

Hellfire fails to provide as compelling an experience as Diablo, but does provides a good quantity of new monsters, items, spells, and settings, and a number of gameplay enhancements that eliminate a few annoyances of the original game. These additions and enhancements may not be sufficient to breathe new life into the original game, but if you are a single-player Diablo addict, Hellfire will enhance your enjoyment of Diablo. Hellfire is definitely more of the same, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, considering that Diablo was GameSpot's 1996 Game of the Year. Multiplayer aficionados, however, should pass on Hellfire.

Dec 29th, 1997 · Windows · read review

PC Player (Germany) (74 out of 100)

Es wäre schön gewesen, Hellfire nicht nur mit weiteren Kerkern, sondern auch mit wirklich neuen Artefakten auszustatten. Veränderte magische Attribute sind ein netter Anfang, gehen meiner Meinung nach aber nicht weit genug, es fehlt die grafische Gestaltung. Ein Schwert sieht wie das andere aus; zumindest die in Alien-Eiern gefundenen Schneidewerkzeuge könnten etwas schriller gestylt sein. Auch die Anzahl der Unique Items wirkt etwas kümmerlich.

Dec 1997 · Windows

Reset (7 out of 10)

Kilka nowych questów zapewnia nam zabawę na kilka wieczorów. Jednak HELLFIRE nie tchnie nowego życia w dogorywające DIABLO — bo nie ma opcji multiplayer... Niestety. Pomimo to, polecam HELLFIRE wszystkim, którzy mile wspominają wędrówki po lochach — ja sam z przyjemnością zagłębiłem się ponownie w świat mroku pod Tristram.

Feb 1998 · Windows · read review

Imperium Gier ( )

W "Hellfire" możecie wykorzystać swoją wykształtowaną już postać, więc muszę przyznać, że mój wojownik nie miał żadnych problemów. Dopiero kiedy podjąłem próbę gry Monkiem to dostarczyło mi to trochę nowych wrażeń, lecz nie były to takie emocje jak przy "Diablo" po raz pierwszy. Teraz niestety minus, autorzy nie przewidzieli opcji multiplayer, tzn. nie włączyli do niej "Hellfire". Tak więc starzy wyjadacze, wykańczający kolegów na necie mogą czuć się zawiedzeni. Ja, jednak takich odczuć nie mam i mnie giercowanie w dodatek po raz kolejny w życiu sprawiło wiele radości. Jeszcze raz udowodniłem sobie, że tak kultowe kawałki jak "Diablo" można odkurzać po wielu latach i grac do nieprzyzwoicie późnych godzin. Lada miesiąc będzie druga część, chyba wtedy przepadnę bez wieści, albo wyprowadzę się gdzieś z komputerem z domu. No bo po co komuś żywy trup przed ekranem. Pozdrawiam was gorąco i idę skończyć grę nie wiem już który raz z kolei, ale za każdym razem ze świeżymi doznaniami.

Jan 30th, 2000 · Windows · read review

Computer Games Magazine ( )

Warning: If you didn't spend much time in single player Diablo, and most of your enjoyment came from multiplayer games, steer clear of this product. No multiplayer is implemented. Oh sure, they planned it. The code is in there. You can patch it to make it work - but the new levels are not available, and it is quite unstable. But single player Diabloholics may rejoice at the chance to indulge in the hack-and-slash once again. If they hid your copy of Diablo, you will need to recover the disc in order to play Hellfire. It's time for a search and rescue mission. Na-Krul is waiting.

Jan 16th, 1998 · Windows

PC Player (Denmark) (5 out of 10)

Men har man Diablo, er der bestemt ikke nok nyheder i Hellfire, til at man bør ofre sine hårdt opsparede lommepenge på det.

1998 · Windows

Génération 4 (3 out of 6)

Presque un an après sa sortie, Diablo voit apparaître son premier add-on. Pour les fans du « moi-vois, moi-tue », voilà une bonne solution pour patienter jusqu'à la sortie de Diablo 2 en lattant du nouveau monstre avec un perso tout neuf et tout ridicule.

Dec 1997 · Windows · read review

Player Reviews

Some truly excellent ideas mixed with a bunch of bad ones. Worth trying, overall.
by Gatekeeper (305)

The Good
In order to appreciate Hellfire, you should spend some more time playing it. It is also highly recommended that you update the game to v1.01 - the patch can be found online.

Getting started is quick and easy - you don't even need to have Diablo installed. Just make sure the Diablo disk is in the CD drive and you are ready to go. You can use your old Diablo characters, but there is a catch - they will lose all items in their possession except the gold. They will enter the world of Hellfire completely "naked" so to speak.

Hellfire's main strong point is that it adds a new sideplot to the game (complete with new areas, quests, monsters and items), while at the same time updating the old familiar parts of Diablo with new content.

The first good thing about this expansion you will notice is that you now have access to Nightmare and Hell difficulty... in Single Player! In the original Diablo, it took me ages to raiuse a level 33 Warrior. In Hellfire, it took a little more than a week to create a level 38 Rogue. Having three difficulty levels adds significantly to the game's replayability.

If you explore Tristram, you will notice that two new interactive objects have appeared in it - a strange growth to the south and an ornate grave near the church. At first, it would appear that these don't do anything but you will discover their true purpose soon enough.

Hellfire's components are fully integrated into the game. The familiar old areas, monsters and items will be there as always. Once you reach the end of the expansion's plot, you can immediately get back to your original quest - slaying Diablo.

Of the new areas, the Demon Crypt is truly magnificent - it fits very well into the overall atmosphere of Diablo. It is as beautiful as it is creepy. Its levels are a good place for earning experience and finding good items. Spread throughout the Crypt are several journals too, which give you details on the backstory. Somewhere in this area is every Battle.net player's wet dream - the Cornerstone of the World, which acts as a device for transferring items between different characters.

In terms of items, Hellfire has a lot to offer. My personal favorite are the Oils - they work like potions, except the effect is applied to an item. Oils can repair items, improve their damage (weapons) or defense rating (armor), and increase an item's durability (or even make it indestructible).

Runes are small items that can be set as traps on the floor. Once a monster walks over one, it can get burned, zapped with lightning, or turned to stone.

Hellfire adds a bunch of new unique items - primarily jewelry, offering some interesting new options (such as doubling your gold-carrying capacity).

Of course, all of the new items can drop in the 16 original Diablo levels. Speaking of which, the old game areas have been updated with new shrines. Particularly interesting are the "Oily" shrine, whose effect depends on your character class, and the "Solar" shrine, whose effect depends on the time of the day (based on your system clock). There is even a "Murphy's Shrine", which always has a negative effect - stay away from that!

In terms of monsters, some of them look really good (and scary!) and some even use old artwork by Blizzard, which was intended for creatures that didn't make it into the final version of Diablo. Worth mentioning are the Reapers, the Liches, and the Satyr Lords. I enjoyed fighting them.

Most of the new spells are modifications of old ones. There are two uniques ones though - Berserk (makes monsters fight each other) and the very useful Search, which highlights items on the ground and on the map (in v1.01), making them easier to see and pick up.

There is a new character class - the Monk. I thought it was good to finally have a character focused on using staves. His other advantages is that he is pretty good at unarmed combat, can use light armor very well, and has Search as a native skill. He certainly offers a new and interesting gameplay experience.

Finally - "secret" content. Hellfire contains a hidden (and very silly) quest, which has something to do with the infamous "cow level" rumors back in the day. You may get this quest from a very bovine-looking person... and the quest reward is also pretty bovine in nature. I will say no more - this is something you should explore on your own.

The Bad
Hellfire suffers from two major setbacks.

First, it is VERY buggy. Hellfire is based on an older version of Diablo (1.04 if I'm not mistaken) and does not take advantage of bugfixes and improvements from patches released after this. Not only does Hellfire retain many of Diablo's old bugs, but it also introduces a few new ones of its own.

As I already mentioned in the previous part, it is highly recommended that you patch the game to v1.01 - this will fix most of the really nasty bugs. But not all of them. Therefore, be extra careful, save often, backup your characters, and be prepared for strange things to happen once in a while. In most cases, glitches can hopefully be fixed by restarting the game.

Second major setback - some of the new additions do not fit into the style of the Diablo universe at all. The Hive looks like something taken out of a low-budget sci-fi movie. Most of the monsters in it are alien in appearance and look more like the Zerg from StarCraft than evil Hell-spawned demons. Hellfire mixes genres in a way that speaks of poor taste. The story related to the Hive also doesn't fit very well into the overall Diablo plot - the nasty aliens are hungry and wish to consume the world and its inhabitants. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

Last but not least - Hellfire has no multiplayer. It is completely disabled.

The Bottom Line
Despite its shortcomings, Hellfire still has some value to it and is worth trying.

Casual RPG players are not likely to enjoy this expansion.

True Diablo fans, however, should definitely give it a try. There is much to see and learn in Hellfire. Being patient is paramount if you wish to enjoy its good features.

Sep 16th, 2011 · Windows

The best dungeon crawl ever just got better!
by Kalirion (665)

The Good
Lets see, two new zones to explore, three new characters (including the two secret ones), and a nutcase in a cow suit to boot (if you include the cow quest)! As if that weren't enough, you can now play the single player game in all three difficulty settings, greatly increasing the replay value!

The Bad
Its a shame that the game has no Battle.net support.

The Bottom Line
If you have Diablo, you have no excuse for passing this gem up. If you don't have Diablo, get both. Now. I said NOW!!!

Jun 21st, 2000 · Windows

I don't think that's a corn stalk...
by Hypercake (1316)

The Good
Finally! I always wanted a Diablo Addon... Even if Hellfire isn't really a marvel in game development it does it's job quite well.

First of all I liked the new ideas. The poor town of Tristram is now threatened by two "dark" forces. First, we've got Diablo and his cronies down into the Labyrinth. Second, we've got Na'Krul and his mutated cronies down into the Hive and Crypt.

Another thing that I liked would be the way you get to the Hive (the first new "place" brought by the addon). You help a poor farmer to get rid of a giant ... plant of some sort that "possessed" his fields. You get rid of the plant just to find out that a "doorway" to the hive is now opened. Happy hunting!

The addon also brings up a new character, the Monk. The monk is the perfect picture of balance between the original three characters. Even though his "search" skill isn't THAT useful.

The new quests are interesting and the classic H&S atmosphere was kept.

I also liked the new spells and items. I loved the runes (they act like traps... bombs... dynamites... or anything that blows when it's triggered.) and the Staff of the Jester (which casts random spells... it's extremely fun indeed.)

The Bad
The sound of the Hive creatures. Excuse me, but a bunch of mutated creatures shouldn't sound like robots! Some creatures are okay... but most of the other creatures sound like R2-D2.

And the Hive defiler looks a little bit too much like the Starcraft Defiler.

Oh, and the greatest flaw of this game would be the complete absence of the multiplayer mode. I wish I was able to clean up the crypt with a few friends...

The Bottom Line
A great game. Even if you don't overlook it's flaws the game is still great! Worth playing indeed.

Mar 23rd, 2008 · Windows

Plus 56 player ratings without reviews

Contributors to this Entry

Critic reviews added by Patrick Bregger, Alsy, Tim Janssen, Xoleras, Scaryfun, POMAH, JudgeDeadd, Cavalary, winterheart, Cantillon, Wizo, ti00rki, Apogee IV.