Diablo 4 makes me feel guilty as hell

pcgamer.com:

With the dust now settled on the first weekend of the Diablo 4(opens in new tab) beta, the word on the street(opens in new tab) is that it is a return to form for Blizzard and the series, with the game delivering previously unseen layers of gameplay and mechanics(opens in new tab) that have gone down really well.

But, in my mind, the game’s biggest success is how it delivers a tone and atmosphere that is so pervasively religious that it resonated with me as someone who, despite being an atheist since my teenage years, was taken to church as a child. And, boy, does Diablo 4 tap into the feelings of inadequacy, guilt and belonging that I feel Christianity can culture within its congregations.

I mean, to my eyes, it’s literally baked into the game. Just look at how, upon approaching and trying to gain entrance to the city of Kyovashad, the player is requested to ‘cleanse’ themselves in a ‘Rite of Passage’, an action that involves confessing one of your sins, writing it onto a piece of cedar wood, and then throwing it into a fire. Your choices, of course, include options predominantly from the seven deadly sins, such as anger, greed and pride. Right from the start the hero’s mortal fallibility and imperfection is pushed to the forefront.

Diablo 4's brand new live action trailer (viewable above) shows how the game has leaned into Christian religious symbolism, with Activision Blizzard actually taking over a medieval cathedral in France and painting Baroque-style scenes and characters from the game onto its walls and roof. These characters are, literally, in the place where Christian angels, saints, and its deity would be depicted, really hammering home the link.

You’re a sinner, and sinners surround you at every turn. Just