Diablo III: Eternally Collecting

There are plenty of games installed on my Nintendo Switch that I already owned on another platform before I bought them, but when my preordered copy of Diablo III: Eternal Collection arrives next month it will be my fifth version of the game. For so many reasons, that new subtitle for the Switch version seems especially fitting.

What the fuck is wrong with me? It has been months since I have even thought about playing Diablo III, I have max-leveled all of the game’s classes on at least one platform, and I can barely find the time to play the numerous new games that my undiagnosed compulsive shopping disorder demands I add to my collection every month. More than six years after I first “beat” Diablo III, why do I feel compelled to start the game over again, again?

Besides the act of preordering making my brain happy, one of the reasons is that having the option to play these games on the go (or, as is more frequently the case, on the toilet) still blows my mind. Any time I contemplate one of these purchases, I also convince myself that being able to play the game in question on a handheld means that this will be the version that I finish, or at least stick with for longer than I did the last time. Sometimes that works out (Darkest Dungeon, Skyrim, Stardew Valley), other times (Cave Story, Rocket League, SteamWorld Dig 2) it’s not even close.

I’m concerned that the Switch game might be inferior to other versions I have played, but I have faith that Blizzard would never knowingly put out a game that is likely to disappoint. I hope to enjoy clearing Diablo III’s greater rifts while perched on my porcelain throne for many months to come, at least until Diablo IV arrives and starts this ridiculous cycle anew.