Whenever a game like Lost Ark comes out, it shows the public is still hungry for something that looks and sounds and plays even a tiny bit like Diablo. Lost Ark does provide what is the crudest part of the appeal of something like Diablo - i.e. a thousand chittering enemies flying at you at once as you vaporise them with minimal clicking - but I wouldn't say it's a lovingly crafted version of it. Like the difference between the Wicked Witch in Snow White and a Halloween costume in a plastic bag labelled Legally Distinct Evil Magic Stepmother. But there are also things I appreciate about Lost Ark in general, and its version of [flaps hands] whatever this is.
In the spirit of Lost Ark's slightly older (one might even say dated?) sensibilities, I'm going to break it down like I'm reviewing the game in a 90s game mag, separating the game into its constituent parts - just as one can remove the egg from a cake after baking it. Although I should make it clear I'm not doing our proper Lost Ark review. That honour falls to Ed, who is more plugged in to modern MMORPGs than I am. I'm just here to talk about how Lost Ark does and does not compare to Diablo - specifically Diablo II, because that's the best one.