Diablo 2 mod moves Resurrected into first-person VR

Diablo II: Resurrected is now playable in first-person virtual reality, through a fan-made mod that puts the camera inside the character. The mod was created by Sergious, who posts on Reddit as Fantastic-Author2736. Files for the project have been made available on GitHub. Eurogamer

The mod was built for Diablo II: Resurrected, the updated version of Blizzard's dungeon crawler. That is normally played from a raised, fixed camera looking down on the action. This version switches to a first-person view, meaning what you see is what the hero would see.

Footage of the mod in action follows the Sorceress, one of the game's character classes, out in the fields of the starting area. She walks through grass and paths and fires fireballs at zombies and other enemies. It is a familiar opening. Seen at eye level, it looks very different.

The interface has been rebuilt for the headset. Health and mana pools — the red and blue gauges that track life and magical energy — plus the toolbar sit on the player's left forearm. Inventory hangs at the belt. The map is held in the hand.

Sergious built the mod using FlatVR and BodyWalk, two tools for adapting flat-screen games for headsets. BodyWalk is not required to play it. The project also uses an existing 3D conversion mod to give the world depth. IGN

What makes this stand out is how much has to change. Diablo II was designed for clicking enemies from a distance. In VR, aiming, moving and checking supplies all happen with the body. For fans, this means a 25-year-old structure with a completely new perspective.