Diablo is playable in web browser

Anyone who has fond memories of the original 1996 Diablo can relive the game from the Internet browser. This is the shareware version of the game. Developer Rivsoft has made the port of the original.

The shareware version requires a 50MB download that takes a few minutes, but then the original Diablo can actually be played in the browser. Players who own the original, via GoG or otherwise, can load the original diabdat.mpq file to play the entire game in the browser.

The shareware version has its limitations; for example, after starting the game you cannot talk to the character Adria the Witch, which is possible in the full version. In any case, it is possible to enter the dungeon and make your way through skeletons and other scum.

The GitHub page states that it is a reconstruction of Diablo’s original source code, created by two development teams. Everything is kept as it was with the original, including bugs and poorly written code, according to the makers.

One of the creators tells GitHub that he played a lot of Diablo as a teenager, but that it became difficult to play the game on new hardware. He says it seemed like a losing battle, but that in 1997 there was a negligence that made this port possible.

He points to the source code that the original team of Diablo gave to Climax Studios for a PlayStation port. Sony turned out to have accidentally put a symbol file with the necessary information on the Japanese port. Using the debug tools, the developers managed to reconstruct Diablo’s original source code.