That control scheme is both complex and impressive, considering how few buttons the Joy-Cons have on them and how functional it all is. The whole thing involves pressing in the analog stick and holding it - which deactivates your abilities on the face buttons - and then using the face buttons to input commands such as up or A for the quick menu, and right or B for return to town. This is the case with a few different shortcuts, like opening your map or for returning to town. The smaller number of buttons on each Joy-Con creates some interesting workarounds, like having to click in the control stick and then hit the top controller button in order to access the brilliant, console-only quick menu. Playing this way is surprisingly functional, but not necessarily comfortable. Just using what comes with the Switch out of the box, both you and your couch buddy can slay demons with a single Joy-Con each. The controls for Diablo 3 get a bit wonky once you throw another player into the mix.

Sure, you lack the precision of a mouse, but the demon-slaying, loot-grabbing chaos that you want from Diablo is still butter-smooth. With the Switch Pro Controller, the game plays beautifully. Playing Diablo with a controller has always been a bit strange, but surprisingly playable, and the Switch offers a variety of controller and play styles.

The Switch’s unique hardware creates a different kind of experience. The bad news is that, due to the handheld, on-the-go nature of the Switch, sometimes you won’t have access to the internet, walling you off from one of the game’s most enjoyable modes.

Blizzard stuffed a whole lot of Diablo into the diminuitive Switch.

The great news about Diablo 3 on Switch is that it’s Diablo 3 on Switch it’s as good as you might hope. But after putting roughly a thousand hours into the PC version over the past six years - spread across dozens of characters - I was still excited to sit down with the Switch version and start all over again. I’ve spent more time than I can count joyfully taking out demons and collecting piles of loot while also listening to music or talking with friends.

Diablo 3 nintendo switch controls