Don’t click here if you don’t want Diablo III spoilers.
Back in the day, before questions of server crashes or permanent online requirements, the biggest controversy about Diablo III was its art style. Fans called it cartoonish “WoW gayness,” and claimed that it didn’t represent Diablo. The developers, of course, disagreed, though series creator Bill Roper thought the fans had a point.
Either way, Blizzard was never above poking fun at the controversy, whether in claims that there would be sparkle-farting unicorns as enemies, the double-rainbow (all the way!) that marked the end of the BlizzCon 2010 demo, or this magnificent T-shirt that is sadly sold out in my size. But if you’re going to make fun of something, you should go all the way.
In this case, “all the way” means “making it a playable level in the final game.”
Enter “Whimsyshire,” the Diablo III version of Diablo II‘s infamous “Secret Cow Level.” Like the Diablo II secret, Whimsyshire pits players up against hordes of four-hooved farm animals in search of loot. Unlike the Secret Cow Level, Whimsyshire’s enemies come straight out of My Little Pony.
That’s not an exaggeration, either – with names like “Rainbow Western,” “Midnight Sparkle,” “Nightmarity” and “Nightmare is Magic,” it’s more an explicit reference than anything else. Not that Blizzard is any stranger to pop culture references in its games, of course.
How does one get to Whimsyshire, anyway? It involves the acquisition of otherwise useless-seeming items, for one. You can read more about it here, and I’m sure there are walkthroughs all around the internet, but part of the fun is figuring it out on your own, right?
All I know is that Whimsyshire is the best ending to the silly “art controversy” that anyone could have ever imagined. Well played.
Source: Battle.net
