Diablo IV fans, new and old would be thrilled to find out that Blizzard had revealed their 3-part series called Beyond the Veil as part of the launching of Diablo IV’s recently launched major expansion release, Vessel of Hatred. Through it, fans get to explore the dual lives of individuals who balance their daytime responsibilities with a passion for gaming by night. Episode 1 of the series debut will feature Father Antonio Zabala, a real-life Catholic priest from the Philippines who shares his insights on Diablo and how it intersects with his life and beliefs.

Father Antonio is no ordinary Diablo enjoyer, he is actually a priest  and college administrator in service with San Sebastian College. His heroic deeds against the forces of Hell started from an opportunity granted to him by chance. “The first PC game I played was a product from Blizzard Entertainment, StarCraft, the original, and the expansion set.”, as shared by Father Antonio. “Then when my superiors assigned me to work in the United States, I encountered another Blizzard product, Diablo. I started playing it, I was attracted to it.”, he added.

When talking about Diablo as a whole, Father Antonio explains that for him, “Diablo is the visual representation of the struggles of every people.” and that making choices on the daily “to combat evil”, moment to moment made him realize that’s how we face life itself. This is important as once we realize it, “you learn how to apply it in your life.”, is what he believes.

On top of that, he too personally finds his real life profession as a religious priest has him feel a certain resonation towards the Diablo IP. “I help people in their struggles. In the same manner, Diablo characters help people in the game, all in the name of doing good.”, he added.

Father Antonio also mentioned that when talking about Nyrelle, “-is so full of anger and hatred because of the death of her mom. I encounter people with the same emotion.” and because of this, he feels personally touched by her journey. When someone like Neyrelle comes up to him in real life, he states that “It’s up to the counseling side of my ministry to convince them to be more forgiving so that in the end, you fight evil by doing good.”.

Aside from the themes of humanity and morality that resonated with him through Diablo, he comfortably shares his love in being a Barbarian from the very first game. “In terms of character, I love the Barbarian. From Diablo 1 to 2, 3, and now 4, I always choose the Barbarian. Why? Because fighting evil means there is no mercy. Evil engulfs you, evil wins over you and takes you in. You go in there, fight them, and win the battle.”, as stated by Antonio and that’s why he had always loved the character class.

Lastly, Father Antonio’s hopes that players and fans of Diablo alike are able to take a step back and be inspired by the hidden messages and themes that are present in the series as a whole to achieve prosperity in life. “Diablo is a wonderful game. I’m looking forward to the expansion, and I hope you gamers out there find that lesson and apply it in your life to be successful and happy.”, he added.

Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred is currently out on Windows PC via Battle.net and Steam, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and even Xbox Game Pass. For more information, please visit their official website.

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