'Diablo 3: Wrath' Trailer Sets The Stage For RPG, Release Date A Week Away [VIDEO]

Blizzard Entertainment released an animated short titled Diablo III: Wrath on Tuesday, May 8 in order to provide backstory and build hype for the upcoming title in the popular role playing game (RPG) franchise. Watch the video here.

The seven-minute long cartoon opens on an old monk who sets the scene, saying, Since the first spark of creation angels have waged the eternal conflict to defeat the forces of darkness and corruption.

The video then cuts to an epic battle between demonic forces and a team of powerful archangels, the most powerful of which is Imperious, the archangel of valor. After decimating an army of monsters, Imperious rushes into an evil castle against the advice of the other angels, and comes face to face with Diablo, a red skinned demon.

Angel and demon square off and appear to be evenly matched until the other archangels show up. The narrator previously noted that their unity made them an indomitable force, and they quickly capture Diablo and tie him to a large stone. The archangels want to keep the demon alive, and note If you slay him he will only return in time, but if you imprison him.... But Imperious ignores his allies and kills Diablo, who delivers a warning with his dying words, saying So much for your unity, the trap at last is sprung.

The video then cuts back to the narrator, who worries that the celestial battle between good and evil may wreak havoc on humanity.

Angels, demons, I fear their conflict will soon engulf the world of men, he says. And when it does what hope will there be when even the wrath of angels cannot be quenched.

A summary of the video posted below the video on YouTube explains that the purpose of the cartoon is to summarize a story taking place thousands of years before the story of Diablo 3 takes place:

Long before the creation of Sanctuary, the Eternal Conflict between angels and demons raged on for untold millennia. Blizzard Entertainment teamed up with renowned director Peter Chung and acclaimed animation studio Titmouse to create this unique vision of a fundamental moment in the battle between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells.

Diablo 3 VP of Art and Cinematic Development Nick Carpenter announced the animated teaser last week.

In an effort to get you guys even more excited [for 'Diablo 3'] we've created this 2-D piece, Carpenter said in a behind the scenes teaser. We're super excited for you guys to sit down and take a look at it.

The most difficult part of making the video was deciding how to introduce and explain the individual personalities of the archangel characters, who had never before been introduced to the audience.

We've been hooking back and forth and many of these characters haven't been seen by the audience yet, so we're just trying to figure out how can we get these ideas out to our audience? said Chris Metzen, SVP of story and franchise development.

Diable 3, the third title in the dungeon-crawler trilogy is set for release one week from today on May 15th, following months of beta-tests and anticipation.The game will feature an auction house where players can buy and sell virtual items with real money, which has sparked some controversy among gamers. The news that Blizzard will be slapping a 15 percent tax on these transactions has also irked potential costumers. South Korea has already banned the real-money auction house feature, which conflicts with the country's strict anti-gambling stance.