Long Review Inc.

I have a lot of nostalgia attached to games I grew up playing, and I often have trouble finding new ones. In the ARPG genre, I grew up on Diablo II, and spent hundreds, if not thousands, of hours in that game.

Since then, few have held my interest the same way: Torchlight, Torchlight 2, Titan Quest being the exceptions.

Until now.

Grim Dawn may be my favorite game in the genre now. I cannot say enough about it.

Grim Dawn was made by the makers of Titan Quest, and many of the game systems share many of the same features. The game offers a playthrough style identical to Diablo 2, where the player plays through the narrative three times. The first playthrough can be played on either Normal or Veteran (harder, yet better loot) offering a better play experience for new and experienced players alike.

Priced at $25, this game is a steal. Half the price of a Triple-A game, yet all the quality.

The classes allow a lot of variety and experimentation. The player picks two "classes" each with several different possible playstyles, combining them into the player's final "class." While it could use a few more skills in each class, the mix of actives and passives, and the accompanying devotion system, leave countless ways to play your character. Even in the same class, one could playthrough several different ways. Combine this with skills granted by items and the player is presented a deep class system with enough variety for playthrough after playthrough.

On the subject of items, the game offers quite a few affixes on items, giving a lot of depth to gearing. A player new to the genre may be intimidated by the number of possible stats on any piece of gear, but the game difficulty is such that a player should have no trouble absorbing what each one does by the time that knowledge is necessary.

The aforementioned devotion system is a large array of passives, allowing a character multiple ways of augmenting needed stats and acquiring new abilities.

The tone is dark and gritty, yet as the narrative progresses, the aesthetics and the mob types change, so as to offer the player a variety of visuals and combat scenarios. The UI is unobtrusive, and yet presents enough information to allow smooth gameplay.

The one drawback for me is bagspace and stash size. They are too small. That is the case in EVERY loot-based game, so here I do not dwell. However, the extra bag space you get is separated from the main bag, leaving you with several smaller containers, rather than one large one. A minor complaint, but one I feel worth mentioning.

Overall, this is one of the best games I have played in a long time. If you loved Titan Quest, or any other classic ARPG, this game is for you. The price is a steal. Seriously. Buy it.

Update: The expansion, Ashes of Malmouth has continued this game's tradition of exceeding my expectations. There are more monsters. More items. More class masteries. More skills. This game is thoroughly worth its price and more.

Long Review Inc. I have a lot of nostalgia attached to games I grew up playing, and I often have trouble finding new ones. In the ARPG genre, I grew up on Diablo II, and spent hundreds, if not thousands, of hours in that game. Since then, few have held my interest the same way: Torchlight, Torchlight 2, Titan Quest being the exceptions. Until now. Grim Dawn may be my favorite game in the genre now. I cannot say enough about it. Grim Dawn was made by the makers of Titan Quest, and many of the game systems share many of the same features. The game offers a playthrough style identical to Diablo 2, where the player plays through the narrative three times. The first playthrough can be played on either Normal or Veteran (harder, yet better loot) offering a better play experience for new and experienced players alike. Priced at $25, this game is a steal. Half the price of a Triple-A game, yet all the quality. The classes allow a lot of variety and experimentation. The player picks two "classes" each with several different possible playstyles, combining them into the player's final "class." While it could use a few more skills in each class, the mix of actives and passives, and the accompanying devotion system, leave countless ways to play your character. Even in the same class, one could playthrough several different ways. Combine this with skills granted by items and the player is presented a deep class system with enough variety for playthrough after playthrough. On the subject of items, the game offers quite a few affixes on items, giving a lot of depth to gearing. A player new to the genre may be intimidated by the number of possible stats on any piece of gear, but the game difficulty is such that a player should have no trouble absorbing what each one does by the time that knowledge is necessary. The aforementioned devotion system is a large array of passives, allowing a character multiple ways of augmenting needed stats and acquiring new abilities. The tone is dark and gritty, yet as the narrative progresses, the aesthetics and the mob types change, so as to offer the player a variety of visuals and combat scenarios. The UI is unobtrusive, and yet presents enough information to allow smooth gameplay. The one drawback for me is bagspace and stash size. They are too small. That is the case in EVERY loot-based game, so here I do not dwell. However, the extra bag space you get is separated from the main bag, leaving you with several smaller containers, rather than one large one. A minor complaint, but one I feel worth mentioning. Overall, this is one of the best games I have played in a long time. If you loved Titan Quest, or any other classic ARPG, this game is for you. The price is a steal. Seriously. Buy it. Update: The expansion, Ashes of Malmouth has continued this game's tradition of exceeding my expectations. There are more monsters. More items. More class masteries. More skills. This game is thoroughly worth its price and more.