If we’re getting into older ARPGs, I’ve tried a couple:
- I enjoyed both the Torchlights. Story and questing were pretty decent. A lot of it was clearly a throwback to Diablo. I agree with your take on the campaign being whatever.
- Loved Sacred:Gold and I think it has the best open world in an isometric ARPG.
- Tried Inquisitor and didn’t have fun time despite its unique setting and aesthetics.
- Don’t recommend Lionheart since it’ll break your heart after Barcelona.
- Had a fun time with Van Helsing.
- Liked Kult and but not its sequel.
- Tower of Kalemonvo is a good love letter to fans of Diablo I.
Coming from Diablo II. I just couldn’t stand it.
The always online is what has prevented me from trying either of the two Path of Exile games so far.
I tried it last weekend and it felt like it was Hollywood’s interpretation of mythology. Sure, the enemies aren’t your usual fantasy RPG monsters, but it felt super shallow and uninteresting from a questing perspective. Titan Quest 2 has the same problems.
Although, I give TQ points for not trying to do yet another medieval fantasy setting.
I’m curious to know how the engine is shaping up. They plan to use the same engine for the RTS, which is an interesting choice.
PoE2 seems to be quite well liked, I think you might enjoy it. Even I’m feeling tempted to try it despite my aversion for always online games.
Sacred 2 and Dungeon Siege are on my backlog.
I haven’t played enough modern games to know what enticing mechanics can be adopted by the devs for a sequel. But Crate devs have a knack for good quest design. I hope they expand upon the C&C system and reactivity in the sequel. They also have an excellent sense of world design, while a proper open-world game from Crate might not be practical but that’s the dream for me.