A Stellar ARPG Set in a Dark, Gritty Steampunk World
Crate Entertainment has finally released Grim Dawn, no small feat for an independent development studio that crowd-funded before crowd-funding was a big deal. With the game’s release, fans of darkly themed ARPGs with deep levels of class customization and visceral combat tied to a great story have gotten at long last the “spiritual successor” to Diablo 2 that fans have been pining about for years.
It’s not a far stretch to say that Crate has created the best ARPG graphics ever, though they are not for the faint of heart.
Gameplay - 10 | Gameplay in Grim Dawn is some of the best RPG action in recent memory. Hits actually hit. Skills are useful and can be made even more so by the excellent class hybrid, Devotion and item enhancement systems.
Visuals & Sound - 8 | Grim Dawn is a gritty, dirty, smelly, vermin-infested world. The developers have captured the story in a visual and aural way. Combat sound effects are fantastic as are the visual effects. The music, while somewhat overly repetitive, is very good as well. That cut scenes are missing is a bit sad. It would have made the story that much better.
Polish - 9 | There are very few bugs in Grim Dawn, though there is no way to move characters “intuitively” from one spot to another if there is a barrier of any type in the way resulting in numerous face plants into walls. The engine is smooth and responsive, graphics are top notch.
Longevity - 9 | Tons of replayability through the hybrid class system, Devotion system and with the varied levels of difficulty. The only caveat here is the repetitive nature of the quests experienced through subsequent play throughs.
Value - 10 | At (currently) $22.49 ($24.99 regularly), Grim Dawn is a great deal for your dollar. There simply isn’t a better game to buy that will keep you entertained for as many hours out there at the moment…if you love ARPGs, of course.
Great news! How big and trusted is this site?
From where I am (France), the game has sadly little to no publicity. It has been only reviewed by two major gaming sites : Gamekult and Millenium, but while the reviews are laudatory, they remain small and discreet.
Nice to see some positivity towards MMORPG.com, its own members seem to hate it, but I’ve generally appreciate their news coverage/reviews.
My only objection is to their description of the visuals. A bit over the top. GD is a dark game, but it doesn’t fall down the black and brown palette trap that most other games that call themselves dark do. I hate most dark games but really like GD’s art style and I would hate for people to think the game is brown mud without trying it.
Interesting review and it makes a point worth contemplating…
I am fully aware a small minority are having serious issues with crashes etc. In fact I had two in the past 24 hours.
However all things considered this is a remarkably bug free game. The length of time in alpha/beta has contributed to that. I do feel that the key element is the work put into this by Crate. A focus not just on playability but on providing a solid enjoyable experience.
Of course it isn’t anywhere near perfect but the gametyrant review sums it up very well:
AAA titles rarely manage to launch a game with this few showstopper bugs.
Hats off to Crate and, if I may say, the community that has kept feeding back the player experience and allowing them to make this as smooth an experience as it is.
There are more than just a few bugs but all in all this is a great game and definitely the real spiritual successor to Diablo 2. The gritty, dark environment, complemented by the surreal music and effects makes the game simply complete.
There should have been a small character creator as I dont think there were only that type of human within the walls of devil’s crossing. Perhaps a few set races, that the devs can work on instead of just sliders and having armor clipping all over the place.
