Grim Dawn - Review @ Gamespot

[HiddenX]

Gamespot has reviewed the action RPG Grim Dawn:

Grim Dawn Review

Bloody. Depressing. Brutal. And just about perfect.

Grim Dawn is a fast-paced, gory, and loot-filled action RPG that deserves a spot among the greats of the genre. The developers at Crate Entertainment have ticked off all the boxes that hack-and-slash fans want, and as one of those fans, I was reminded of countless experiences from the past, but there's more to Grim Dawn than old tricks.

[...]

Grim Dawn can be like pulling the lever on a slot machine, the only difference being that the reward here isn’t cash but the gory explosion of beasts and the clink of loot-drops. I know from personal experience that this game has that certain something, and even if you think that you've grown tired of games of its ilk, Grim Dawn has enough tricks up its sleeve to charm even the most grizzled veteran.

Score: 8/10

The Good

• Nails the action RPG formula just about perfectly
• Great rhythm and balance between speedy combat, loot drops, and plot points
• Impressive range of character classes and skill development
• Beautifully realized visuals loaded with eerie details
• Expansive solo campaign

The Bad

• Combat grows monotonous over time
• Small inventory space is at odds with the heavy flow of loot

More information.

 

[basharran]

Bag space is not really an issue as you follow the plot line you will get additional bags to add to your standard bag. So did they really play the game?

 

[Archangel]

Bag space is not really an issue as you follow the plot line you will get additional bags to add to your standard bag. So did they really play the game?

But stash and shared stash are small.

 

[DarNoor]

Just curious how sales are going. I really hope they have done well enough to make a sequel.

 

[forgottenlor]

They've sold 380,000 plus copies on Steam. I think anything over 100k can be considered a very big success for a small team. Of course they sold a good portion of that during early access. I'm not sure how many have bought it since release. I'm also hoping they'll make another game.

 

[suibhne]

Yeah, the stash is small, but the inventory bags are huge. By halfway through the plot, you have a ridiculous amount of space, and the ability to open a Personal Rift at any time means it's a non-issue - again, unless you're specifically talking about the stash, which is legit frustrating.

 

[arthureloi]

One big gripe I have with the game is the lack of enemy variety. Throughout the whole game I was dealing with the same enemies. There were not enough types of mobs IMO and the range of enemies I did see was badly spread. Aside from that, a pretty solid game overall and I am looking forward for what comes next.

 

[They Live]

About stash space : the day after mod tools will be released - before the end of this month - people will do several mods to make it bigger/infinite.

@arthureloi can you explain what you mean in details? Enemies are fairly different in my opinions : chtonians, aetherials, undead, gangsters, beasts and each one of this cathegory has lot of variants. I'm not mentioning bosses or nemesis bosses.

 

[rune_74]

One big gripe I have with the game is the lack of enemy variety. Throughout the whole game I was dealing with the same enemies. There were not enough types of mobs IMO and the range of enemies I did see was badly spread. Aside from that, a pretty solid game overall and I am looking forward for what comes next.

I was playing this yesterday and was thinking about what you said in variety of enemies....I don't actually agree with you.

It seems they have quite a few in comparison with other games. Some 40 hours in I continue to find new enemies and (yes I see varieties of older enemies) But I think they did a good job on them.

 

[TheSHEEEP]

The game really isn't bad, I'd say it is pretty good, but for some reason what it mostly did was make me want to play PoE again...

Grim Dawn really did start to feel very monotonous to me after 12 or so hours spent.

 

[arthureloi]

About stash space : the day after mod tools will be released - before the end of this month - people will do several mods to make it bigger/infinite.

@arthureloi can you explain what you mean in details? Enemies are fairly different in my opinions : chtonians, aetherials, undead, gangsters, beasts and each one of this cathegory has lot of variants. I'm not mentioning bosses or nemesis bosses.

The main enemies in this game are the cthonians and the aetherials. Even though you get a variety of enemies during the journey, you're constantly fighting these groups, which, by itself, is not a bad concept. Things turn sour, in my opinion, when those factions are represented by the same groups of enemies. What this means is that the same overminds, adulants, cold ones, furies, butchers etc I was battling by the first act are the same guys I'm fighting with by the third and fourth. The second act has a nice change of atmosphere but the same mobs are brought after that.
Harpies, for example, are cool enemies that are restricted to an area. What I think they should have done is aggregate the new mobs you find as cthonians or aethereals as the game progresses. For example, after facing the harpies, you would, in the future, find aetherial harpies. After fighting bonetusks or manticores, you would find twisted cthonian versions of them. This would result in a richer array of enemies later on, without sacrificing the need to keep the theme centered on aetherials and cthonians. The way it is now, the last acts are a real slog to play, I was always using the same tactics because, mostly, all I would find were the cookie cutter enemies I was facing in the laboratory.