Grim Dawn Definitive Edition

I never heard about this game until Summer 2021, when it was on sale on Steam. A couple of friends and I bought it on a whim because we were looking for a new co-op game. It was cheap, so I had low expectations... Here I am in Fall 2021... over 200 hours in Grim Dawn on Steam. I found Grim Dawn so enjoyable that I decided to buy the definitive edition again on GOG to support the develops of this incredible game. Grim Dawn is an ARPG masterpiece with gameplay and systems that strike that perfect balance between depth, challenge, and fun. It also has an interesting story and lore if you're willing to pay attention to dialogue and the many texts scattered throughout the world. In the end, my only complaint about the game is that multiplayer can be a bit buggy (occasional crashes and de-sync). However, the multiplayer can still be very enjoyable, and the I never had a single issue while playing single-player (no crashes, no observed bugs, and single-player is also VERY fun). You can tell the developers put a lot of effort into this game.

I had watched the YouTube videos like I always do before purchasing a game and decided, a long time ago, that I probably wouldn't like this game. Welp, I was on a game shopping spree and saw this gem on sale. I thought to myself "Meh, it's not that much so if I don't like it, no big deal." OMG, I can't stop playing it. This edition, along with the DLCs, is so huge, I can easily see myself putting in 1k hours or more. The quests are plentiful, the combat is simple, yet fun. The variety of monsters, the deeper you progress, is interesting and challenging, of course. The loot is fantastic, reminds me of the Dungeon Siege system. It's a huge sandbox, guys. If you're into hack n' slash, obtaining random loot or loot for quests completed, choices, adventuring, whatever, this game is for you. I hardly ever buy games from GOG at "regular" price but if I knew then what I know now, yeah, I would have paid full price. It's that awesome. This game really surprised me because I didn't think I'd like it so much. Hell, I can't stop playing. There are some dark elementals to the game which I absolutely love. I don't review games often but I had to give my opinion for this awesome game. This game may not be for everyone, but from the reviews, it is a game for most. Crate Entertainment, in my opinion, hit a home run with this one. The only regret is not purchasing this game sooner. If Grim Dawn 2 ever comes out, I hope I'm finished with the first one before that. Bottom line, guys, if you've been mulling over buying this game, don't do like I did, don't wait an eternity to get it. Just get it. Peace y'all.

This game transcends ARPG genre and is a fantastic game period. -Story is well written. The small parts of voice acting are well done. There's enough meaningful dialogue choice to mix it up. The notes they put in the game that you read provide a lot of context and backstory that you will find very interesting, but not overwhelming like elder scrolls, etc. -Gameplay is stellar, everything is well balanced. There's a mix of combat options so you can pick whatever style suites you. It's not twitchy, but also not just hack n slash right click button mashing without thought either. -The theme of the game is amazing, like apocalyptic victorian era. I can't tell if I'm in steampunk, lovecraft, game of thrones or indiana jones and I love it all. -Class trees and the stat and loot system are what really set this game apart. You have near infinite customization. Want a wizard who has a giant axe and chops people to death? You got it. How about a rogue type that shoots fireballs at range? No problem! If you can dream it you can pretty much make it. There's even a class that throws shields that return to him, hello captain america! -Tons of stuff to do. If you rush straight through the main story you can finish this game and expacs in like 12 hours, but with all the side quests and exploration it's going to be more like 50 and that's without trying the harder difficulties or farming for the best gear. This game can easily provide hundreds of hours of fun. If I were to nitpick, some find this game hard to approach due to the complexity of the stats and how they all work off each other. Also normal mode is not challenging. But I think that's the point, normal mode is there so you can learn the game and how it functions without dying constantly. It seems intentional. Graphics are functional but don't really impress. But this game is all about fun, not looking pretty, and it doesn't look dated, just not as nice. Music is great but repetitive as there aren't many tracks.

For me (an avid player of ARPGs), the holy trinity is Diablo 2, Path of Exile, and Grim Dawn. It's basically Titan Quest, but grimdark and a lot more polished. Things that stand out: -GD has a completely hand-crafted overworld and dungeon maps with few loading screens. -So many secrets! Seriously, every dungeon has at least one breakable wall, and there are hidden quests and treasure everywhere. The game truly rewards exporing every nook and cranny. -Building a character with two classes give so many options and synergies. -Mod support, and a thriving mod community. You can play a remake of Diablo 2 completely within Grim Dawn. It's actually good, too. -Graphics are dated, but charming, and the art direction is great. -It's still being supported, updated, and there's a new expansion coming. If you like old school offline moddable top down ARPGs, and don't own Grim Dawn yet, you should probably fix that. If you don't like the genre, it won't change your mind...And if you require your top down ARPGs to be super fast and MMO-lites, you also won't like it. It's not Diablo 4 or Lost Ark at all.

This was a weird one. I bought it years ago, had a couple hour bash and put it aside until recently (several years later). Diablo 4 just came out and looking at it I didn't want to sign up to battlenet nor fork out $120 for it, so I loaded up Grim Dawn. WOW.... why did I wait so long to play this?! Amazing! I love the various options of character builds, the storyline, even the graphics and music are solid (although nothing will ever match the theme from Tristram). Highly recommend giving this a go if you want something that hearks back to the era of Diablo 1 & 2 for fun.