The action RPG from Crate is designed as the spiritual successor to Titan Quest

Dec 7, 2013 14:01 GMT  ·  By

Grim Dawn's alpha plays pretty solid for an unfinished build. Most of the gameplay elements seem well implemented and the game already has some polish about it. The content available so far provides an enjoyable experience that even final titles sometime fail to deliver.

Grim Dawn is an action role-playing game in development by Crate Entertainment. The team features veterans from Iron Lore Entertainment, the game studio responsible for Titan Quest. Grim Dawn itself is built with an improved version of Iron Lore's engine and toolset and has been initially introduced as the spiritual successor to Titan Quest.

Players are thrust into the dark, war-torn world of Cairn where the human race is faced with extinction at the hands of two otherworldly powers, one seeking to use human bodies as a resource, the other intent upon the human race before that can happen.

The graphics are very good so far, the developers opting for a more somber looking color palette in order to reflect the gritty storyline, sporting washed-out colors and even fog covering some of the available play area.

Weather effects are well implemented and the developer intends to further focus on making atmospheric elements a stunning visual spectacle. Water reflections are stunning and hopefully a preview of what the finished visuals will be like.

Animations and visual effects are quite spectacular, item and skill procs having visual cues, enemies being thrown into the air or knocked back and having varied and gory death animations. Insect swarms, poison clouds, passive skill auras are all represented in beautiful detail that, during larger battles, give an overall feeling of epic engagement.

Level design is pretty good so far, taller buildings and environment elements being present without hindering the gameplay in any way, with maps being quite spacious and very comfortable to navigate from the consecrated isometric perspective such titles enjoy. The only problem is with some of the underground maps, as their entry/exit points do not always align with the surface world, causing some confusion.

The minimap overlay could also benefit from a larger zoom option to prevent scrolling and panning while looking for key areas.

NPC interaction, as observed thus far, hints at an increased level of depth, offering players multiple selectable options which may mean quest lines will not be entirely linear.

The only truly alpha-looking aspect of the game was that player animations seem to be too slow and are uninterruptible, making you feel like you are stuck , while your intention is to dodge some incoming fireballs. The character's responsiveness seems a bit laggy, which is a pity, considering the game's potential for projectile and melee dodging mechanics.

The items are well designed; you get abundant drops, most of which prove to be useful when starting up, and random enchantments seem pretty well focused on their physical or magical offensive/defensive bonuses, both static and scaling, and some even add new player skills. You don't find weird combinations of items, and all weapons and armor can be improved by a sort of upgradable socket system.

The character sheet features 3 main attributes, Physique, Cunning and Spirit, which are just fancier names for the three base stats the action RPG genre is based on.

The skill tree is similar to the one in Titan Quest; upon your first level-up, players are able to choose from 4 diverging paths, and once level ten is reached, they are able to choose a secondary specialization from the remaining three.

After that, subsequent skill points can be invested in either the general progression of the chosen path, which will offer small overall bonuses pertaining to its nature, or in individual active and passive skills. The more of an investment is made in a particular path, the more skills become available to the player, all-in-all making for exciting decision-making possibilities.

A welcome feature is the ability to buy back invested active and passive skill points – but not mastery points – as it can easily change the way you play the game, from tank to brawler to assassin or ranged combatant, providing a different perspective without having to start over from the very beginning.

The classes mainly feel like warrior, rogue, archer and conjurer so far, but prove to offer a certain refreshing flexibility as there is more than one way to endure the harsh reality of Cairn for each specialization.

The itemization options further explore this character customization freedom, players being able to engage a particular path in an even more personalized manner. If a player would desire to become a glass canon, that option is available for all the classes, even the hardy soldier.

On the opposite spectrum, the option to become an undefeatable bulwark is also a viable choice, sacrificing damage for durability, resulting in the safer player trudging through the game world at a slower pace.

The game is also pretty well balanced, difficulty-wise, as a tank-built soldier will experience little to no danger while facing the same enemy that is sure to put some dents in the armor of a soldier-nightblade hybrid. At the same time, the higher damage output of the second character will translate into faster kill times, so the risk versus reward mechanic is working as intended.

One of the most important missions such a title has to achieve is not to make grinding boring, and Grim Dawn so far manages to shine in this department, from the eye-catching visual experience to the freedom it affords players and the well-implemented skills and mechanics.

Apart from a couple of glitches here and there and the sluggish responsiveness and character animations, the game presents an engaging and ultimately very fun experience, even from its alpha state of development.

Grim Dawn is available on Steam Early Access for €25 / $34 and its omens so far point to a good investment. Crate Entertainment seem intent on delivering on their promise of quality, fun and engaging gameplay.

Grim Dawn Early Access Alpha screenshots (9 Images)

Grim Dawn Early Access Alpha
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