Recs.
Updated
Grim Dawn is an old-school themed action RPG hack'n slash game with a dark story and gritty graphics.
SpecsUpdate
Pros
Pro Great homage to old school ARPGs
This game is very dark, and grim. It harkens back to games like Diablo 2 or Titans Quest. While other ARPGs have come out since then, none have hit all the marks of what fans of the genre have been asking for. For those that wish for an updated version of Diablo 2, Grim Dawn is the game for them.
Pro Complex leveling system with thousands of possible builds
Basically you choose 1 class and select skills as you level up. At level 10 you can select a second class, which already gives you 5x5=25 character type possibilities.
Each character has dozens of skills, plus you have this additional passive skill tree that you unlock through cleansing shrines. Then there is item customization with crafted "modifiers", adding additional unique stats and skills that you can use, all this adds literally to thousands / millions of character possibilities.
Do you want to use a double weapon shooting lightning bolts? You can do that. Do you want to summon your creatures and support them with fireballs? You can do that as well, you can push it wherever you want.
Pro Hand-crafted level design with minimum procedural generation
Grim Dawn takes a different approach to level design than some other recent aRPGs such as Diablo 3 or Path of Exile. Instead of using procedural generation, each level is carefully hand-crafted, which adds much more attention to detail and makes the scenes appear more lively. There is still a procedural element when in caverns and forests random paths appear closed, adding some randomization, but the world map always stays the same (which is not even possible to have with procedurally generated levels). Additional nice feature which comes from ditching the procedural generation is secret rooms such as cleverly hidden breakable walls with lots of loot behind them. Of course secrets are not secret anymore for hardcore veterans, but for 99% of players finding a secret breakable wall that is hiding a chest sprawling with unique items is a very satisfying experience.
Pro True successor to classical action RPGs
This game is very dark, and grim. It harkens back to games like Diablo 2 or Titans Quest. While other ARPGs have come out since then, none have hit all the marks of what fans of the genre have been asking for. For those that wish for an updated version of Diablo 2, Grim Dawn is the game for them.
Pro Highly modifiable
Relevant in modern gaming because the community can keep products like this fresh and varied, even if the developers eventually decide to slow down their updates (which they have not!). The possibilities are great with modding, while the experiences in Diablo 3 and Path of exile are a lot more static.
Cons
Con Damage types are just colors - don't do different things
Cold damage vs Piercing damage vs Fire damage are just different colors - enemies' defenses aren't visible or significant enough to really change how you fight, so different builds are just finding what combination of skills make your numbers big enough to win. Likewise, there are enough different damage types, and enough different enemies who use them in different areas, that you can't effectively tune your build to specific enemies unless you're just spamming one dungeon repeatedly.
Con Static pre-rendered levels
This may cut down on replayability a bit as all the levels in the game are pre-rendered, meaning that each playthrough will have the exact same layout, making for something that can get tiring and too familiar. Similar games have gone with randomized levels, which can keep the game fresh. While Grim Dawn is meant to be a throwback to earlier games in the genre, some newer features found in more recent released would have been welcome.
Con Story is so bad that it's more fun if you don't read story or lore entries.
Story is laughably bad, with every bit of story you uncover just being people being the worst they can be, consistently. Every villain is mustache-twirling evil with no motivation - grim dark fantasy is Witcher level, this is just stupid. Ignore the story and it's an okay game.