When comparing Graceful Explosion Machine vs Grim Dawn, the Slant community recommends Grim Dawn for most people. In the question“What are the best indie games on Steam?” Grim Dawn is ranked 37th while Graceful Explosion Machine is ranked 101st. The most important reason people chose Grim Dawn is:
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.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Very interesting shooter-style gameplay
You have one basic weapon and three special weapons, and strategically managing them can be quite interesting. The only way to use the three special weapons is through killing enemies and collecting their energy. Since this energy is finite, your firepower is ultimately limited. Different enemies are weak against different weapons, but you can't just spam them constantly since they will also overheat from too much use. Knowing when to use each weapon, conserving energy, and rotating among your arsenal to unleash maximum damage can be quite a fun experience.
Pro Scoring system encourages fast-paced arcade action
Getting the highest score on each level encourages fast-paced play thanks to the metrics of the scoring system. For example, going too long without a shooting an enemy or not rotating between weapons fast enough will cause your score to be lower. Flying your ship around, making full use of your various weapons, and shooting enemies quickly in an attempt to get the highest score possible results in some pretty intense arcade action since it pushes you to be aggressively involved at all times.
Pro Rewarding replayability
Taking what you've learned over time, and then playing challenge mode versions of older levels for a higher score is where the game truly shines. Learning how to properly manage your weapons, dealing with various enemy types, and learning to control your ship to evade attacks can all feel especially rewarding when you finally beat an old high score or take top position on the online leaderboards.
Pro Excellent visual appeal
The visuals are minimalist but bright and colorful. When blasting aliens to pieces, watching them explode into geometric shapes with bold lines and vibrant colors is super appealing. Weapon effects look great, and the animations on everything are incredibly smooth. Seeing the screen fill up with all kinds of well-defined shapes and bright colors compliments the action well. Despite all the colorful action taking place, it never feels cluttered or chaotic. The simple style makes it easy to track what's happening on-screen, resulting in a great visual experience.
Pro Exciting online leaderboards
Being able to compare your scores with other players is awesome. It can amp up the in-game excitement and make the action feel even more intense since you're competing with others.
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 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 Exploration
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.
Pro Drop-in co-op (online and local)
Co-op is pretty convenient as players can drop in and out of your gaming session at any time. This way there is no wasted time jumping out of ones game in order to find players to play with.
Cons
Con Many levels feel the same
Most levels are basically just a color swap from the one prior. There aren't a whole lot of enemy types either, meaning you'll be encountering the same ones throughout most of the game. Additionally, all weapon types are available from the start, so you'll be using the same ones for every level.
Con Getting hit by respawns doesn't feel fair
When new enemies spawn into the maps, sometimes they spawn way too close to your position. As a result, they'll get a few cheap hits in before you can evade them which feels highly unfair.
Con Difficulty spikes can ruin the fun
After the first world, there are some very sharp difficulty spikes where it's possible to hit a wall. These bottlenecks make it hard to progress and the resulting frustration can ruin the fun.
Con Only some builds are fun
There is a definite meta, with superefficient vs non-viable builds.
It's easy to mess up a build, and attribute and spec-bar points are non-respeccable (you can use a cheat editor, but devs want you to reroll a new char).
Con Difficult to move when fighting, especially when you are ranged
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 Lots of trips to town
The majority of loot in the game can be useless, with odd stat restrictions or repeats of vendor items. This means the user will need to make many trips into town to sell it all off in order to have room for even more loot they will not necessarily need.