When comparing GoNNER 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 GoNNER is ranked 93rd. 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 Intense platforming gameplay
While the vast majority of GoNNER's gameplay consists of running, jumping, and shooting groups of mysterious red creatures, two design choices really up the intensity of each playthrough.
First, the procedurally-generated environments are fairly narrow. This means combat turns into claustrophobic encounters where there's very little room to evade and kite enemies. Because of this, most kills will happen at point blank range, making it feel a little too close for comfort.
Second, while enemies and objects of interest are always visible, the level's platforms fade into existence as you move close to them and disappear as you move away. This adds a layer of uncertainty, slowing down the exploration since it's hard to tell where you'll hit a wall and where you'll tumble down into a pit of enemies.
These two aspects combined with the permadeath mechanic, create a very intense roguelike experience that can easily keep you entertained for dozens of hours.
Pro You retain progression after dying
Playing roguelike games can be disheartening, because messing up means all your effort will go to waste. In GoNNER, even after you die, you still retain the gear you've collected, which can be viewed by visiting "Death" in its monochrome domain. There you can select from the collected pieces of gear and head into a new playthrough. As a result, GoNNER is a great choice for players that would like to try a roguelike game, but dislike the idea of starting from scratch every time they die.
Pro Unique visual style
GoNNER takes a very minimalist approach to visuals, using the bare minimum to decorate its levels and portray the on-screen action. There's a solid color background, sketched lines that create the world's platforms, yellow projectiles and colorful (mostly red) characters. Despite the sheer simplicity, it looks really nice while also making the worlds inhabitants more interesting, since you're not excessively focusing on environmental details. GoNNER feels like a refreshing change of pace in an era of games where every developer tries to cram as much into a single screen as possible.
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 Might feel a little too cryptic at times
Aside from the intro sequence where you're taught to jump and shoot, GoNNER never provides an explanation about anything, whether it's the gameplay mechanics or its mysterious setting. While the concept of "figuring stuff out on your own" works well in other games, here it just serves to needlessly add confusion on top of difficulty, which can worsen the experience for some players.
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.