Recent reviews by Bass_Node

Great gameplay, simple mechanics that build on each other quite well, outstanding art style and level/area design, wonderful storytelling with just the right amount of Lovecraftian horror! Wonderful game!

Easily one of, if not the best example of a modern MetroidVania game. Challenging bosses, simple, intuitive mechanics, a gorgeous soundtrack, wonderful environments, what's not to like? Team Cherry really nailed it with this one. Well done.

This game is irritatingly addictive. I spent the weekend I got it playing it, instead of doing work I had intended to do.

This is an ARPG, and as such, there's not a whole lot of innovation when it comes to the actualy gameplay. Overhead view, point a spam your mousebutton, pick up loot. This isn't to say it doesn't do this well, as I found the experience to be enjoyable. Intuitive controls, good challenge level (i.e., I'm not throwing my mouse in frustration of how hard it is, but I do sometimes have to think tactically, and retreat to defeat the horde against me).

Where this game earns its points is in its passive skill tree, it's gem-based skills (think materia from FFVII), and its in-game economy.

The passive skill tree can be a little overwhelming at first, since there is a LOT. Once you spend a little time perusing it, and understanding how it works, it can start to seem kind of dull (how many times can you get a +10 to dex before you're looking for a little more, though there are other nodes to work with!). Then, it hits you. I can completely customize this character, and how it plays. Want to be a duel-weilding lighning specialist? Can do. Fire-based summoner? Alright, we can do that. Want to just TANK with a really big axe? We can do that, too. The possibilities for different builds are bountiful.
Combine the skill tree with experience-gaining leveling skill orbs that can be socketed into items, and you have a great combination for customization.

The economy is another place where the devs took a different route than many others. Money doesn't exist in this game. Instead, you have barter system. Normal items give you pieces of Wisdom scrolls (read: identify item), which eventually form into a whole scroll. Whole scrolls also drop as loot, so this isn't your only means of ID'g an item. Magical itmes might be worth augmentation shards, or transmutation shards, or other items. While there is a formula to what the vendors give in exchange for what, it does teach you to think about loot grabs differently than other games. In Diablo, or Torchlight for example, eventually normal items got left behind for magical, and even those eventaully weren't worth the inventory space. In PoE, every item gets looked at individually. Are you in need of ID scrolls? Start picking up low-space normals. Are you looking for a specific socket pattern for a weapon you want to try to craft? Each item could be that thing you want! Even that normal sword that, in other ARPGs would get left behind! I personally found this to be a refreshing change of pace.
Even the meta-economy gets a little more interesting with no money. What exactly is that unique piece of armor worth to you?

The best part of this game is its price. Free. And actually FREE. Not, "free to sign up, but in order to beat this boss you need to spend $5 to get this one item you will only use once." GGG has made a commitment to makig this game truly free. While there are microtransactions available, they are purely cosmetic, offer no advantage, and are completely voluntary. I am more likely to spend money on these, because they aren't forced on me, than I am any "need to buy to progress" stuff. If you are enjoying the game, I suggest grabbing some of this as it helps the devs continue to make great games, and you get nifty effects for your character (like flaming footprints, or glowing blue weapons!)

I haven't done any parties or PvP yet, so I can't comment on those mechanics, but I plan to check those out a little more as the time goes on.

So far, great game. The first expansion is being released in a few days from this review, and I can't wait to see what these guys come up with!

Not a bad game. It's clearly a Diablo clone, but, after finding out who the developers were (mostly Diablo developers!) I can understand why that is! They took a formula that worked, and tweaked it slightly. If you enjoy ARPGs you'll probably enjoy this one. Nothing terribly new to speak of, though the pet is a nice additional mechanic.
If you're looking for a dungeon crawling ARPG with nice atmosphere that you can do a level or two when you've got some time, this will be a good pickup for you.