Let me just start out by saying Grinding Gear Games has been nothing but a fantastic company to be able to follow. I have donated more than a few times and have not felt buyers remorse once because they are such a fantastic company that I hope gains so much more support and popularity. They have a way of interacting with the community that I think really goes above and beyond the standards set by other current generation gaming companies.
Path of Exile is a game that I have been playing for quite some time. It has all the elements that one would enjoy from games such as Diablo 3 and Torchlight 2, but without being something you can just casually put on the highest level piece of gear you find and have that piece of armor be the best thing for you. In Path of Exile a low level 12 item can easily be better than a level 70 item depending on the class, gems, and skills you take. Path of Exile has a flawless item rarity formula that makes finding a good item feel like getting an Olympic medal. It really makes you work for every small piece of the perfect puzzle that is your build. And your build is going to be unique. The amounts of unique builds are endless. Day after day builds are being added to various websites and the meta-build of that week/month/season is always creating a booming and fluctuating economy that really pushes for that player to be apart of.
This game is set up in a way that no other game has been set up. This game has one of the biggest skill trees that exists. The combinations of skills are determined by the slots and links on your armor. The armor you find is dependent on the item rarity, the maps you run, and the paths you take. A character doesn't flourish and grow until you have put time into the game and pushed your character through fractions of stat changes. But the most confusing thing of all is that this game is so addicting. Something makes you want to create this character that is perfect. It makes the player create new character after new character because you want to test and discover the different mechanics that Grinding Gear Games gives you.
The only thing that stops me from giving this game a 10 is the complete lack of story. Path of Exile has a story but the game is so concentrated on perfect gameplay that the story isn't as immersive as one might hope. And it doesn't really push you to research it either. The story is literally just background noise that you drown out by clicking a few times to make disappear. The reason I did not drop the score lower than a 9 is because someone who might have actually cared about the story and has researched an appropriate amount might find the story excellent and I don't want to drive someone away from a game that is as brilliant as this.
The sound quality is very intriguing and satisfying making you want to use your abilities more and more. The voice acting is done excellently aside from the constant repetition of "Too much clutter" I get to hear every time I fill my inventory. This game really picks up the more abilities are being used and it isn't only the sounds that get you but the graphics and lighting. The game is majestically eerie. Color where expected but not overly stressing on the eyes. A perfect blend.
I would like to thanks Grinding Gear Games for giving everyone an opportunity to make a game this brilliant and to keep being an amazing company that listens to it's audience and always stays interested in the community it molds.