I had almost given up on ever playing Diablo III when Torchlight II was released, which I thoroughly enjoyed. However, as good as Torchlight II was, it still lacked that distinct “Diablo” feel.
While Torchlight II offered an excellent experience, its graphics were more modern and cartoonish, whereas Diablo and Witcher 2 feature more realistic characters and environments. Having finished Torchlight II, I found myself craving another engaging RPG that wouldn’t be embarrassing to play. I was seriously considering purchasing Diablo III, but then I came across something even better.
Thanks to the team at The Awesomer blog, I discovered a great indie RPG game called Path of Exile. Developed by a group of hardcore gamers in New Zealand under the Grinding Gear Games banner, Path of Exile is as close as you can get to a true Diablo-like RPG. It’s not a clone or a rip-off of Diablo, but it does belong to the same genre.
The game features six player classes and a unique skill system that uses gems and a massive skill tree within randomly generated levels. From the game’s overview page:
“Path of Exile is an online action RPG set in the dark fantasy world of Wraeclast. We’re a small independent team of hardcore gamers based in New Zealand, and we’ve created Path of Exile as the game we’d want to play ourselves. It is designed around a strong barter-based online item economy, deep character customization, competitive PvP, and ladder races. The game is completely free and will never be ‘pay to win.'”
There are a couple of things to note: although the game is impressive, it is still in beta, so keep that in mind while playing. Additionally, the initial installation and setup may take some time. Once you have it installed and running, the experience is relatively smooth. You might occasionally face some wait times if the servers are full, but generally, waiting a few minutes and trying again will get you in.
I’ve just started playing Path of Exile, and while there may be bumps along the road due to its beta status, I believe it will be worth it. I’m enjoying this indie RPG, and if you’re a fan of RPGs, you’ll likely appreciate it as well.
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