izigame.me

So this might be a controversial opinion, but one I've seen repeated quite a number of times in the community. So I'm not the only one who feels this way. That being said, this review is mostly based on the perspective of someone who played PoE1 before this game. Not for thousands of hours, but enough to compare the game. So keep that in mind while reading this.
I'm not sure if this is the right direction for PoE to go in (at least for me personally).
The game feels very slow compared to PoE1. Combat is slow and a lot more single enemy based. And as many have said, it's more in the style of a souls-like game, than a typical ARPG game.
I think the new boss fights are fun and challenging, but also very slow. Feels like you do basicly no damage, and that causes it to take quite long. Combining that with the fact that you only have 2 flasks now, it's easy to run out of healing if you don't dodge every attack perfectly. Again, more like a souls title. If that's what you're looking for, you'll love it. But personally, that's not what I'm looking for in an ARPG.
The skill tree is there, it's just as big as PoE1, so no complaints there. And I'm sure the end game will be just as expansive as well. But haven't gotten to it yet. And I'm not sure I want to as of now.
New skill gem system is alright. It's nice you don't have to individually level all the gems over and over. But I feel like the skill gem menu could use some work. It's a little cluttered and confusing, and could use some more sorting / filter options.
I haven't experienced a lot of bugs, but I do kept getting caught and stuck on random things while trying to do leaping attacks. So that made it feel a little clunky at times. So in that regard the movement could use some work. But the new WASD movement actually feels quite nice and is a welcome change. I'm sure this will also translate very well to controller gameplay. Which is a big plus for future console players.
If you enjoyed PoE 1 but always wanted it to be a bit more tactical or 'souls-like', this might just be exactly what you're looking for. And you'll probably love it. But if you enjoyed PoE 1 for its fast paced gameplay, zooming through maps destroying everything in your path, you might not like this sequel so much. If you're a new player, or perhaps a diablo 4 player, you'll probably enjoy PoE 2. It's slightly more beginner friendly than PoE 1, and the combat feels a lot like diablo 4. Which is kind of a big negative for me, but might be positive for others.
Overall, the game just feels unfinished to me. Which is totally fair, as it's early access, and not finished. But in its current state I feel like PoE 1 is the better game. If I could give this game a mixed rating I would. But sadly I have to choose between positive or negative, so in this state that would have to be a negative for me. I'll play it some more, to give it a fair chance, but these are my first impressions as of this moment.
I will alter this review if my opinion changes in the future.
Edit:
Played some more, and created a ranger class. Improved the gameplay by a lot compared to the warrior. Clearing speed is so much faster. So it seems like the balance with certain classes and skills is quite off between classes. Mercenary seems especially broken right now with the explosive grenade skill. So certain builds are heavily favored at the moment compared to others. Something to keep in mind if you decide to buy and play.