lowyhong: I've clocked about 30 hours into Path. Based on that time spent in the game, I can confidently say that the game is more than just accumulating better stats. A level 20 and a level 25, for example, share little difference when taking down a level 20 monster, if you don't play it properly. At higher levels, it becomes more than just clicking, or even kiting (which is to run circles around the enemy while taking pot shots at them). About 60% of playing the game well falls on player skill. It's about how well you customize your build, and how well you use your build. A Marauder (barbarian class) who uses 2-handed weapons, for example, plays differently from one who dual wields 1-handed weapons. You still click at moving pixels, but the way a situation is resolved will change. My 2H marauder is specced to a DPS build, so he can't take much damage, but boy can he dish it out. The best way for me to take out big numbers of enemies is to jump right into the heat of battle and start cutting them down in swathes, but because I can't take too much damage, I must jump out (yea literally jump up into the air and out of battle using an active skill) when things start getting hairy - and they get hairy real fast.
It lacks puzzles though - at least that's how it appears to me so far, but high level content could be different. Most low level quests are straightforward enough, but even killing monsters is extremely satisfying, and requires some planning before rushing into battle head on.
Sacred Gold (the first one) was very commendable for the massive world and all of the equipment you could mass accumulate which reflected on the actual aesthetics of your character.
Given that Sacred also runs on really old systems yet still looks a plays good it's easy to recommend.....for gamers stuck in a time warp back in the 90's.
Because Sacred, after about six hours of play time, loses it's appeal once you come to realize how shallow and repetitive the game play is. Not only are quests mostly just a matter of running off, to an out of the way place, to smack something different (than the hundreds of things you had been smacking along the way up to that point) but the control system is just a series of mouse clicks and the only skill or strategy needed is just making sure that you're equipped with the best and know how to time using healing and mana potions.
Now imagine something like Sacred demanding Kung Fu Strike skills but also offers side dungeons where you can find special accessories like a back pack loaded with cannons so you can lay your Kung Fu skills to rest and now start working on building up your bullet hell skills.
I think I understand what you're demonstrating with this F2P and it sounds pretty interesting so I'll give it a try but I've got a nice comfy couch pulled up to my PC and a Logitech game pad so often times I try and make the best use of both and lay back on the couch instead of sitting up and crouching over my desk and mouse.
