Hmm, this is true. It starts off feeling like a slower, slightly clunkier Diablo, but then you see the skill tree and AUGH.

It suffers from the same malady as many such games, where every "guide/tutorial" either assumes that you already have a working understanding of all the mechanics and are just looking to minmax, or reads like "Welcome to Path of Exile. Use the mouse to control your character. Do not eat it!"