I really loved the first game a lot but I do think it was both a bit more grindy than necessary and super long to get through. That can definitely appeal to some peopleand ill say I did a regular playthrough before radiant mode (speeds things up, a bit easier, less grindy) and 1 playthrough with radiant mode and i preferred radiant, even if it was technically easier.
Now dd2 on the other hand isn't very grindy at all. Like sure there is permanent progression and unlocks and shit you work towards, but I've done maybe 12 full runs now, beat act 4 (1 left) and I've never once felt like I'm grinding or just doing a run to unlock stuff. Like I've been trying to beat each act boss every time, that was the main goal, always.
They greatly improved the animations, the art, the atmosphere in some ways but most importantly I think they improved combat which is like the main appeal and mainly what you do in the game. They've made a lot of things less "rng" in a way, there is still is dice rolls, as there should be for this type of game, but they've made it much more coherent in what can happen and what you can prepare for. I like it a lot.
The game is still going to have content and shit added, but it's both a complete game right now and worth the $40 or $30 if you own dd1 already (you have to buy the bundle package on steam to get the discount, idk why.)
It's still a tough game, and it isn't for everybody but I think it can appeal to even more people now than dd1. An average run can last like 3 or 4 hours i think. I'm sure fitgirl will have a repack of it soon enough in case you don't want to buy it, or just wanna try it first, since she rarely ever updates her torrents to include new updates
yeah i was just saying from my own personal perspective that the grind isn't nearly what it felt like in the old game. i totally want to unlock a bunch of stuff but it just doesn't feel as grindy to me. there is absolutely a grind though, but i think im just enjoying it and trying to beat it while fully capable of doing so without a ton of stuff unlocked just feels fun and good, i did act1 first try and act2 second try, so it was dope for me. The first game it always felt like every hero needed to be level atleast 3(+) with fully upgraded skills and armor till it they started feeling comfortable. then you had to remove bad quirks or diseases and you needed trinkets for some of the classes especially. it always felt i need so much stuff, whereas in dd2 after you unlock just a handful of skills you can make it to the end of the act if you play right. dd1 had a ton of micromanaging, which is fine obviously but this game feels just more easy to pickup and jam
as for the long runs tbh i just save and quit a bunch. i don't mind coming back to a run midway through, or even at the end for the act boss. i just stop when i need to, the progress is saved after every fight or node. i get what you mean though, usuually want to finish what you start and all that but tbh i've come back from a terrible run with a new piece of mind and ideas to run some other skills and rocked it. it is what it is
all the bosses have been fuckin dope besides the eyeball one. i think he is a shit design tbh. it's like impossible to know what to do the first time or without a guide or whatever, just did not vibe with that shit at all. but yeah there is a ton of super good improvements to the game that i think makes it more approachable for others who balked at dd1
I should really take breaks from runs but I feel really compelled to finish for some reason. Had a couple late nights just finishing runs for no reason.
The devs actually already messed with the eyeball boss a few days ago and said they're gonna rework it more soon, so you're definitely not alone on that one. I don't think I'm gonna want to try it again anyway though lol