575th played so far
Genre: Action/Role-Playing
Platform: PC/Xbox 360
Year of Release: 2009
Developer: Runic Games
Publisher: Runic Games
I’m not quite sure why I’ve taken so long to try Torchlight – other than there being so many other games to play for the list. It’s a Diablo related game, heavily streamlined compared to the awkwardness of the first in that series – we’ll see what the sequel brings us later.
So once again, we’ll be delving into many dungeons, kill things, loot and see where the story takes us.
Our Thoughts
Torchlight is addictive. There are plenty of quests to keep following, through plenty of dungeons with a lot of loot to collect. While the latter two provide a lot of short term push, the quests added a lot of the push for me. The dungeons are more varied than I got from Diablo, showing not just standard mines, but also libraries and more constructed fortresses. It’s a fun loop that kept drawing me in.
There are a bunch of improvements that, it feels, the game may have made to the genre. For one, you don’t have to keep traveling to town to sell things you don’t need. You just give them to your pet and send them off to sell it for you. It is a nice thing that simultaneously satisfies packrat instincts and stops you taking unnecessary trips. Shortcuts do open up, of course – and a spell allows you to put your own in – but outside of quests it doesn’t feel quite as urgent.
There are plenty of powers and abilities to play with, and more as you gain AI controlled characters helping you. As you level up you gain and improve skills, the options depending on your chosen character type. It isn’t revolutionary, but is done well and plays nicely.
The game looks good too. Of course you get repeat areas, but they look interesting and there are some big set pieces that don’t get repeated (or don’t do so often), with views of different levels that make it feel more like a together dungeon, even if it won’t match up in reality. They feel distinct and a treat when you see them.
Final Thoughts
Torchlight is a good roguelike RPG, a major improvement on Diablo, although it has had a lot of time to actually reach this point. It’s a good upgrade in graphics and the gameplay is a lot of fun.
In fact, it’s the set pieces that feel unique where the game shines, together with the amount of polish the game has put in. It really makes the game feel like it offers an amazing experience.