The names Max and Erich Shaefer may bring nostalgic memories to PC gamers. They of course were co creators to the seminal Diablo and Diablo II from Blizzard(previously Blizzard North) which was a landmark moment in action RPG games(in fact it invented it). Runic Games is the name of the new start up and Torchlight is their first offering. A Diablo clone which gets the formula right.
It’s got the same addictive quality of Diablo which is either a good or bad thing depending on how you see it. Prepare to find time fly by as you rush through a dungeon to get every single gold and loot drop. As it is from the guys that did Diablo, I suppose they know the right formula to mix combat with loot drops. The perfect reward to action ratio which will suck your soul.
What’s there to say about the gameplay that you have probably known by know. It plays like Diablo. You can take control of any three different class type, the Alchemist(Wizard), Destroyer(Warrior) and blabla(the ranger/ranged weapon expert). You then go into Torchlight, a town gripped with a growing evil. You find that the source of this comes from deep within the mines and venture into it to fight whatever monster you face.
Really, the story’s nice, but irrelevant. You’ll be too busy just killing stiff and picking stuff up. What’s brilliant about Torchlight is that its got some truly smart things in it that improves on the Diablo formula. Ever had your inventory full in between a dungeon raid and ever wished you could somehow sell some of the stuff away(instead of just dropping them)? Now you can using your pets to quickly run back to town to sell it for you.
Yes you have a pet, which is very fashionable I suppose(hey WoW has them). It’s really your personal slave to be frank. Go sell this crap boy! You could also equip your dog(or cat) rings and necklace to improve its stats and even teach it to use spells. You have merchants, quest givers, gambling orcs, robot bards and a whole host of characters that sever to give you quests, sell and buy your stuff, and allow you to make more money.
There is even a shared treasure chest that allow you to share items between your different characters or saves. Absolute genius move. It’s the minor improvements like this from the Diablo formula that makes Torchlight a polished, refinement of the classic. While the lack of a multiplayer may turn off some people(purely single player), Torchlight manages to hold on to your attention with its loot collection.
As a roughly 1 year development time from a relatively small and new studio, it’s evident that Runic is a studio that is lead by very experienced and talented people that I have no doubt has a lot more to offer to the games industry and gamers. Torchlight at USD$19.99 is a definitely buy if you’re an action RPG fan.
Pros:
- Addictive loot mechanic
- Many refinements and improvements over Diablo
- Great game for jumping in for a while
Cons:
- Addictive
- Light on cutscenes and story
Verdict: Loot Fest!
Rating: 8/10
Price: USD$19.99
I think the worst thing about Torchlight is that the skill trees are so bland and uninspired. Did they really have to stick so many of the same skills into all three classes? I think it's an okay game, especially at its price point, but it's no replacement for Diablo 3.
ReplyDeleteOf course it isn't. It's a 20 dollar game that took 1 year development to complete. For what it is, it's pretty good. You can't compare it with Diablo 3.
ReplyDeleteAs for D3. I'll wait till more is known about it.