Torchlight

Torchlight is a game that does very little new. A multitude of comparisons can be made between it and predecessors like Fate and the Diablo series. This wasn't entirely unexpected seeing as the developing studio, Runic Games, is made up of developers from both of those projects. You'll explore a fantastic, ever-expanding dungeon, take on epic creatures, and loot their bodies for that perfect piece of equipment. With so much unoriginality, you may already be asking, “But is it fun?” My reply comes in the form of two, simple words: “Hell yes.”

See, although it draws many comparisons between itself and Diablo, it nails that formula where so many others have failed. The gameplay is fast and easy, with a very intuitive interface that rivals even some of the best dungeon-crawlers. While there are only three separate classes to choose from, customizing your character is easy. And while the story is very limited in its scope, you'll constantly want to reach the next floor or level to see what lies ahead.

The gameplay mechanics are your basic click-and-attack functions, and gamers familiar with the Diablo series will be very comfortable with the button layout from the beginning. One thing that I've always loved about dungeon-crawlers is that beginners can jump in and easily be taught the controls, and Torchlight is no exception. This familiarity helps Torchlight in the long run, as I was immediately ready to play, instead of having to wait through tutorials or be confused during the first few floors. Also, Torchlight doesn't suffer from the simple interface like other games would, and is very intuitive to your commands. It was a rare moment in the game that my character would do something I didn't want it to do, which is easy to mess up when you are basically clicking to accomplish most of your tasks.

When you start the game, you may be surprised at the very limited class selection. But while Torchlight limits you to just three classes (the basic Warrior, Rogue, and Mage archetypes), there happens to be a fair bit of customization you can do to fit the class of your choice to your preferred play style. Through leveling up, you gain access to skill points, which you can spend to learn and upgrade new abilities. But, there are three separate skill trees within each class that you can invest points in to make your character play a bit differently. These skill trees act as a sort of sub-class, but you aren't confined to spending points in just one.

As you explore the dungeon a bit more, you'll gain access to scrolls that will teach your character spells without having to spend any skill points. These scrolls also help with customizing your character, as you can imbue them with powers that aren't available in their class's skill trees. Fish work in a similar way with your dog or cat, which are pets you choose at the beginning of the game to explore the dungeon with you. When you find spots in the dungeon to fish, you're treated to a simple mini-game that nets you different fish depending on where you caught it in the dungeon. Feeding them to your pet causes them to transform for a different creature for a set period of time. Better versions of the fish can be found deeper into the dungeon, and some will even transform your pet permanently.

The graphics are probably the most interesting part of Torchlight. Opting for a more cartoon feel, Runic Games created a fantastic dungeon crawler to explore. Every new area you enter is completely different than the ones you've seen before. From cave and swamp environments to a full-scale prison, the varied terrain you'll encounter will surprise you with its depth. Small touches like monsters, platforms, and machinery in the distance really help you feel like this is a real world, and not just a place for you to ransack.

While Torchlight offers very little, if anything at all, new to the genre, but what it does it does well. The gameplay is fast and simple, with almost no frustration in its control scheme. Although you can only choose from three basic classes when starting the game, the amount of customization allowed later on adds a variety of different play styles and sub-classes that keeps you coming back to try out other combinations. And the graphics, although a bit simplistic, give way to amazing and varied environments to explore. If you are a fan of dungeon crawlers, Torchlight is definitely one you don't want to miss.

Likes

• Easy and intuitive controls.
• Tons of customization available to your character.
• Varied and well designed environments.

Dislikes

• Incredibly unoriginal.
• The difficulty could have been ramped up a bit.
• Little to do besides explore, kill, loot, etc.

Review Score

/

The review scale at LevelFortyTwo is between 1 and 5. A score of 5 is considered an amazing game, 4 is a well-done game with only minor issues, 3 is in the middle; not great, but not bad, 2 is a very problematic game, and 1 is absolutely terrible.

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