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Torchlight
Release Date: October 27, 2009
Available On: PC
Developer: Runic Games
Publisher: Encore
Genre: Action RPG
ESRB Rating: Rating Pending
The town of Torchlight is threatened by a strain of the magical and corruptive substance ember buried deep below. You, as the player, must enter the mines and discover what plagues the small town, and save it from this growing threat. Torchlight, a new action role-playing game, drafts the player in an epic quest through a labyrinth of underground civilizations in distinctly Diablo like style. This distinct combination of a rich story and isometric perspective has great potential, but can Torchlight live up to Diablo’s high standards? This review aims to find out.
The player summons the power of the ember to fight enemies.
Story
The player is tasked from the beginning of the game to investigate the plague surrounding the town of Torchlight. Residents have known that their mines sit atop a rich strain of the magical ore, ember, but recent events have scared the townspeople, and with good reason. The power of the ember is so great, that a previously renowned explorer, Alric, was corrupted during one of his forays into the caverns. Another character, and a former cohort of Alric, Syl, serves as the player’s guide, and offers advice and guidance when needed. Early in the game, the player discovers the mines actually sit atop a much larger series of tunnels that are infested with unfriendly species. The player must battle through the opposition to reach deeper and to find Alric. As the story progresses, the town’s situation becomes more and more perilous. Earthquakes begin and the player is urged to continue his quest to find the corrupted explorer and put an end to the plague.
A variety of NPCs offer quests.
In most RPG style games, I am very tempted to skip the story all together and get right to the action. (The run, attack, run, attack style of gaming). In Torchlight, however, the story compelled me to listen to the cut scenes and read through the NPC dialogue. A surprisingly rich narrative emerged, lending a certain depth to the game that I find lacking in this genre. The breadth of the storyline leaves the door wide open for a sequel or even an MMO in the same universe.
The item interfaces are reminiscent of those found in other MMOs.
Gameplay
As a preface to this section, this incarnation of Torchlight is single-player only. In the future, the MMO game will serve as the “multiplayer” in the Torchlight universe. Don’t let that turn you off of the game; the single-player action in Torchlight is definitely worth looking at.
As mentioned earlier, this title carries on Diablo’s isometric (camera is at about a 45 degree angle relative to the map, and it follows the character around) camera style. That, coupled with its click based movement, makes for an enjoyable and simple control interface. Simply click to go somewhere, and right click to attack. The player can wield spells using a set of hotkeys, and can bind one of those spells to his right click attack. A permanent pet that matches the player’s level serves as a useful tool in combat and trade. Leveling seems to come at an acceptable pace; with the completion of all of the available side missions, my character was consistently at or above the level of my opponents. At each level, the player must assign character trait points to a variety of categories and must upgrade a skill or learn a new one.
Generally, the game consists of clicking to go somewhere (or, after a while, holding down the mouse button and aiming), getting aggro’d by a horde of enemies about one level lower than you, and then obliterating them with a series of right clicks. I played the game on the Normal level to facilitate the timely completion of this review, but I am sure that combat would be slightly more challenging on a more difficult setting. While interesting throughout, the game does get slightly repetitive. By the time I got to the giant dragon creatures on level thirty-something, I was about tired of the *click* *click* *right-click* *right-click* routine. While there is a wide variety of spells, only two are useful (one shoots green death bolts, and the other rains death from above). After at least six hours of this routine, you have another solid thirty minutes of it against the boss. Best of luck.
Melee combat is a viable method of fighting.
Graphics
The graphics in Torchlight are adequate for the genre and title. Though nothing stuck out as groundbreaking, all of the spells were properly animated and the level design was suitable for the storyline. The one significant positive was the physical layout of the levels: each one seemed intuitive and creative, a welcome change from the cookie cutter RPG's of ye olden year. The characters are moderately detailed but fitting to their surroundings. Definitely do not purchase this game for the sake of the graphics, but don’t let them discourage you either.
Each spell has a graphical effect.
Audio
The game’s music seems fitting with the story and setting, but I always end up muting the in game music and blasting Country anyways, so that is really not a valid point of comparison. Beyond the music, however, the rest of the sounds in the game were superb. Each spell has a distinct casting noise, and all other actions are properly depicted. Even the cut scene voices were fitting to the characters. Audio quality is good throughout: definitely a plus.
The reviewer's character, with his trusty pet and summoned golem.
Summary
As briefly mentioned earlier, Torchlight is essentially Runic Games’ foot in the door to the world of gaming, and the introduction to their forthcoming MMORPG in the same universe. That said, this incarnation of Torchlight certainly has the goods to stand on its own, and is definitely worth the $20 on Steam.
Story: 9/10
Gameplay: 7/10
Graphics: 7/10
Audio: 9/10
Total Gaming Network Score: 8/10
Gameplay: 7/10
Graphics: 7/10
Audio: 9/10
Total Gaming Network Score: 8/10
, Titan Quest, Killing Floor, L4D, Loki, MUA(she was pretty pissed MUA2 was left off of the PC). All her ideas and all because I talked her into playing Diablo 2 years ago. She also bought Fate, but since it was single player only it has been relegated to the "yard sale" pile.
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