Review - Torchlight (Runic Games)

What to say about Torchlight? An interesting endeavor to be seen in today's day and age where the standard usually is "Multiplayer or bust".  Instead, Runic Games invites us to comb their randomized dungeons for adventure, daring-do's, and sweet, sweet loot...by ourselves. That's right, you'll not find an ounce of multiplayer in this game. At first, I was taken aback, as I'm sure the rest of the gaming community at large was as well. But now, having had my hands on it for a sufficient length of time, I too have been charmed.

The game's premise, while mainly just a placeholder excuse for having an adventurer rife through tombs of old, is charming. The village Torchlight, is a small mining town besieged by beasties from the mines and crypts below. What these people seem to be mining for, outside the standard fare, is "Ember". What is ember, you ask? It operates as type of magical essence which, in-game modifies slotted weapons and, in-story is the dark energy you're investigating. And so, your hero (one of three classes: Alchemist, Vanquisher, and Destroyer but more on them later) sallies forth into the breach to see what lies in store for them in the darkness below. It's here where the Diablo-clone aspect kicks in.  A point-click attack scheme is how you guide your champion through the floors below. Simple and very easy to use, the controls let you jump right into the action, casting spells, and using items, even if this is your first time experiencing it

.

The game has three classes of character to choose from, each offering a different flavor of combat. At your disposal is the Vanquisher, a ranged, archer-type class (the only female class in the game), the Destroyer, a heavy weapons tank, and lastly, my favorite, the Alchemist, a magic/ember spell caster. Each of these classes is designed for their own regimented style of play, but you're free to build their stats in the way you see fit. So if you'd rather a spell-casting Alchemist with a proclivity for the sharp, pointy thing, you are by all means entitled to do so. This is another thing about the game that I enjoy. You are never restricted to follow one linear build of a character and every new character you create can be completely unique from the last. That being said, I would have enjoy some more appearance customization because, as it stands each class is limited to their only character model.

While the game is single-player, you won't necessarily be traversing these pits alone, persay, as you'll be accompanied by a faithful companion, either a dog or a cat,  who will aid you along the way, either storing extra items, running back to town to sell said items, or lending an extra set of fangs to lay out the damage. The pet mechanic, while very simple, adds a nice touch to main device of managing all the loot you find (Trust me, there will be a lot) and is a nice change of pace from the tradition of running back to town on your own

.

Visually, Torchlight isn't breaking any barriers in the realism spectrum, however, the animated design choice is very endearing and makes even the darkest dungeon inviting. Speaking of the dungeons, the environments that you come across vary quite more than you would expect from snaking mines underneath the village.The fascinating visual design accompanied with the pick up and play style really makes this game an addicting piece of work. You can boot it up, clear out a few dungeon floors and not have lost an hour of your time. And when you finish the campaign with one character, you have the option of "retiring" them and passing on benefits to later characters, boosting the replay value.

Torchlight, for all its charm certainly has it quirks, occasionally bugs, sometimes very irritating dungeon battles due to randomized layout, and lack of visual customizations. But these generally pale in comparison to the gem of the game it is. One thing worth considering is that this outing by Runic Games is the foreshadowing of a free-to-play MMO release to follow-up Torchlight, so if multiplayer really is your thing, give this some credence.  Also, at the price it's been selling at ($10 on Steam) there really is no reason you shouldn't own Torchlight.

4.5 out of 5