Game Review: Torchlight

Torchlight is Diablo 2.5 for the all the people waiting for the yet to be released Diablo 3. As the old saying goes, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”.  It shamelessly copies almost every game play element of Blizzard’s classic Diablo II released in 2000.  One key shortcoming when comparing the two games is that Torchlight lacks any multiplayer component.  It’s strictly a single player experience for your PC.

 For those unfamiliar with the action role-playing genre that Diablo help make famous, it consists of controlling one hero against many enemies.  The control of the game is almost entirely mouse driven. Click on the spot on the ground you want your hero to move to.  Or click on the AI enemy you want to attack with your equipped weapon or spell.  Using the keyboard only to cast the occasional spell or use an item in your inventory to replenish your health or mana.  One original addition is a pet cat (or dog) that will assist you in the fight.  Your pet can be equipped to cast their own spells as well.

 The fun of the game is progressing though the various dungeons and collecting the many items and equipment your enemies drop upon their death.  You are constant having to consider which armor, weapon, spell and character skill path to maximize.  As your character increases in level, you are given more attribute points to spend on increasing the potency and abilities of your hero.

The verdict

Hits:

• A solid 3D graphics and good art and character design
  
• Decent story and voice acting in the few cut scenes
• Good replay value with the three different character classes:
• Destroyer – melee combat
• Alchemist – magic spell user
• Vanquisher – ranged projectile combat
• Inexpensive price: $20 or less via a Steam download
  
  

Misses:

• Does little to try to improve the action role-playing genre
• The Normal default difficulty doesn’t offer enough difficulty for most gamers thus making the game too trivially easy (I recommend the Hard difficulty)
  
• Your pet sidekick is largely inconsequential in combat for most the game and you have little control over its actions
• The path finding for the AI is surprisingly poor causing some frustration getting your pet to follow you around the dungeon properly

Nerdphilia Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars