Torchlight Review

Torchlight is a game that tries to copy the successful Diablo formula and sell it with a $20 price tag. How good can this game be? Well believe it or not Torchlight absolutely nails it making it one of the greatest gaming values of the year.

The game has three playable and diverse classes. The Destroyer is a melee class that focuses on close combat, the Vanquisher specializes on ranged combat and the Alchemist is a magic based class that can summon minions during combat. Although you’ll find a greater class selection in other action-rpg titles, Torchlight classes are surprisingly customizable with its deep skill path system. For each level gained, your character gains a skill point that can be spent on one of three skill paths. This formula has been done before, but it works well and adds a ton a replay value for each class.

At the start of the game each class is given a choice of a cat or dog companion. It might seem like an in-game gimmick at first but within a couple hours you’ll realize how important your pet is to the gameplay. You can assign spells to your pet allowing it to grant heals or toss additional damage during combat, this makes a huge difference in the heat of battle. Your pet also has backpack space allowing you to store unnecessary items when you’re running low on storage space. You can then send your pet to town and sell its stored items, it will come back with your gold and an empty pack.

If finding loot and upgrading equipment is your thing, then look no further as mob and boss drops will give you plenty of upgrades. If you’re playing a Destroyer class and Alchemist gear drops, a loot sharing option is available for you to exchange gear with your other characters. The only real downside to the gameplay is the lack of multiplayer. With such a large range of loot and three unique classes, multiplayer would have taken the game to another level.

If you’ve ever played Diablo then you should feel at home with the click-to-move control system. Left clicking on the screen will move your character, left clicking on an enemy will attack and right clicking an enemy will use a special attack. The click attacks can be customized to any spell or ability directly from the HUD. Spells and abilities can also be mapped to each number key making for a customized control layout.

The graphics have a great style with it’s dark tone and slightly cartoonish models. Shadows, lighting effects and spells are all rendered beautifully with no hiccups or slowdowns. You’ll even find a netbook setting for those looking to play the game on low-end PC’s. The sound also fits the game nicely with mood changing music and sound effects that make you feel closer to the action. The voice acting might feel a little over-the-top at times, but overall it compliments the game nicely.

Runic Games was able to take the Diablo formula and create an outstanding single player experience. Whether you’re looking for a game to hold you over until D3 is released or just looking for a great PC game. For only 20 dollars, you can’t go wrong.