(Old review – from the original HNTDAAB) Publisher: Runic Games Developer: Runic Games Year of Release: 2009 Platforms: PC Torchlight is a game that takes me back to the happy...

(Old review – from the original HNTDAAB)

Publisher: Runic Games
Developer: Runic Games
Year of Release: 2009
Platforms: PC

Torchlight is a game that takes me back to the happy days of Diablo and Titan Quest, where games were filled with loot to the stage where it was pouring out of your ears. One of the last games that was promised to try this was Mythos, a game from Flagship Studios which was announced but never appeared. Torchlight is what happened to Mythos when the team at Flagship was stricken off after the horror of a certain game that rhymes with Mellpate Fundon. Seen as the team is comprised of people who brought us the original Diablo as well as Starcraft they are more than skilled in how to make games that feature loot popping out of their ears.

Torchlight is set in the town of Torchlight, which sits above a vein of ember. Ember is the material that makes the magical world go round and is very, very precious. However, your master has called you to go deep in the monster infested mines in order to find a blight which is corrupting the ember. To be honest the plot is paper thin, but it does provide a little bit of back story. One of the main things is that the world is very similar to Warcraft, with a bit of steampunk mixed with the magic. This means that in the shops, guns and pistols sit next to halberds and mage’s staffs.

The gameplay is very familiar to anyone who enjoys the old dungeon crawlers. After picking your class (Warrior, Ranger or Mage effectively) you then proceed to collect quests and then enter a multilevel dungeon and work your way downwards, fighting bosses and collecting sweet ass loot before trekking all the way back up to the shops to sell of all the ill gotten gains. Actually that’s a lie. One of the key new features is the pet which you choose from either a lynx style cat or a wolf. As well as being a method of selling your items while still in dungeon, it also acts as a constant companion providing extra inventory space and a mobile spell platform. This makes your pet a brilliant thing, especially when it starts spouting skeletons and firing off fireballs.

The whole skill system is also pretty good. The sheer number of available skills for each class is huge and nearly everyone has their own special effects. These range from direct damage spells to buff and nerfs to my favourite type, summons. Having a mechanical golem following you around punching fools is pretty funny – as it setting people on fire. These skills are you bread and butter and one power is always on the right mouse button while several others can be placed into number bars allowing quick access to everything. The enemies are also a huge part of any dungeon crawler and Torchlight doesn’t disappoint. Each set of levels is themed in look and this carries onto the bad guys. In the early mine areas, you’ll be swatting ratmen or killing giant bats. But further down you’ll be fighting giant trees or crushing giant skeletons. Most don’t require anything special, but one or two of the bosses need a little bit of technique, a bit like the bosses in World of Warcraft.

The graphics of Torchlight do look very similar to the graphics of that huge elephant in the room of PC games, WoW. It has that look to it that angers the hardcore Diablo players who live in black rooms, but for the rest of us it really suits it. The effects of spells and attacks look really good and the constant stream of numbers easily gives you all the important information will still giving a retro kick. Additionally the sound design is nothing to write home about, with only a few of the main story parts having voice acting. However, the sound effects themselves are a lot better.

Finally, Torchlight does not have any co op or other multiplayer options. However, it is the first part of a plan to make the game into a free to play MMO, similar to the plan for Mythos. This would be great, but it is a shame you can’t go dungeon busting with your friends.

Overall, Torchlight is great fun. It’s not the cleverest of games and at most points it just feels like Diablo in 3D. But what the hell, Diablo was good and so is this.