Official Site: http://www.torchlightgame.com/
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/41500/
Source: Youtube Channel runicgames
Developer: Runic Games
Publisher: Perfect World Entertainment
Platforms: PC (Available on Steam), Xbox 360 (Available on XBLA)
Release Date: October 27, 2009
Genre: Action-RPG
Pros:
-Very easy to pick up and play
-Bright and colorful art style makes it easy to navigate around the game
-Intense action for beginners and veteran players (inclusion of hardcore mode)
-High replay-value
Cons:
-No multiplayer
-Can get repetitive
-Some dungeons are confusing
For a game I paid $5 for, it was quite an entertaining experience playing the game. The pet system allowed me to continue venturing through dungeons while my pet goes back to town to sell items for me. The simple gameplay made it very easy to follow along and learn how to play. The bright and color art style is charming and also made it easy to distinguish objects within the game such as characters, enemies, items, traps, and environments. It was a very good game to play when I wanted a break from all the others games as the game focuses a lot on exploring, spamming a lot of flashy skills, and killing a ton of baddies while taking their loot. If you're one of the people waiting for Diablo 3 or Torchlight 2 or have played similar games in the past, I recommend giving Torchlight a try.
Graphics
I was a bit surprised with how the game looked the first time I started it up. It has a cartoon-ish type look to it with an almost cel-shaded type of style. I learned along the way that this was possibly a design choice as I had a easy time distinguishing the many objects around me. I was also shocked that the game's art was done within the Ogre engine (look it up). The character designs, vivid color effects from the skills and amazing dungeon environments are quite impressive using an art program I find very rigid and limiting. But because of this, some models look blocky and some of them can look archaic. I really like the colorful environment in the game as it stands out. Some of the areas do feel sort of repetitive and boring at times though. Some dungeons can be dark as well, and the many path breaks can make for a confusing journey. After fighting for 2-3 hours in one type of dungeon, you'll want nothing more than a change of scenery. Besides the environment, I really liked the effects and animations for the character skills. They're bright, flashy, and dynamic. And for a game that focuses a lot on the usage of character skills, it makes a big difference. It's quite satisfying seeing all those lights and powers mow down hundreds of enemies as the screen shakes from the sheer power your character unleashes. For character creation, there isn't a lot the player can customize and there are only two choices for pets. In lacking a in-depth character customization, equipment does have a change in appearance for the character. So armor and weapons will be more than just mere point progression but will also show the differences each particular item has on the character. Graphics: 8/10
Audio
The composer for Diablo 1 and 2 joined Runic Games in creating an awesome soundtrack for Torchlight. The music is more melodic than the compositions he did for the Diablo series, and so they're actually pretty enjoyable to listen to even out of the game. It has the similar fantasy/mysterious atmosphere in the delayed/reverb guitar strumming with the low drums and synth tones playing. The music is subtle and is between thematic and ambiance. One of the reasons I enjoyed playing through Torchlight was listening to the music, especially in the one in town, the mines, and the lava kingdom (which is the one playing in the trailer above). The sound effects were important in many of the gameplay aspects. Certain items such as gems and rings made a distinct sound when dropped by a enemy. Certain enemies can be heard from a distance and prepare the player on how to react. Voice cues notifies the player of particular situations such as running low on mana, health is low, pet is fleeing, backpack is full, etc. And the usual things such as getting a critical hit makes it so satisfying. Overall, a superb job in the audio department. Audio: 9/10
Gameplay
The game is developed behind veterans who worked on Diablo 1+2, Fate, and the original Mythos (done to test out the servers for Hellgate: London originally) and has a strong background in creating Action RPGs. The game started out how I imagined it. Something is wrong, you go into town, talk to the NPCs, get a quest, and then you start killing stuff in the dungeon. The story, while not incredibly enticing, moves the game along. Syl, one of the main NPCs, is summoned by her mentor Alrich to see him; however, she arrives at the town of Torchlight with her friend Brink only to find a swarm of monsters at the entrance of the mines. The player finds out that Alrich is corrupted by the power of the embers below and attempts to awaken Ordrak, a powerful being deep below Torchlight. The game consists of a lot of clicking (on items, enemies, objects, and paths) and a whole lot of spamming of character skills on the number row. I've always hated how so many RPGs use the number row since it stretches so far from each other. Luckily, I have a programmable speedpad (which has made my experience with a ton of RPGs much more enjoyable) so that all my skills are withing reach. I didn't get the game at first and just used my regular attacks a lot. After realizing how many potions I kept picking up, I started using my skills a lot more often and I saw the strategies I could use in large hordes of enemies by utilizing all my skill abilities rather than having them be a small complimentary attack damage to my regular attacks. It's fun when there's a lot of fighting, but traversing through some of the dungeons can be bothersome if not repetitive. After a while, it feels like you're just mashing a lot of buttons. I got the most fun out of fighting bosses (though most all of them were easy except for the final boss Ordrak) and swarms of enemies. Whenever I missed a quest because I didn't go to one of the forked paths, it's a bother to run all the way back to get it. The gameplay will be much slower to those who are used to Diablo 2, but I suppose it was made that way so that it's easier for even beginners to gaming in general to cope with the game and be able to reaction to situations. After beating Ordrak, the player can continue playing the game in a new dungeon. They can also retire their character and pass down an item with improved stats for a new character. After beating Ordrak, I wasn't very compelled to continue playing other than trying out the other two classes (I played through as a marksman vanquisher). I'll probably jump on it once in a while to play through the new area and my newly created Alchemist, but I think I'm mostly ready for Torchlight 2. Gameplay 7/10
Overall
I had fun with it, and I got my $5 out of it. And if I really wanted to continue playing, I could. One of the main reasons I'd go back to Torchlight, were I to play it again, would be to try out different builds and skills for the characters. I mostly enjoyed the game, but at times I felt like I wasn't getting very much out of playing it. Still, I'm glad I got the game and played through it. It's a simple and fun distraction to play once in a while between my other games. But because of Torchlight, I have very high hopes for Torchlight 2. I'll probably play Torchlight a little more before the 2nd one comes out. Overall: 8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment