'Torchlight' surpasses 'Diablo' series as action-RPG
Bartholomew Klick
Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: After Hours
"Torchlight" characters have a set number of spells they can cast based on their class, but they can also learn spells they find or buy. So, a melee character can have his awesome melee abilities and still throw fireballs, summon skeletons or even cast mid-combat healing spells.
The randomly generated levels feel well crafted and unique every time, unlike similar games which basically changed the entrance to a location and where the monsters spawned. The levels are rich with secret rooms, traps, meaningful loot and challenging boss encounters.
The only problem with the game play is that, especially in fights where there are a lot of glowing bits on the screen, it's far, far too easy to accidentally move toward a monster or past a monster, instead of attacking it. There's a key-press to make your character stand still while attacking, but it doesn't quite fix the problem, since the player can still mis-aim, or fire from too far away. I'm all for making skill an equation in the game's learning curve, but this feels more like an issue with the interface.
For $20, "Torchlight" is an amazing game and it is superior to many comparable $50 games. Runic Games' first offering to the masses was a good one, and I hope to see them produce more outstanding titles in the near future. Until then, I'll be glued to my monitor - killing Ratlins and watching deadlines fly over my head.
The randomly generated levels feel well crafted and unique every time, unlike similar games which basically changed the entrance to a location and where the monsters spawned. The levels are rich with secret rooms, traps, meaningful loot and challenging boss encounters.
The only problem with the game play is that, especially in fights where there are a lot of glowing bits on the screen, it's far, far too easy to accidentally move toward a monster or past a monster, instead of attacking it. There's a key-press to make your character stand still while attacking, but it doesn't quite fix the problem, since the player can still mis-aim, or fire from too far away. I'm all for making skill an equation in the game's learning curve, but this feels more like an issue with the interface.
For $20, "Torchlight" is an amazing game and it is superior to many comparable $50 games. Runic Games' first offering to the masses was a good one, and I hope to see them produce more outstanding titles in the near future. Until then, I'll be glued to my monitor - killing Ratlins and watching deadlines fly over my head.
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