Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Grows on you"

Game: Torchlight
Genre: RPG-Adventure
Developer: Runic Games
System: PC (Steam)
Total Score: 84/100
Value Score: 8.4/10

• Story: 6/10
o Torchlight's storyline is probably its most weak point, but that also depends on the overall user of the game, it does not have the theatrical storyline structure that most other RPGs have, but it does have a basic storyline which provides a explanation on why you are doing what you have been doing in the game. You are a adventurer who seeks only fame and money, you are recruited by a sage named Syl who is looking for her mentor named Alric who had disappeared into the mines. While on searching for Alric, Alric ends up ambushing the main character and reveals he has been corrupted by the ember. Now the main character must journey below the mines and caves of Torchlight to find and stop Alric and a ancient beast by the name of Ordrak.

• Characters: 7/10
o Players have the choice of choosing 3 different type of characters, a Destroyed who is a melee class that mostly wields swords, maces and similar weapons. An alchemist who is a spell caster who mostly uses Rods and Staffs and uses summon magic to take advantage in the battlefield. Finally a Vanquisher who is pretty much in the essence a hunter who uses bows and guns and attacks from afar. Players can develop their characters however they want though and can mix up stats to create unique experienced characters. Along with that you have a few NPCs in towns who give you quests, items and information surrounding torchlight and its endless number of dungeons. Other than that, the only other important characters that play a major role in the game include Alric who is the primary Antagonist, Syl who is a assisting character in storyline and Ordrak who is the primary last boss. You have the large bestiary of enemies with different overall designs that take place in the dungeons of Torchlight as well.

• GamePlay: 10/10
o Torchlight plays similar to World of Warcraft, the equipment system, leveling up system and monetary system is pretty much identical. You can find equips in dungeons or buy them from the shops , you can enhance them via enchanting but each time you do, the chances of de-enchanting increases. You can enchant however much you want for a price, and each enchantment does a random stat input or increase such as elemental resistance, elemental damage, hp bonus, mana bonus, etc. You also have the ability to use gems to power up your equips giving them additional bonuses but only if they have sockets (which can be made through enchanting). You also have a skill set based upon your class that you can learn exclusive skills which can help you in any situation whether it is in a battle or in town shopping. To prevent difficulty from being too much in your journey since you are alone, you are accompanied by a pet which you can freely choose from a Dog or a Cat. The Pet acts as a tank, attacker, support and a extra storage in case your inventory gets full. Pretty much the basic gameplay in Torchlight is you go through several floors of the main dungeon, throughout the game you will have to fight hordes of monsters, solve simple and sometimes complex puzzles, bypass through traps, find extra maps which can take you to certain rare maps and dungeons, and do large amount of quests that are available for you which can range from collecting a item or slaying a monster.

• Graphics: 9/10
o Torchlight uses a light yet dark toned design overall, at first it may seem like its elementary at first, but the storyline and the environments of the game is dark. Think of it as a mixture of World of Warcraft and something like Ragnarok Online. The animations are well done in both character movement and in special effects.

• Sound: 9/10
o Torchlight's sound effects are unique and not like anything you may of experienced, not even WoW. There is voiceovers in the game, but very few mostly by the main characters and prologues of the storyline. Other than that, the grunts, clashing of the swords, and the unique noises of some of the creatures in the game is well made and not recycled as much as you would see in a typical RPG. Although they could of done better with the voices or even did more especially considering when the game was made and the technology that was used for certain parts of the game but not fully used in other parts.

• Music: 8/10
o Torchlight's music is really not dramatic or dynamic, the music style can be compared to most MMORPGs where the music and the background usually consists of calm and collective tracks which soothe the player especially in times of grinding. The usual western appeal of sound is applied to the overall OST, however to those who were looking for something upbeat or similar to the JRPG genre music, you will have to look elsewhere. However, that doesn't mean the OST is bad, as the music is well designed with quality and original and would not annoy most players like most other songs heard in other RPGs usually do.

• Length: 7/10
o Torchlight's length is dependent on the player, there are about 35 floors in total storyline wise, however you have access to maps, exclusive quest maps and Phase portal maps where the difficulty is altered from the usual easy pace of the storyline maps. Overall the game should take you at least 20 to 25 hours to finish the storyline with at least one character, if you play with all 3 characters that would equal up to 60 to 75 hours in total, although the storyline and battles do not change much, the overall experience of the player does especially due to the choice of difficulty modes.

• Replay Value: 10/10
o Torchlight's storyline might not pose much of a challenge or hold on to a player's interest, but however its gameplay structure and design will keep many players hooked up for more. Once you finish a gameplay, you have the choice to start all over again in another difficulty using a different class. The difficulties not only allow you to keep a easy pace or march forward to a more harsher difficulty but also allows you to unlock certain achievements as well. Along with that you also have the choice of finding and purchasing maps which can take you to additional dungeons with far more difficult enemies, traps and mazes which in end will add up to your overall gameplay clock.

• Player Value: 8/10
o Torchlight is a simple RPG Adventure game made by Runic Games. It features similarities to World of Warcraft but brings in a whole new level of adventure. If you are a fan of dungeon crawlers, this game will be in for your interest, although it lacks the multiplayer for a game that feels like it should have such a feature, the other features such as Replay Value, class customization, etc within the game make up for it. Get this on steam and prepare yourself for Torchlight 2 which will be available (or shall be available) on Steam!