Once in a while a game sneaks up on us that is a simple entrance into a somewhat crowded genre, and stands out so much so that it could go toe to toe with the heavy hitters it was not even meant to compete with. Such is the case with Runic games release Torchlight, a cel shaded hack n slash RPG, in the vein of the Diablo franchise. Torchlight retails for $19.99 and it is only available via Steam and other Digital Distribution outlets at this time, although a boxed version is planned to hit brick and mortar retailers early next year. Judging from my time with the demo, this game is worth every penny and then some.
The best description of the lore is given on the game’s website, which I will quote below :
“The adventure is set in the mining settlement of Torchlight, a boomtown founded on the discovery of rich veins of Ember – a rare and mysterious ore with the power to enchant or corrupt all that it contacts. This corruptive power may have dire consequences however, and players set out into the nearby mountains and depths below to discover the full extent of Ember’s influence on the civilizations that have come before.”
Torchlight performs fantastically, and includes a lot of innovations and quirks that make it stand out in it’s genre. Runic games is composed of developers who have worked on both original Diablo games as well as Mythos, so all of the charm and enhancements carry over well into Torchlight. The interface is a breeze, for anyone that’s played a hack n slash RPG before, and easy to learn if you have not. New to PC gaming, not only does Torchlight have some of the lowest system specs out there, but it has the added functionality of being able to run in a ‘Netbook Mode’ to allow for smooth play on netbooks. The cel shaded graphics and atmospheres set Torchlight apart from it’s predecessors very well, in addition to some fantastic additions. First and foremost is the introduction of guns into the game–the player can find and use pistols and muskets, in addition to the traditional fantasy staffs, swords and bows for a variety of customization options. Like another currently popular game, Borderlands, these firearms can also deal lightning, fire, ice and poison damage especially if equipped with stat boosting gems in available weapons and armor slots. You can equip your character with two different weapons sets, able to be changed on the fly at the push of the ‘W’ key during frantic combat. Another great feature is the ability to use your pet, a cat or dog chosen at the game’s onset. Your pet can be fed fish to allow temporary stat buffs and transformations into animals and monsters that will deal higher damage as they fight alongside of you. The best addition yet to the pet system is it’s inventory and trade system. Your pet can be used as a pack mule to carry all of the weapons, armor and items that you may not want to discard, and then, at any time, you can send your pet off to town to sell everything in it’s inventory and return to you with the spoils—saving you time from casting town portal spells and returning to town to do the dirty work yourself.
The character you create can be one of three types – an Alchemist, Destroyer or Vanquisher. Basically a mage, a warrior and a rouge/ranger respectively. The Alchemist is very reminiscent of Jak, from the popular Jak and Daxter series by Insomniac, without the trademark ears. Nonetheless, of the three, the Alchemist has the most steampunk visual style and feel. All of the game’s dungeons are randomly generated, allowing for tons of replayablility. Another gem is the simple addition of a community stash chest in the town. Here you can store loot you find from any game played, accessable to all of the characters you create—find a mace that deals sweet lightning damage that your Alchemist can’t make much use of? Store it in the chest and when you jump into the shoes of a Destroyer, it’s there for the taking. The games campaign is said to take between 10-20 hours to complete, but when finished there is an “infinite” dungeon for you to continue in with your character, if you so desire. Also, when leveled up to max, your characters can be retired, passing on attributes to your next characters. Deep customization within the character skill sets allows for many ways to change up the game, even within the same character class. Add that to Runic’s inclusion of a level editor, and I can see this game having legs to go on for quite sometime. That being said, it’s a no brainer for the low low price of admission–I am a couple hours in, and still have not completed the demo. I can’t recommend this game highly enough, but don’t take my word for it, grab the demo and see for yourself!
