Rating:

Torchlight is a hack and slash RPG in every sense of the word. It offers little innovation from its Diablo roots, and ironically, that\'s where it shines amongst the fluff of action RPGs available today.

Full Review

Torchlight does not lie. It advertises itself as a Diablo clone, and does not stray an inch away from that description - which is a good thing. Amidst all the fancy action roleplaying games that are available in recent times, Torchlight really shines in its simplicity and its ability to deliver what really matters to Diablo fans.

Let\'s look at its unoriginal, yet strangely attractive list of features. A mouse is all that will be required to play this game - click to kill, click to cast a spell, click to open dialog boxes, click to buy stuff, click to interact, the list goes on. Loot is randomized, ala traditional Diablo-styled games and there are endless options to customizing equipment - players are allowed to socket equipment with gems, enchant them with new abilities, or transmute them to form new items.

There are 3 available classes, the destroyer (warrior), the vanquisher (rogue) and the alchemist (sorceror), with 3 talent trees provided for each class. There is an impressive amount of space for innovative builds, alchemists can be trained into martial weapon wielding powerhouses, and destroyers can be guided towards spell mastery if you take the spiritual path. Therefore, do not be dismayed by the seeming lack of class choices in Torchlight, because there is definitely more than meets the eye.

Probably the only innovation in this game is the introduction of the pet. The pet, unlike mercenaries in Diablo 2, can help you run to back to town to sell off your unwanted loot, allowing you to continue bashing the heads of monsters with minimal downtime. However, how the pet bargains and transacts with the shopkeepers is a mystery that I believe we will never be able to solve.

The art in this game reminds us of that in Warcraft 3 and more recently, World of Warcraft. Backgrounds and enemies are rendered in an exaggerated and cartoonish style that would have added much character to the game if it wasn\'t already overdone by Blizzard. It seems to be shamelessly reminding players that \"this is a clone of a game from Blizzard\" at every turn, which is annoying and amusing at the same time.

For a cheap price over at Steam, you can purchase this game. I got it over Christmas during the sale for 4.99 USD, which makes this enjoyable clickfest a satisfying bargain for me.