Torchlight
Released: October 27, 2009
Game Length: 14 Hours
Grade: B-
Introduction
Old Game: Look at that date: 2009. Did I ever play this game? Did I ever beat it? It is hard to tell. So one of the things I decided to do was replay the whole Torchlight trilogy, no matter how painful it is going to be. I played all four games of the Trine series and was pleasantly surprised. In all seriousness when it comes to this game, I probably would not recommend playing, little known buying the original version of the game. The original game was offered for free in a bunch of different promotions, and the sequel no doubt does a better job in every avenue. Though for the curious, I'd like to bring out some of my points for the first of the series.
Pudding
Structure: When it comes to the development of this game, there really isn't much to talk about. There is barely any story outside the bosses at the end of each setting. The randomized quests essentially repeat themselves from the NPCs in town. You don't actually "explore" the world as so much as teleport to dungeon settings that are stated to be underneath a tiny town. There are roughly 5 floors for each area, totaling 35 levels. Of course, you are allowed to travel through specifically-designed puzzle rooms that appear using maps from the vendor, defeating phase beasts that randomly appear through the main campaign, or from the treasure-hunter in the southern part of town. These scale to your level and usually contain a number of bosses and an Enchantment Fountain. Random level maps are also available if you wish to re-visit particular regions for more loot.
Random Everything: The biggest problem with this game is how bad it is to get some good loot. Everything is practically one giant gamble. I could equip "Magic Find" on every item I have and still come out with a gold item I can't physically use. Some legendary equipment aren't even better than some of the rare items I received 10 levels ago. I think one of the best weapons I ever received was from the blacksmith at level 24 that supplied me with a ranged weapon that did twice the damage of any other bow I received in the game. There is a literal gambler where you can buy random equipment for a large sum of money. There is also an Enchanter that may or may not benefit you. When I say that, I mean there is a good chance he will remove all the enchants, do absolutely nothing, or break down the item entirely. This happened to me way more than I found acceptable.
Permanent Decisions: The one thing you must be aware of is that I chose to play the game on Hard Difficulty. This wasn't initially a problem. This type of game has you doing three main things: (1) Do what it takes to keep you alive, (2) Keep doing the thing that does the most damage, and (3) Experiment. The first two things are easy to do. The problem is that third choice. You see, you cannot adjust the difficulty of the game. You cannot change where you put all your skills. It also is pretty difficult to decide where to put all your stats when it comes to equipping new gear. So by the time I reached level 30, things weren't going too well for me. My "machine gun" turrets were actually doing more damage than my weapon. I swallowed my pride and went up the levels, even though some of the enemies were able to kill me in a single hit. The good news is that there is very little penalty for dying. Pay the small fee and get back to where you died. Drink potions like crazy! They help a lot.
Not Quite Perfect
Pet System: I must admit that I quite enjoyed what they did with the pet system. They let you go fishing for items that transform your pet into some other monster for a set time. They allow you to equip your pet with jewelry and spells. Your pet can even go back into town and sell your goods. However, I chose to be a Vanquisher. I thought my pet would be able to handle himself. I was wrong. For starters, pathing isn't the best. I noticed that my pet would hang on a few ledges and run through traps! I did everything I could to increase its speed, power, health, and defense but nothing seemed to work. It was cool seeing it as a spider or running around with an elemental boost, but the pet was not strong enough to handle the stat bloat by the end.
Storage: The game does a great job by providing you with two separate chests: one for the individual and one shared among all your characters. This way you can pass equipment you don't need for one class to another one that can use it. On top of your own inventory, you are capable of passing along items to your pet... that has the same amount of space that you do! Transferring items freezes the game, does not require your pet to be near you, and can be done while he is fleeing. All you gotta' do is Shift Click the item! However, I'm not quite sure why every single item takes up the same amount of space. Whether it be a gem, weapon, breastplate, or scroll, they all take up a single slot. The only things that are separated are spells and fish. Things get pretty ridiculous when you are saving all the different kinds of gems for all different kinds of tiers too. The good news is I never felt pressured for space as there was enough room to hold everything.
Gameplay
Lack of Support: Level design, character skills, and managing your loot were all pretty decent. The issue is that there isn't a lot of basic functionality when it comes to your hardware. For one thing, there is no gamepad support. There is a basic map function, but you cannot physically rotate the world. The hardest thing for me to get accustomed to is you cannot click on skills on the screen to use them. For some reason, that function is reserved for switching them out. The only way I could find to actually use the skills on the bar is to press the associated number. At least you are able to tie one of the abilities to your right mouse button. Unfortunately, there isn't really a help feature to tell you what each button does. You can mouse over the buttons on the bar to see their shortcut keys. Direction arrows do not move your character around the world either. There's no customization, changing your nose, or hair cosmetic changes when you start the game. Any cosmetic changes occur upon equipping new gear. Oh, and you left click to talk to people instead of right clicking them.
Review: Torchlight was essentially a stepping stone for the developers. The game has a lot of neat features that tries to simplify your experience. The size of the items are all identical and your pet has the ability to sell your goods while you continue with the dungeon. The classes are all decently developed with their own set of abilities and there is enough substance to try out several different kinds of builds. However, the game's inability to be flexible when it comes to upgrading your loot without relying on chance is a big issue. There's also problems when it comes to lack of controller support, no way to change the difficulty setting or resetting your skills, and the interface. The game does a great job replicating the dungeon experience, but it isn't quite there. I don't recommend playing this game.
3-24-2022