Review Gamebanshee Reviews Torchlight II

[Crooked Bee]

Tags: Runic Games; Torchlight; Torchlight II

Gamebanshee's Steven Carter offers his thoughts on Runic Games' Diablo III killer Torchlight II. Have some snips:

One of the main differences between Torchlight and Torchlight II is the pace. After playing some Torchlight II, I went back and played a little Torchlight, and it sure seems like everything in Torchlight II moves about 25% faster. For a while this really bugged me, as I felt like I was stuck in permanent FF mode (and worse, when my Berserker started a frenzy, it was like 2X FF mode), but then I eventually got used to it. However, the pace means that the game is much more hectic than it used to be, especially in co-op games, and once you get mobbed by enemies, it's frequently difficult to tell what's going on, and you just have to start clicking like crazy to survive. That is, just because you enjoyed Torchlight, that doesn’t mean you'll enjoy Torchlight II, especially if you're a part of the older and slower generation.

I mentioned co-op games in the previous paragraph, and that's one of the shining new features in Torchlight II. Now in addition to playing solo, you can branch out via the Internet or a LAN to play with your friends. For the Internet mode to work, you have to register with Runic Games, but then they allow you to import your Steam friends, and so it's easy to get started. There's even a matchmaking service, so if you don't have any friends playing, you can look for public games that suit your needs. I only played a little of Torchlight II over the Internet, but I didn't notice any lag or synching issues, and the mode appears to work well. Better yet, if you don't want to play online, you're not forced to log into anything, and so the Internet isn't required.

[...] The good news is that because the campaign is a chase, that means you get to travel through forests, deserts, swamps, crypts, caves and more (which is a nice change of pace after all of the underground dungeons in Torchlight), and you get to fight against a whole slew of enemies including trolls, zombies, roaches, pirates and of course helicopters. The bad news is that while the look of the game changes, the gameplay remains the same. The enemies in particular are disappointing. They are colorful and varied, but they all blend together and they fight about the same. Contrast this to the Diablo games, where I'm guessing most people come away loving or hating some of the enemies because of their unique attacks or fighting style. In Torchlight II you might not even remember the names of the enemies at the end of the game.

[...] Torchlight II is a fine sequel and a fine budget game. If we were to give an award to budget RPG of the year, then it would probably win. It's just that, to me at least, I look at all of the talent working at Runic Games, and it makes me sad that all they're making is a by-the-numbers action RPG. They should be making the next great thing rather than yet another iteration of the last one.​

To read the full 3-page review, click here.

 

[Gruia]

why TL is called a RPG is beyond me. Also .. a guy who is willing to go back to TL1 for comparison is either a really good reviewer, or a man with burnout values

 

[Metro]

Like it or not Diablo-clones have fallen under the ARPG umbrella/genre -- no one is arguing they are classic CRPGs. I agree with most of the review but think the enemy variety is better than he describes. Yes, some monsters just get three or four iterative deviations but there are more than a few new ones with unique AI each major overland map. He also touches on something I used to think myself:

It's just that, to me at least, I look at all of the talent working at Runic Games, and it makes me sad that all they're making is a by-the-numbers action RPG. They should be making the next great thing rather than yet another iteration of the last one.

However, after reading a recent Q&A with the developer team I've come to realize that Runic isn't capable of producing anything more or to take the genre any further or whatever. It was painfully obvious how much of a struggle it was to even release a fully fledged/legitimate Diablo-clone in TL2 (TL1 is arguably just a tech demo given its relatively shallow design features). They shrug off the idea of doing an MMO (which they had originally planned) stating they would probably never be able to design anywhere near the content required. Hell, there are still many glaring balance and design flaws with TL2 mostly due in part of their reluctance to do a proper beta and their inability to test it internally with only 30ish employees.

Still it's a good $20 alternative to the colossal AAA failure that is Diablo 3. It gives the fledgling Runic a solid IP to hang their hat on and much needed capital to work on future projects (which they said probably won't be related to Torchlight). In a sense they're a lot like Gaslamp Games (makers of Dredmor and the upcoming Clockwork Empires) -- you aren't going to get any major innovation but they fill a niche that is lacking on the mainstream level and provide it at budget prices.