Torchlight Is Simplistic Beauty

Torchlight has been dubbed by many as a “Diablo clone”. I think this comparison is unfair. Yes the basic shell of the game is the same. You have three characters to choose from. You delve in an underworld to battle nasty creatures as you complete your missions. And there is a cool story behind the game. However, that is where it ends.

Thanks to Runic Games, I was able to play Torchlight before its release. Am I ever glad they asked if I would like to preview it. I was neutral about Torchlight prior to its release, mainly because even so I like RPGs, I find they bore me quickly. However, holy crap am I ever excited about Torchlight! I have not had a chance to fully dive into the game yet but after 10 hours of game play, here are my first impression.

Elegant – The graphics have to be some of the most beautiful graphics I have seen. I have been trying to put a finger on what makes these graphics stand out and am so far unable. Hopefully after more time with the game I can better articulate why I find the graphics in this game so appealing. Maybe part of it has to do with even so the game takes place in a mine and is dark, it does not feel dark. There is a nice balance between dark, dank colours and bright, vibrant colours. Another note: I get eye strain very easily playing games. I did not find this when I played Torchlight.
Simple – Game play is simple which I believe is a bonus. Anybody can play this game whether you are a hardcore RPG gamer or if this is your first go at playing an RPG. One of the drawbacks of other RPG games, at least in my experience, is having to remember way too many hotkeys. Torchlight is not bogged down by this, making it the perfect game for any level of gamer.
Engaging – This game keeps me on my toes. As a general rule, I get bored with RPGs very quickly as you seem to have to waste a lot of time doing nothing to get somewhere to do something. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy RPGs, I just tend to get bored quickly. Torchlight is far from boring regardless of what level of difficulty you play at. You engage nasties on a regular basis. And just when you think you are about to get a break and be able to walk for a bit to explore, something unexpected happens for you to yell, “Holy Shit! What on earth did I just do to trigger these HUGE badasses to explode out of no where!” It almost feels like a mix of Halo and God of War. And once you are over the initial shock of this, comes the yells of “Die mother f*ckers!” At least from me they do. I found myself holding my breathe a lot during the game play as I was constantly being hit with the unexpected. Games I find myself getting lost in for hours are strategy games not RPGs. I got lost in Torchlight for a good 10 hours straight and emerged sleepless and with a Chandler Ms. Pac-Man claw hand. That is a very rare thing for me when it comes to RPGs.
Light – Torchlight is light on your system. It amazes me how wonderful the graphics are considering you do not need a newer system to play this game unlike most games released today. I played Torchlight on my 6 year old system without a single problem in sound, graphics acceleration, memory issues, etc. I find this to be a huge bonus as it will not exclude people from being able to purchase the game. They do not have to feel left out on the awesome and say, “Oh well. I guess I will have to wait until my next system upgrade.” This is a great thing.
Artful – From the graphics to the voice overs to the music, Torchlight is artful. It is simplistic beauty. Sound, especially music, is a very important part of game play for me. Some of my favourite games include awesome voice overs and music. This may not be important to anyone but it is to me. Music helps me to delve into the fantasy of the game if it is a good fit, just like music in the background of a movie helps set the tone. You may not always realize it is there, but if you were to remove this music the whole tone and feel for the movie would not be the same. It is the same for games. There were a few times where I had to remove my headset because I found myself getting to carried away with the music and not paying attention to the hordes of scary creatures attacking me. I am very impressed with the sound quality of Torchlight, especially considering this was part of their voice over recording process.

Torchlight is available for purchase now on Steam! For $20 USD, you really cannot go wrong. I feel this game is perfect for someone wanting to play an RPG for the first time or long time gamer.

The developers of Torchlight will be co-hosting my Geeky Pleasures radio show Friday October 30, 2009 at 9pm PT / Midnight ET and will be available to answer all your questions live plus geek out. Tune in at http://www.party934.com anywhere in the world or 102.5 FM Hudson Valley NY.

About the Author

Jules

I never know what to say in this about me sections/bios. I am a mother, geek, gamer, tech enthusiast, radio personality, actor, artist, dancer, crafter, writer, music fanatic, science fiction nut, lover of the great outdoors, and so much more.