Today is the launch of Runic Games' Torchlight, although you probably know them best as the guys who worked on Mythos. The MMO version of Torchlight isn't out for another 18 months or so, but you can get a taste of it as of today, which is of course the game's release date -- imagine that!
Not only is the game developed by the former Mythos team, it's also headed by Max Schaefer and Erich Schaefer, co-designers of Diablo and Diablo II. Speaking of those games, we hope you liked their music, because the same man who wrote it worked on Torchlight as well. The pedigree is definitely high, and from our hands-on experience it shines through exceedingly well.
So will you be getting Torchlight? At the low price of $20, it's not a hard sell considering the quality of the game. Plus, with full mod tools being included in that price, free fan-made content should be falling down from the heavens in no time flat.
Reader Comments (25)
Posted: Oct 28th 2009 7:24AM Gemi said
Oh yes, this game is far better than I could've imagined. They've basically fixed everything that was bothersome and irritating in the original Diablo series.
* No durability.
* No ammo for ranged weapons.
* No inventory tetris.
* A pet with an inventory of its own that you can send to town to sell stuff for you, so no more excessive town portaling.
* No walking/stamina.
* Etc.
The only problem for me so far is that the random generated dungeons are straightforward pipes instead of Diablo-like more interesting complexes. It doesn't feel so much like exploring when I run in a pipe.
* No durability.
* No ammo for ranged weapons.
* No inventory tetris.
* A pet with an inventory of its own that you can send to town to sell stuff for you, so no more excessive town portaling.
* No walking/stamina.
* Etc.
The only problem for me so far is that the random generated dungeons are straightforward pipes instead of Diablo-like more interesting complexes. It doesn't feel so much like exploring when I run in a pipe.
Posted: Oct 28th 2009 1:46PM DFuzzy1 said
But inventory tetris was fun~
Think of it as a minigame :)
And I might be mistaken about Diablo, but weren't those dungeons also randomly-generated? (with the exception of the quest dungeons) I'm curious as to why Torchlight dungeons wouldn't have the same complexity.
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Think of it as a minigame :)
And I might be mistaken about Diablo, but weren't those dungeons also randomly-generated? (with the exception of the quest dungeons) I'm curious as to why Torchlight dungeons wouldn't have the same complexity.
Posted: Oct 28th 2009 6:59PM Gemi said
Yes, the dungeons in both TL and D1-2 are randomly generated, and that's one of the main points in keeping the game interesting for a long time. The difference is that in Torchlight you basically have a start point and an endpoint for each level, and only one direct path to it with no wandering around. In the Diablo series you have a large area where you can go around much more freely and not just follow one direct path to the end, which lends to the feeling of exploration and discovery. I guess this design decision was made because their awesome looking 3D surroundings wouldn't work as well otherwise, but your guess is as good as my guess.
Reply
Posted: Oct 28th 2009 11:26AM Alchemda said
I am enjoying this game immensely. It pulls my heartstrings with its reminiscence of Diablo 2. The identify scrolls, the scroll of town portal, the bank chest for storage. And the MUSIC!! The music is done by the same guy who did Diablo and its fantastic!! I've rolled about an hour into this game and already its .. one more level.. one more level.
Highly recommend it
Highly recommend it
Posted: Oct 30th 2009 9:27AM (Unverified) said
Just bought it via pay pal off their website. Easiest purchse/download/install ever.
Fun game, quickly addicting. Lots of nods to WoW and Diablo in there. Good controls, fast graphics that look great. Twenty bucks? What's not to like?
Fun game, quickly addicting. Lots of nods to WoW and Diablo in there. Good controls, fast graphics that look great. Twenty bucks? What's not to like?







