[PC] Torchlight 2 Review

[Ghostbear]

Torchlight 2 Review

Product: Torchlight 2
Platform: PC
Developer: Runic Games
MSRP$19.99
Editor: Jeremy 'Ghostbear' Spurlock

What's Hot: The best action RPG I've played to date.

What's Not: Coming up empty here

The original Torchlight was a very popular game on CoG, but many folks including myself wanted something more; we wanted multiplayer. I think most people agree that action RPGs are at their very best when shared with friends. Whether it’s making that mad dash to get some loot, crushing a boss, or exploring every inch of a map, it gets twice as fun when you can share that experience with someone. Is Torchlight 2 just Torchlight with multiplayer? Let’s find out.

The story of Torchlight 2 starts right after the end of the original game. This time however, you are exploring more than the mines of Torchlight, you are chasing a dangerous foe across the world in order to stop him from unleashing dark forces. To find out whom you are chasing and why, you’ll have to play yourself. No spoilers here gentle reader, this is a safe place. Suffice to say that the story is deeper and more expansive than the original; interspersed with lovely animated cut scenes giving you a bit of exposition from time to time.

You have four brand new classes with which to explore this world. They are the Beserker, the Outlander, the Embermage and my personal favorite, the Engineer. Every class is completely different from the others, gone are the shared abilities of Torchlight 1. The Embermage is your classic wizard, calling down eldritch forces to smite the enemy. The Beserker is a melee fighter whose animalistic attacks and spirit powers are easily the match of the monsters you’ll encounter. The Outlander is primarily a ranged fighter, who supplements her ballistic attacks with dark magic. The Engineer uses powerful Ember powered armor to unleash attacks and supplement defenses, also uses a giant wrench, which is awesome.

Speaking of awesome, you once again have your stalwart pet allies. Not only will they fight by your side and sell your extra loot, you can now give them a shopping list to pick up potions, scrolls and other frequently used items. My pet was a white bulldog named Krypto, he is my new best friend. Sorry flesh and blood people, he’s too great to be second best. I know what you’re thinking, “Jeremy, we already knew all of this, how does the game play?” To which I say, hold your darn horses, I’m getting there! I had to take a moment to bask in Krypto’s glow before I moved on.

Spells and other abilities in this game are incredible to look at, with booming sounds and stunning animations, every fight is a feast for the senses. The skill tree is a bit different this time around, no longer are you required to level up lower abilities to unlock higher ones. The only requirement you need to meet for a skill is the proper level, this means that if you have points that you do not want to spend on available abilities, you can just wait and toss them into a higher level ability. Every class has three skill trees, all with very different abilities. Want to make your engineer a ranged cannon firing juggernaut? Do it. Like using bows more than guns with your outlander? You can focus there too. You can really tweak your characters almost perfectly to your play style. This customization makes you feel like you are really in control of this character and that is a very good thing.

Visually this game is a treat, the environments and characters are all incredible looking. Everything looks and feels great as you explore the world, from the barren wastelands of act two, to the forest in act three, you will not want for variety in areas. Every chapter feels different and more dangerous than the last. The danger of your mission really starts to take hold once you enter the final chapter in [redacted]. The enemies in the game are also far more diverse, from pirate zombies in the desert the iron covered dwarves, you’re going to have plenty of foes to slay.

I always hesitate when talking about music, because I don’t feel like I am quite qualified to talk about it in a manner it deserves. Suffice to say, I loved the soundtrack of this game. It is dark and haunting, adding another wonderful addition to the game’s atmosphere. I’ve been listening to it for a few weeks now and I’ve just got into the habit of starting it up whenever I am at my computer. You can download it for free right here.

The pacing in this game is damn near perfect, I always felt like there was something to do at any moment. It escalates the danger and tension every step you take and it’s better for it. I think loot drops are a key part of this, never did I feel like I was lacking in fun goodies to better equip my characters.

Torchlight 2 leaves the competition in the dust. Maybe it won’t sell a hojillion number of copies, but the folks at Runic have made what I think is the best Action RPG I’ve ever played. It is excellently crafted and beautifully realized. It has that magic that that has been missing in the genre for some time. So buy this game, play it with your friends and remember, Click-Click-Click-Click-Click-Click-Click.

Score: 5 out of 5 CoGs


Second Stage:
Editor: Ryan "UWCrash" Kern

The faults of Torchlight 2 are few and far between. Players who demand a strong narrative won’t find much to offer in that regard, although that is largely a product of the genre and not Runic. If you’re finding the difficulty you’ve chosen to be too easy or hard, you’ll need to play online as Internet play allows for difficulty selection while offline single player does not. Finally, choosing to move a character to New Game+ will restrict the games that character can join to the same New Game+ tier. That means a character in New Game+ (or New Game+ Tier 2, etc.) cannot go back and join a character who is on their initial playthrough. Take care when making this decision!

I personally didn’t care for the first Torchlight. The original dungeon lacked diversity, and the gameplay felt plodding and sluggish. Torchlight 2 sports a great variety of terrains while staying true to the style of the original. The gameplay is a little faster-paced and responsive in a way that keeps you in the action. Players looking for a strong narrative to drive them through the game aren’t going to find it, nor does this have the gritty, foreboding feel of the Diablo series. What Torchlight 2 does have is a lot of charm and gameplay that is just downright fun. At a release price of only $20, that’s hard to beat.


Score: 5 out of 5 CoGs


Jeremy says, "I loved everything about this game, start to finish, buy it right now."

Ryan says, “Torchlight 2 is fantastically fun title that managed to captivate me in ways the original couldn’t. At only $20, it’s a solid choice for those new to the genre and a must-have for those experienced with action RPGs.”

[Ink Asylum]

I'm definitely looking forward to getting into this, but Borderlands 2 is filling my time at the moment. Maybe in a month or so.

[PathMaster]

Excellent review with some good humor thrown in. Game looks excellent and I can't wait to play it.

Do I need to finish the first to play this, or is the narrative really that weak?

[Ghostbear]

Originally Posted by PathMaster

Excellent review with some good humor thrown in. Game looks excellent and I can't wait to play it.

Do I need to finish the first to play this, or is the narrative really that weak?

You can easily start with this game if you like.

[Narradisall]

Torchlight one was a real drag for me, but most of that was due to me not enjoying solo dungeon crawling.

This looks to have improved the game in every aspect. The timing means I won't pick it up for a while, but I think I will deffo give it a try sometime.

[BrianKohrman]

I really loved Torchlight for a little while, until I got so leveled up that nothing was challenging. I was already quite a ways into the game. It was a mistake to start on normal difficulty, but by that time, starting over at a harder level sounded super boring. This sounds like it solves the problem! Also, can I just say I really love the Torchlight art style? It's just colorful and beautiful.

[TheKeck]

Game unlocks in about half an hour.

I get home in about 6 1/2.

[Ghostbear]

Originally Posted by BrianKohrman

I really loved Torchlight for a little while, until I got so leveled up that nothing was challenging. I was already quite a ways into the game. It was a mistake to start on normal difficulty, but by that time, starting over at a harder level sounded super boring. This sounds like it solves the problem! Also, can I just say I really love the Torchlight art style? It's just colorful and beautiful.

This game is definitely harder. Ryan and I played on Normal for time's sake, but I think playing on veteran will give most folks the challenge they are looking for.

[Voodoo]

I love this fucking game!!

[Panthera]

Great review.

[UWCrash]

I played through the first 10 levels on veteran, and it seemed like a good fit for me challenge-wise. I also tried switching my level 53 Berserker from Normal to Elite, and a single skeleton in early Act 1 (NG+) nearly destroyed me. Elite does *not* screw around.

[Shjinta]

Excellent Review GB. Now as soon as I can get 20$ I shall purchase and join the CoG ranks!

[JayK47]

Are there LAN specific settings or just simply online? And holy cow "buy it now!" I get it, you like it.

[UWCrash]

Single Player, Internet, and LAN. We didn't go so far as to setup hamachi to see if the LAN stuff worked, though.

[Ghostbear]

Originally Posted by JayK47

Are there LAN specific settings or just simply online? And holy cow "buy it now!" I get it, you like it.

I'm sorry? I will refrain from being excited in the future. I wouldn't want a review to be so subjective

[bean]

Action RPG is a really broad term that includes games like Fallout 3, Tales of Vesparia, and Elder Scrolls (among others). Isn't the specific genre that Diablo invented referred to as "dungeon crawl"?

[Ghostbear]

Nope, Action RPGs do not include games like fallout 3. Admittedly it is a loose definition, but it refers to mostly point and click games in the Diablo vein. But in an effort not to derail the thread, let's assume I am talking about games like Diablo.

[inmostlight]

Originally Posted by bean

Action RPG is a really broad term that includes games like Fallout 3, Tales of Vesparia, and Elder Scrolls (among others). Isn't the specific genre that Diablo invented referred to as "dungeon crawl"?

See, I think of a "dungeon crawl" as something more like Eye of the Beholder or Legend of Grimrock. I've always called the Diablo style an action rpg or hack-n-slash rpg; it'd also include games like the Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance and maybe even more 3rd person games like Kingdoms of Amalur, but not the Elder Scrolls or Fallout 3. There's generally a lot of loot and often (but not always) randomized elements.

I don't think Diablo invented that genre, either, they built off earlier games like Ultima 8 and Temple of Apshai, and turn-based games like Angband, Nethack, etc. I know I remember playing more action-oriented roguelikes a few years before Diablo but I'm racking my brain trying to remember the names...at least one of them had multiplayer, too.

Anyway, back to Torchlight 2 -- looking forward to this, but like many others I'm pretty busy with Borderlands 2 right now. I hope there are still new players starting out a few months from now to play co-op with.

[jpublic]

Can you respec your character, or is it locked down?

[Ghostbear]

You can respec the last 3 skill points you assigned.