[Game Review] Torchlight (PC)

Wow. I can't believe 2010 is already here. And with the first day almost over, I guess I better get this review out to you guys. BTW, tomorrow I'm reviewing Plants Vs. Zombies. Enjoy!

Environment & Atmosphere

Torchlight doesn't really make much of an attempt at having a story. Instead, they spent their time developing a little bit of lore that creates a rich environment and atmosphere to the game. As a result, that's what I'm going to be reviewing rather than it's "story". Though to be honest, with that said, even the lore seems to be lacking a bit in this game. But the aesthetics of the mines as you get deeper down, and their ability to really make you feel like your in an entirely different world each time you get to a new area is just flat out impressive. In that regard, they did a very good job. But in terms of anything that involved writing... I'll just let the numbers speak for them self.

Score: Average 6/10

Gameplay

The gameplay is definitely the strong point in Torchlight, especially since everything else seems to be pretty low budget. Though, most people value a game having better gameplay than anything else anyway, with myself included for the most part(I've played games where story took some precedence over gameplay but the gameplay was still very good.)

First off, you should know that this game is essentially Diablo 2.5. In fact, some of the people who made it used to work for Blizzard and ended up working on Diablo 2. The only catch is that the game has no multiplayer. *waits a few seconds* Yeah, I know I just lost a bunch of you right there. We've essentially got Diablo 2+ and they forgot multiplayer! Okay, okay, I get what you're saying, just here me out. They haven't "forgotten" multiplayer. They're actually working on a free mmo of Torchlight that is going to use a lot of the stuff that's in the game but is going to actually be multiplayer like Diablo. As for the Torchlight we've got now, it has something HUGE on Diablo games. Two words: Player mods! For a single player game, Torchlight seems to be pretty community based, and I would guess that's because of the mod communities that have developed. In fact, well over 100 mods have been made and 100s are in the process of being made as I write this.

Score: Above Average 8/10

Sound & Graphics

The music and art styles used in this game are just absolutely stunning if you ask me. A lot of people claim that some of the music was taken directly from Diablo 2 but honestly, even if it's true I really don't care. They really do a good job using the WOW like graphical style to create visually stunning environments and they pair it with music that is both moving and fitting. At least in this aspect, they really capture the essence of gaming and what it's like to feel immsersed in a game.

Score: Above Average 8/10

Final Thoughts

This one is simple. If you're considering buying this game you've only got a few things to consider. One, do you like Diablo or similar dungeon raiding, isometricly viewed action rpg games? Two, would you play a game like this despite there being no multiplayer? If you answered yes, then go buy this game now! It's only $20! Actually, $10 on steam if you buy it before Jan. 3rd. So hurry!

My overall score is: 7.6/10.0