It would be safe to say I was a fan of Torchlight. But what could possibly give one that idea? Maybe it was the hours upon hours played. Or perhaps my fleeting attempt at some Torchlight fan fiction? Or perhaps, the fact that I own the game on Steam and Xbox Live Arcade? When Torchlight 2 was announced I watched the news feed daily, only to see the promise of a release date be teased and pushed back to the brink of frustration, and stop just short. Now with its release imminent, my little gaming heart swells with joy. Is this just an old-fashioned love song for Runic Games, the creators of Torchlight and its sequel Torchlight 2? You bet. Let me break it down in three-part harmony.
PART 1:
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| Dagner and Delaney discuss dungeon etiquette. |
I started my journey in Torchlight 2 as an Engineer. After clicking the random appearance button several times, settled on the monocle wearing, white haired warrior and a goggle-donning ferret as a companion pet. Though the options for customization are limited, they exist where there were none in Torchlight. The world of Torchlight is not photo-realistic, but it drips with a strong, comic book style. Dagner, my Engineer, looks as though he would sip on a cup of tea just before braining monsters with his over-sized wrench.
The style denotes your character’s background; it allows a player to create the moment before. It is rarely necessary to commit the time to generate a motivation for your hero, it is usually done for you or it is so basic that the particulars fall to the side. But the mood of Runic’s sequel is driven by a tone moved by story and music (music crafted by Matt Uelmen, known for the music behind Diablo I, II and Starcraft). Its music fills in the bright colors, fresh art and animation with mystery and even anxiety. Torchlight 2’s music helps in telling us another story, that the need for a hero is desperate; the heroes of the first game have failed. You may have thought you succeeded in destroying that evil, keeping it deep in the mines of the town of Torchlight. But you would be wrong. This is the story of my hero, there may be other heroes, but Dagner, and his trusty ferret Delaney are my heroes. With Torchlight destroyed, I carry on.
PART 2:
A steampunk-esque knight, the Engineer offers three distinct skill trees. I decided to focus on the “Blitz” skill tree, concentrating on smashing baddies to bits with two-handed weapons. After some much enjoyable thwacking I decide to stay with several specific skills to aid in my wrench hefting and smiting. Much like it’s predecessor, Torchlight 2 offers skill trees that open up new abilities or that aid in a passive manner. You can spread you points out and be a jack-of-all-trades within your class or stay the narrow course and focus on one skill tree. You can also decide how your character grows in strength, dexterity, focus and vitality. This adds another layer customization. You can grow your magic wielding Engineer or your fist weapon toting Embermage, it is up to you. You also can adjust how your pet companion engages in battle; feeding him fish can augment and transform it into a fearsome ally. The options for varied play are considerable.
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| General Grell tastes some wrench smacking goodness. |
Carrying out punishment on your enemies consists of pointing and clicking, and assuming you are close enough and strong enough your foe explodes or at least collapses in crumpled heap. Then bad guys drop loot, you pick it up, rinse and repeat. At first it would seem this formula would grow tiresome, but Runic knows the hooks. You level up, you distribute points you loot, you realize you need another level to use that awesome axe, you smash more monsters, you loot more stuff, you level, you look at your loot, you distribute points, you just spent an hour staring at the screen. You log off, right? No. You turn in that quest item, sell your loot, buy new loot, go out to try it out on the enemy and it starts all over again. The formula is terribly precise and addictive.
This may sound familiar for those who played the first Torchlight, but each step that seems familiar explodes with depth, care and thought. One particular step that was needed in Torchlight was multiplayer. Torchlight 2 addresses this with simple grace. A familiar pre-game lobby negotiates open games. Once I decided to hop online and join in a pick-up game, I found myself paired with another Engineer, using sword and shield and protective spells. We scurried about the land, kicking up sand in the faces of warbeasts, ratlins and skeletons. As easily as it was to join we parted ways. Heroes are everywhere, but sometimes they need to wake the baby up from his nap and fix lunch.
PART 3:
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| Dagner confirms that the Guardian has been protected. |
I have read many reviews of many games and one thing I never read about is how the game affects you when you are not playing it. This to me is perhaps the most important part of a game. Does it have a life outside of playtime? For Torchlight 2 it is a resounding, YES. After only a first brief play through I longed to smash the evil denizens of the land, to take their loot and drool over it like some crazed fiend. I calculated level up skill points and how I was going to distribute it them. I wanted to hear the music and sounds of the world of Torchlight 2. I want to carry these things in my day-to-day life when I am not playing games as much as I would carry characters from a book or movie. Torchlight 2 has painted such a simple yet beautiful balance of story, art, music and game play that I will be coming back for more. Furthermore it is astonishing that this game sells for $19.99. The return on investment is ridiculous. Pick it up, pick two up and bring a friend, it’s time for some adventure. I hope to see you all in game.
Torchlight 2 is released on 9/20/2012 from Runic Games.
