Torchlight 2 Review Part 2: The Electric Boogaloo

Torchlight 2 Review

 

Almost As Good As It Gets

I gave my first impressions of Torchlight 2 in my last blog post, but I wanted to do a more in-depth review of the game without mentioning the D word once I had spent some more time with it. In order to do that, I had to play some more first. This took me a while to do. I used to put off writing in order to play video games, and now I spend time writing when I should be playing video games so that I can write about them. It's a cruel, cruel world. Here we go.

Story: 8

The game is divided into 3 acts, and each act centers around a different area. The first act takes place in the Esterian Steppes and features the player seeking to know more about the Alchemist, who is using the power of Ordrak's heart (of first Torchlight fame) to disrupt the world's elements. Honestly, the plot is probably the weakest point, but it's still solid (just not exceptional), and the rest of the game is so compelling it's easy to get lost in the gameplay.

Graphics: 9

Cartoon-like but sharp. It's easy to tell where your character is for the most part and you can zoom in and out quite a bit for your preference depending on the situation. When your character is behind a structure, they are outlined in a blue skeletal frame that makes them easy to see, and the enemies are outlined in red. The UI is super clean, easy to understand, and easy to navigate. The particle effects from the spells and monster attacks are especially nice looking. Doubly so when there's a big beastie taking up half the screen launching projectiles at you like crazy. Unlike the first Torchlight, which featured one town and one dungeon, Torchlight 2 has a variety of environments, all of which are aesthetically pleasing.

Gameplay: 9

Click on monsters, acquire loot. Players can use the keyboard for shortcuts for abilities and potions, but ultimately the whole thing can be played with a mouse. Players can hold quite a few items in their inventory and easily see what equipment is better than what they are currently wearing. Quests are given by quest givers in towns and in the overworld. Players complete quests and move forward through the acts of the overarching story about the Alchemist.

The only thing I would ask for would be some more side stuff to do. There is fishing, although it can get somewhat repetitive, but having a few more things to do would really help flesh the world out. The first time I blew up fish with dynamite, it did put a smile on face.

Sound: 10

Matt Uelmen's sountrack is hot, hot, hot. It suits the atmosphere of the game perfectly, and he has the pedigree of working on a couple of other high-profile and incredibly successful games that I won't mention here. Here's some of the work he did for Torchlight 2.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vtir2GzdPag

Replayability: 10

The game features 4 different classes, (Engineer, Outlander, Berserker, and Embermage) multiple modes of difficulty, multiplayer of up to 6 players, and over
100 achievements to try and achieve. I haven't even touched multiplayer yet, to be honest, and I know that's a big draw for a lot of people. In fact, if you're reading this, have a Steam account, and want to play, add me as a friend. Tone Deaf Jeff. See you online!

Final Score: 9.5

Buy it. Just buy it. Or try the demo. http://www.torchlight2game.com/ Or get the first one for as low as a $0.01  from the Humble Indie Bundle 6 and see what all the fuss is about (only 5 days remaining!).