Back in 2009 Runic games released Torchlight, the game was met with both critical and user praise, fast forward to 2011 and Torchlight is set to make its appearance on Xbox Live. But, will the Xbox LIVE Arcade version of the game have the same charm that made the original such a hit? Or are these mines best left alone? Let’s find out!

Story:

Those that haven’t already played the PC version may find themselves wondering what exactly Torchlight is. Simply put, Torchlight is a dungeon crawling role playing game that revolves around that most compulsive of mechanics: the gathering of loot.

Torchlight doesn’t offer an engrossing or highly original story but does however set up players with the bare basics of pick a class go to town pick up quests go complete them. The game’s plot focuses on the town of  Torchlight which is sat upon a mine which happens to contain a strong source of Ember (a powerful ore used to imbues items and people with magical power).  In traditional fashion the town is having trouble with an ancient evil and through a number of events the player is dragged into the action.

Your basic task in Torchlight is to search through each level of the nearby mine, collecting as much loot and treasure as you can, and frequently returning to the surface to share your findings with the people you encounter in town. Most of the missions are simple fetch quests: character A needs item B which can be found somewhere on level C of the mine; you find the item, then take it back to character A, earn experience, equipment, and money, and then unlock the next mission. Rinse and repeat.

I am the kind of gamer who enjoys a good story when playing, because it gives me motivation to push through the game and makes the experience more immersive. However, when playing Torchlight, the story was the last thing on my mind because I was simply addicted to it’s gameplay…

Gameplay:

Rather than being a simple port the PC original, the Xbox 360 version of the game has had a few substantial changes made to it. The PC original was a point and click dungeon crawler, while the Xbox 360 version has had the control system overhauled. Not only do you now control your character in real time, but you can set spells and special abilities to specific buttons on your controller, allowing you to perform special moves instantly.

At the start of the game you are asked to choose from one of three character classes; The Destroyer is a brutal warrior, skilled in melee combat but with limited magical abilities. The Alchemist is a pure spell-caster, able to fire blasts of magic and electricity as well as summon imps and steam punk-styled robots. The Vanquisher is a female guard that specializes in ranged weapons, and can also use traps against her foes.

You will also get to choose one of four pets to accompany your character on their adventures, ranging from a dog to a dragon. Your pet acts as a backup character, complete with their own inventory that can hold loot. Not only does this let you save important items, or items that need a higher skill level than you currently possess, but the pet can be sent back to Torchlight town to sell your unwanted items. Special abilities can be given to the pet by feeding them fish – the abilities range from simple things like increased speed and damage, to transforming your pet into an electrified monstrosity for a limited period of time, gaining combat bonuses.

The gameplay overall is extremely fun and addictive, I was very impressed by how much play time I managed to get out of this game. While the game will cost you 1200 MS Points, you can spend hours upon hours roaming the various levels of the mines just killing enemies, collecting loot, completing quests, upgrading your weapons, levelling up your character, building your fame, and simply making your character even more awesome with the huge amount of armour that can be found and purchased from the town. So as you can see, you are easily getting your moneys worth and then some.

Now there are a few issues I have with the game, I have encountered frame yet drops from time to time but this only happens during massive battles, dealing with a large amount of enemies and even then, it doesn’t happen too often. Another small gripe I have with the game is the fact that you only have three characters to choose from, while I do understand that this is an XBLA title and at a file size of 147 MB they managed to put a lot of content into the game. Still, it would have been nice to maybe get one or two more characters.

My final and biggest issue with the game is the lack of cooperative play. Unfortunately, co-op is none existent in Torchlight both online and offline. While the game is incredibly fun on its own, it would have been incredible to explore the mines and tackle the game with a friend.

Final Verdict:

Torchlight is an incredibly fun game, there is so much to do, so much to explore that you’ll feel like your ripping Runic off for only paying 1200 MS Points for it. Although there is no cooperative play available, it is still an amazing game and I have no problem recommending Torchlight to everyone!

4.5/5

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