Torchlight II

Torchlight II on the Nintendo Switch is not just a re-release of an established game, but it takes full advantage of this transformer-like platform. Its ability to utilize all the Switch’s hardware to make the game more appealing was achieved, without cutting corners or gameplay experience. Offering hours and hours of single or multiplayer monster demolishing gameplay, Torchlight II is everything it was when it first debuted, and more. Torchlight II will release on September 3rd, 2019 on the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

When Diablo III hit consoles in the fall of 2013, I knew it was going to be excellent. I was SURE of it. But how could I be so sure that the dungeon crawler would translate well to console? Easy! Someone else had done it first. People seem to forget that two-and-a-half years prior to Blizzard’s living room invasion, the original Torchlight launched as an Xbox 360 exclusive and it was staggeringly good. I’d gone into the Torchlight review (yes, I have been doing this for a long time…) with muted expectations, wondering if Runic Games would be able to translate their stellar PC experience for us...

My experience in Torchlight II was incredibly fun. Although there's an easy to use multiplayer feature, I was quite happy just slogging through the maps with my pet. Everything feels streamlined, the effortless activation of abilities, the ease of the item and inventory system, even the quests require very little input outside of destroying the various monsters that block your path. You can say what you want about Diablo III but Torchlight II deserves more recognition than simply outmatching the giant that is Blizzard. Priced at £19.99, Torchlight II is a must for any avid gamers collection.

Runic Games' Torchlight II is the second big action RPG to be released in 2012. We've been putting TL2 through its paces and trying -not- to make comparisons to that other ARPG that released in May. See what we think of Torchlight 2 before adding your ideas to the comments.

It's a great year for fans of the hack'n'slash genre. Torchlight II is better than the original in every way and is a fair competitor to Diablo III.

Where it does excel and differentiate itself is in its colorful environments, heavily contrasting with other similar titles that tend to go for a much darker dungeon crawler approach. Fans of the genre will love what it does with every aspect at every turn, and even if you’re not big on ARPGs this game would be a great chance to start and see what it’s all about.

Torchlight II is up there with the best examples of the genre, but Runic Games makes very little attempt to advance the genre beyond what we were already comfortable with a decade ago.

Three years after the release of the first game, Torchlight II gives players the opportunity to loot together. Will RPGamers be able to illuminate the way forward for each other, or will the journey end in darkness?

So let me stress how long this game is, because it’s pretty damn long. I spent around two hours in just the first open area exploring and doing sidequests. That’s chump change compared to the time you’ll spend once you hit Act 3. I’d mention how long it took me to finish the game but Steam was being a dick and erased my playtime when the game was “officially” out. Just expect to be putting in 25+ hours into the game, more if you do sidequests of course. Of course for all you manly players out there you can try your luck on the veteran difficulty level and there’s even a hardcore option to add ...

Back in 2009, developer Runic Games gave the dungeon crawler a spark of new life in the form of Torchlight -- A colourful action-RPG, both fun and satisfying to play. It was a finely tuned example of the genre, no doubt because of a creative team that consisted of ex-Diablo 2 devs. A sequel came in 2012, directly contending with the might of Diablo 3. It’s a testament to the series' appeal that it managed to hold its own against the ruler of the dungeon crawling roost.

This slow progress to explore new heroes and their skill trees is further compounded by the lack of a total respec option. Players can earn single respec points to undo a single spent skill point. This is a baffling design choice. By the end of my 30-odd hour playthrough, I had amassed 16 of these “Respectacles” but had nearly 60 skill points already assigned. I have no way of fully recreating my build unless I grind out bosses for a chance at a respec point or spend another 20-odd hours playing a new character.

Torchlight II is addictive, imagination-fuelled goodness. It never gets boring and its “just five more minutes” value is second to none. It may not have an engaging story but I don’t think anyone twatting a zombie pirate called ‘One-Eyed Willy’ with a giant wrench will miss it. At its price point there’s almost an absurd amount of value for money here, even before you take the co-op and huge randomised levels that change every time you play it into account. Let me finish with the ...