You don’t have to rely on servers alone.įor those who struggle with the limited inventory, the game keeps your throwaway loot on the map, so you can recollect it later (and you can always send your pet to town to sell unwanted clutter). But pets are certainly no substitute for multiplayer, which is available in the game either via Internet or local area network (LAN) connection. Mine was a worthy partner, too - aiding in battle, knowing when to go around obstacles, and only rarely getting stuck … and then easily getting unstuck. And the specifics of combat are intuitive during play: Enemies with auras spawn minions or signify minibosses.įishing for loot and food for your pet is a nice diversion, and having a pet at all helps minimize the loneliness of playing an action-RPG solo. The scenery isn’t a problem when enemies and allies are visible as red and blue transparent figures behind it, allowing you to know whom you’re attacking even when you’re hidden behind a rock. Torchlight II is all around a solid game, and it’s the attention to details that make it even better. Most important, the interface is not a hindrance to use in the middle of a dungeon, and you can still attack and move with the menus open.
Learning how to operate the system is easy - things like quick-mapping skills and items, examining your inventory and your pet’s, transferring or exchanging goods, or equipping weapons and armor aren’t troublesome at all. What could be a cluttered interface during play actually seems clean and well organized. This screen also serves as a handy reminder for when you have unused skill and stat points to redeem, which happens more often than you might think. The loading screen cycles through an abundance of helpful hints about different classes or convenient controls, so even when you’re not playing, you’re becoming an expert on the mechanics. The minimap shows clear indicators of quest givers (a symbol that lights up when you’re able to return for more directions or a reward), the quests themselves, special locked chests, your current objectives, Waypoint portals (teleporters that take you from one place to another), and other important locations. Everything about the game’s design facilitates navigation, quest completion, and basic comprehension of how the game works. That simplicity goes beyond point-and-click controls and keyboard shortcuts. Whether you’re a veteran action-RPG player or a newcomer, Torchlight II makes it easy to just jump in and play. The tougher spots took determination and strategy, but they didn’t keep me from progressing for long.
While the difficulty increased with each act, the game never presented a bigger challenge than I could handle.
Together, we mastered forests, deserts, and swamps - the three main but not exclusive locales you explore throughout the game. For my pet, I chose a lizard-like Chakawary called Indy, thanks to a little help from the name generator. For this review, I played for 22 hours (the time it took me to save the world on Normal difficulty) as a female Engineer - a steampunk-styled character who uses Ember-powered weapons and armor (Ember is the magical mineral that powers many items and abilities).