Review by: Jason McMaster

Torchlight is a game in the same style as the original Diablo, which isn’t a coincidence as some of its developers helped design the Blizzard mega hit. This is a game that presses all of the right buttons and is a required purchase for those hungry for Diablo III and who lack the patience to wait another year (or two) for it to drop. The real kicker? It’s just 20 bucks.

You play as one of three characters that, as you level, get to specialize in sets of skills listed in a skill tree format. The characters are your standard fare – a warrior, a ranged character and a magic user – but can be modified to fit your play style using the skill tree. For instance, the Alchemist can go straight magic, summon demons or have an army of steampunk robots that kill everything in sight… or a bit of all three.

Based out of the mining town of Torchlight you delve deeper and deeper into the mines and catacombs to find riches and magic… at first. The true evil of Torchlight is that Ember, the magical stone beneath the city, can corrupt and destroy. The farther you plunge into the darkness, the more horrors you find. Hidden underneath the town are many ancient civilizations that were destroyed by the corrupting power of Ember and the cruel, twisted inhabitants still wander their ruins today. It’s not a pleasant place, but, luckily, you’re there to sort everything out.

First and foremost – if you have played Diablo or any of the clones of Diablo, you know how this game plays. Left clicking moves your character and attacks, and there are a plethora of hot keys for potions, powers and, well, just about everything else. Torchlight keeps the isometric view, but is rendered in 3D with a light but interesting design. The characters and enemies are animated and cartoony rather than dark and realistic, which Runic says is to make the game feel more accessible. Either way, it works and creates a really nice, stylistic setting that, while violent and sometimes creepy is also fun to look at and doesn’t require powerful graphics hardware.