Torchlight Xbox 360 Reviews

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Written by BuckGB on March 15th, 2011

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At $15, this is a good buy, and we're hoping that the upcoming sequel with multiplayer support also makes it to the Xbox 360 in a timely fashion. This is the way to bring a PC title to a console: keep what's important, update the things that won't work on a controller, and leave the character and feel of the game intact. Bravo.

Additional extras for the Xbox Live release are few and far between, with a new pet and some bonus armour to be found, but it's pleasing to know that it has all the content and depth of the PC release. While the conversion could have been tweaked and optimised in certain areas, there's no doubt that Torchlight is natural fit on a console, and Runic Games should be commended for translating such a PC-centric genre to work in front of a television without comprising what made the original so compulsive and celebrated.

All in all, I love this game. Torchlight is a well polished, deep and accessible action RPG... and at 1200 Microsoft points, it's a great deal and it doesn't feel like an arcade game. Even if you're not a regular RPG player, it's easy approach hiding deep customization could win you over to the genre. I would certainly recommend you play the demo, because unlike some XBLA trials, it does give you a sense of what the game is going to be like.

If you loved the original Diablo, Torchlight is right up your alley. Yes, it can be a bit button-mashy at times, and it suffers from the same PC/Mac lack of multiplayer (that's coming in Torchlight 2), but there's no denying how much fun this game is. At $15 (1200 MS points), it's also a bargain, and the price for the PC/Mac version has been permanently dropped to $14.95. The game is available now as part of Microsoft's Xbox Live House Party, and is easily the standout title of that bunch.

Being an Xbox Live Arcade title, it almost feels like cheating to get this much content from a game: one can spend easily 15 to 60 hours playing the title building up their character to a cap of level 100. As fun and simple as the game is, it can be a bit of a grind at times and the lack of a cooperative mode is disappointing. Regardless, the game is a fun, polished hack-and-slash with a ton of content something sorely lacking on the Xbox 360 at a price that just can't be beat.

Even with all the differences I have pointed out, make no mistake, this is still Torchlight. The game is still as fun and addictive as it ever was. It retains the good old l'll-just-jump-in-and-play-a-bit-oh-god-it's-two-hours-later-where-did-the-time-go feeling that Torchlight and Diablo have always nailed. The randomly generated dungeons combined with such a wide array of abilities and the infinite amount of items, means that the game will continue to provide you with a literally endless amount of new experiences, something few other XBLA titles can promise.

Torchlight is a very addictive title that should be played by any action-RPG fan, especially those obsessed with finding the best combination of gear and weapons. It is a bit on the easy side, so even if you vaguely remember playing Diablo for a week or two I would suggest starting on Hard difficulty.

In any event, by the time you get into your twenties (in terms of leveling) and assuming the obvious skills are among the ones you picked, you'll have enough status-altering stuff between those and your enchanted equipment to tear through hundreds of baddies without breaking a sweat. The game looks good while doing it too, employing a cartoon-like graphical style reminiscent of World of Warcraft. As it turns out, this works very well for the type of game Torchlight is trying to be, even if the framerate drops into the single digits in some of the more crowded magical firefights. The music and sound effects are great as well. Hiring the guy who did the sound for the original Diablo seems to be the best thing Runic could have done for the game, as it perfectly recreates the feel of that classic. Unfortunately, what little voice acting Torchlight features, in keeping with the tradition of top-down western RPGs in medieval settings, is absolutely atrocious. Minor blemishes aside though, Torchlight is a well-made, long and most importantly, fun experience the whole way through and well worth the $15 it'll cost you to play it.

The only thing missing from the original games is the monotonous sound of the clicking of the right mouse button as you traverse your way through the depths of the Torchlight. The only knock against this game is that it is still single player. Hopefully, Torchlight 2 will make its way to XBLA much sooner than its predecessor.

However, if you poured or are indeed still pouring hundreds upon hundreds of hours into Diablo, be prepared to lose a few hundred more on Torchlight. Some may find it repetitive, others will find it hopelessly addictive. The price may seem excessive, but underneath the RPG-lite exterior, random dungeons and three different character classes make Torchlight a lot of bang for your buck.

Torchlight is a hit and it has turned heads for a very good reason(s). Now it's on Xbox Live. Which means YOU gentle reader, have no reason for not owning it.

It is refreshing to see a good action RPG on a console. There was a time when you could find a lot of games in this genre on the PS2, but now a game like Torchlight is a welcome breath of fresh air. When you get right down to it, Torchlight is a charming title with very stylish graphics and music. Most importantly though, Torchlight is a lot of fun and it will eat away the hours while you work on (Just one last quest before bed). If you are a fan of this genre of game, or if you're looking to get into once, give Torchlight a look.

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