Torchlight Xbox 360 Reviews

Category: News Archive

Hits: 1995

Written by BuckGB on March 20th, 2011

Tweet

The balance between the strategy of customising your character and the fun of using it is expertly poised, and you're unlikely to find a better action-RPG until Torchlight 2, which will have multiplayer, comes out later this year.

As you descend ever-deeper past 35 expansive floors of subterranean catacombs you'll find that any of these heroes could've sustained an entire game on their own. These themed underworlds are beautiful, too, from mossy emerald caverns to the ominous purple shades of the Black Palace. Skeletons, zombies, and spiders the size of houses mingle with luminescent elemental spirits and treasure chests that suddenly spring to snapping life.

...this is a game that is very much worth your time. As if you can't already tell from the preceding slobbering love-fest, I genuinely love (Torchlight.) It's some of the best gaming I've had in a long, long time, and it is even better now that I can play it on my TV in the den. I highly recommend it because it is extremely fun and addictive. The amount of love that was poured into it is obvious from the outset and never once lessens the further you delve into the game. This is one you will enjoy from start to finish, and it absolutely belongs in your 360 library.

Occasionally the level design can get boring and this might turn some people off, but more often than not the game mixes thing up just before the player feels the need to move on and player another game. However, the fact that they could even get close to that feeling is a serious detriment to an otherwise amazing game.

Torchlight is the best role-playing game on Xbox Live Arcade. Its sheer magnitude and value for money makes it a satisfying purchase and is up there with the best. Runic Games have successfully transferred a PC experience onto consoles with perfect execution. With the sequel closer than you think, the negatives could be ironed out to make Torchlight the best it can be.

While the graphics aren't heavily inspired like other top-down games, the dungeons look great, the character animation is solid and the attention to detail in some parts is pretty cool, especially the little glow left behind by the loot. Your surroundings start to look the same over time, but the introduction of new enemies is a nice touch. Audio consists of some solid dialogue, along with strong sound effects and decent music. Nothing amazing in terms of sound, but it's hardly filler either. While multiplayer would've really pushed Torchlight to new heights, the game is no slouch as it stands. Fans of hack-n-slashers and role playing alike will equally come out in droves and make a $15 purchase, and deservedly so.

The only crime that can be pinned to the otherwise guilt-free but not-necessarily-fun Torchlight is its slowdown. Apparently this was never really an issue in the PC version of the game, but occasionally, the ol' 360 seems to have a heck of a time maintaining a frame rate. Otherwise-silky-smooth game-play sessions routinely and unexpectedly took on some serious chug on an alarmingly regular basis. What's that about, in this day and age? Stylish as it is, Torchlight is not what I would consider a challenge for the Xbox 360's visual processors. It's a real mystery!

• Prev
• Next