I just finished the first Torchlight game. I played it back in the day, but gave up after a few levels because it seemed dull. However,
@mlnevese posted the Tristram theme in the music thread and I had the hankering for some Diablo. Unfortunately, I don't have a CD-ROM anymore to install it from disc, and you can't even buy the original Diablo 2 anymore. Plus, there was a wicked sale on the Torchlight games on GoG, and it's made by the same people, so that should scratch my itch, right?
I started out hoping to give this at least a 3/5, if not higher. After all, it was made by the same people that worked on Diablo, and Diablo 2 is one of my 5/5 games. But, as I played the game, it's flaws became more apparent. And, by the time I finished it, I was not liking it at all. In fact, I'm pretty sure I just finished this game out of spite. This was a 1/5 game for me. 1/5 from the same people that made one of my 5/5 games! Normally, my feedback on 1/5 games are just a sentence or two. Torchlight: It appears to be a crappy ARPG for mobile ported to PC. Does nothing to build on, or even meet the standards set by, its predecessors. Boom. That sums it up there.
However, these devs worked on Diablo. I feel like they should have know better. So, if only because I have a little scotch in me, I'm gonna break it down.
Treasure would frequently spawn in unreachable areas.
Pathfinding and AI ranged from bad to abysmal.
Level scaling (for loot and skills) was poorly done. Some of my endgame gear was virtually insignificant. Many skills dropped off in usefulness in the late game.
Higher level items were crappier than low level items. Farming strategies are impossible.
“Unique” items were often (partially) randomly generated trash. They lacked intent, theme and character. I still remember grinding for Windforce in Diablo 2. I've already forgotten my unique gear in Torchlight.
Audio was, at best, poorly derivative of Diablo and generally bland and generic.
Graphics were even more generic.
Story was forgettable, along with every character in town. I still remember the Butcher from Diablo 1, despite not playing the game in decades. I've already forgotten almost every character/creature here.
Gemcrafting was tedious, far more so than in Diablo. I mathed it out and it was basically double the grind.
Stash size was too small to fully gemcraft.
Gunplay was lackluster and boring.
Dual-wield should have increased attack speed. Especially for pistols, it would have provided the pew-pew feels for which pistol packers usually look.
Essential information (e.g. armor value) missing from relevant screens.
Horrible feedback for summoners (how many of each summon do I have still in play?). Spell cooldowns were unnecessarily nerfy and tedious.
Procedural map generation was inferior to predecessors. Levels quickly became predictable and repetitive.
Enemies would fail to render during a fight, turning invisible. Good thing my minions could still see them. I had some fight that had hardly any fighters showing, but tons of vfx.
The final battle was poorly designed. Very un-clever.
This game did not scratch my Diablo itch at all. I just googled it and think I can buy a USB CD-ROM for around $20. I paid $3 for Torchlight. The CD-ROM would have been a better deal.
). And, this was just part one of a Thief run. Next up is Thief: The Metal Age. I might even put the sequel on my 5/5 list. They make some improvements on the model without overshooting it. I do like the story of the first better, judging it on its own. However, the story in the second does a great job providing a contrast in theme when you consider the major factions in the game world.