Okay, I’ll preface with something that any regular reader is already aware of: I didn’t like Diablo, and I “liked” Diablo 2 – “liked” being a grossly positive word to use for my feelings of the game. Diablo 2 added enough depth to the series that I found myself enjoying it, even though I didn’t care for the gameplay. They were both pretty monotonous, and I really felt separated from the action with the godlike camera angle. In a role playing game, especially an action oriented one; I want to feel like I’m controlling an extension of myself, not telling some dude where to go. I play strategy and sim games for that feeling. But that’s me, and I know my vantage point of Diabloesque games isn’t shared by a whole lot of people, specifically old school PC gamers. Why is it whenever I use the term “old school” I get a mental image of a woman wearing a full head wrap who looks like a Shar Pei and wields her eastern European accent to say, “In old country, ve have no Vorld of Varcraft.”

Anyways, yeah, Torchlight. I picked up the game and I must say I’m digging it. It’s everything that Diablo was and more, save maybe the grim outlook. The visuals immediately made me think of World of Warcraft, except your characters don’t look like clowns as you get better armor. It has a cartoon-like quality to it, but still retains a bit of attitude. The amount of gore is just right. There’s no body parts being thrown around, but there is a decent amount of blood as you slice and explode your enemies. I like the look, but I know some do not. It really comes down to if you don’t care for the stylized look, is it that bad that it will prevent you from playing this game?

I’ve only played as an Alchemist so far, and I don’t really have any desire to switch it up. I know I will at some point to see what the other classes can do, but the Alchemist seems to be the jack of all trades class in the game, and that’s typically what I prefer in most RPG’s. There are three trees you can dump skill points into (one point per level), and each tree really gives your character a defining role of how to play. The Alchemist’s Lore tree, for instance, tickets you as a stand in the back summoner type character which allows you to bring forth minions to fight for you, while throwing down death without really having to get your hands dirty. Being more the up close and personal type, I chose to spec heavily in the Battle tree, giving me access to armor bonuses, damage absorb shields, and some wicked area effect melee abilities. At least now, at level 10, there seems to be a great deal of customization you can do in terms of fitting your characters skills with exactly what your play style is. And this is one of the things I’m in love with Torchlight about. I love playing MMO’s, but often feel shoehorned into some roles that I didn’t expect to be in when creating my character. Torchlight seems to give you free reign of playing how you want, and I really hope this idea transitions to the MMO.

You can fish in this game. “Seriously? Fishing?” Were my initial thoughts to the relaxing past time being included in a single player action RPG. I know it’s a mainstay in most MMOs, and Runic is using Torchlight as the genesis of their MMO, but I didn’t get why or how it would be a useful addition to the single player experience. I spent about 20 minutes last night at a fishing hole though. Now I get it. They made it a minigame which isn’t really involved, but it keeps you attentive, and the resulting rewards are worth your time. You primarily get fish (go figure) and also some items of interest. The kicker is the fish isn’t for you to eat, it’s for your pet. The pets are something I absolutely love in this game, and wish an MMO would have incorporated them in the way Torchlight has. When you create your character, you can choose between a cat or a dog sidekick. This pet acts as an extra bit of DPS for your character, but the interesting thing is that you can festoon the little guy with a few pieces of jewelry to boost their stats, and they carry a backpack to house all the overflow gear once your pack gets full. And that fish you’ve been catching? When feed to your compatriot some fish, it will transform them into a different type of beastie dependant on which fish you feed him or her. There is a time limit on the effect though, so if you want that dog or cat to stay mutated as a Spider, you better go back to fishing and get more Web Fish.

The one standout problem with the game is the lack of multiplayer. The game can get rather lonely, and I assume that’s why they give you a companion pet to fight alongside you. This does actually make you grow somewhat attached to your pet though. I’ve actually started talking to my dog “Bender” much like Tom Hanks’ character did to Wilson in Cast Away. I’ve heard word that the multiplayer element is in the works, and I think that if I do get bored with the game by then, its addition will totally revitalize my interest in it.

Even with the lack of online play, the game is solid and will serve as a great title for anyone who is eagerly awaiting Diablo 3. I went into Torchlight honestly not expecting much because this style of game isn’t usually my bag. But I found that it is well worth the $20 price of admission. It’s the deal of the year.