There are lots of different types of gamers out there. Some thrive on seeing
their user name climb to the top of leaderboards, unlocking that final pesky
achievement, or even tanking during particularly difficult boss fights. Others
wholeheartedly subscribe to a House of Pain gamer lifestyle and enjoy nothing
quite as much as jumping around in a good platformer.
But for some, the one thing that really makes their virtual socks go up and down
is the kind of addictive gameplay that only a good dungeon crawler can provide.
And while the core concepts of collecting mountains of loot from randomized
dungeons may be deceptively simple on the surface, there have really only been a
handful of truly great titles in the genre over the years.
The original Torchlight is among the all-time greats of the genre, so it was no joke when I met with Vice President of Runic Games, Marsh Lefler, during E3 2011 when I told him that I was
lucky enough to save my best appointment at the expo for last. But what exactly is it about upcoming Torchlight II that should have gamers excited?
For starters, Torchlight II features not only online co-op gameplay, but as we
learned at E3 the game will also support LAN play as well. Thankfully it didnt
take much persuasion to bring Jeff along to meet with the fine folks at Runic,
so we go to see the most recent iteration of co-op gameplay in action during our
hands-on session.
This was also a perfect opportunity for Marsh to show us how some of Torchlight
IIs random events work, and how much more detailed and expansive the games
countless dungeons are this time around. And if you're one of those types of gamers who fully believe that size matters, you'll be pleased to know that the exterior areas alone account for 4 times the amount of explorable content than the original game.
Hands On with the Berserker
In addition to LAN support (Internet support was a given) and interesting stuff like Events that Sardu mentions elsewhere in this article, Runics big reveal at E3 2011 was the Berserker class. I was lucky enough to sit down with this new middle-of-the-frey meleer, and though Barbarian comparisons will be drawn, no dizzying whirlwind attacks or other iconic Diablo attacks were represented. To Runics credit, I didnt think about the rough class correlation until I sat down to write this quick impressions piece.
The Berserker does most of his Berserking with mean-looking claws, but Torchlight 2s take on claws is less a slashing Freddy Kruger style, and moreso made for punching and stabbing. In keeping with his barbaric nature (my character was a his, though Torchlight 2 will introduce character customization and gender selection to the Torchlight series), the Berserker can call upon animal spirits to aid him in battle. Two of the most memorable abilities from my playsession were wide-area attacks one a charge-up ability unleashed like dragons breath in a damaging cone, the other a charge attack which sent my character leaping into the fray, dealing damage in an small area-of-effect.
Though the previous two classes had Runics memorable panache the hammer-wielding, monocle-sporting Railman, and the raja-themed, low-magic Outlander the Berserker gets low marks for creativity and originality. While the claws and animal-skull armor are imposing, the class as a whole seems to have fallen fairly close to the action RPG class tree. Runic still has a fourth class up its sleeve, so well anxiously await more info as Torchlight 2 heads toward a 2011 launch.
- Jeff Ethec Woleslagle
Due to the randomized nature of both the interior and exterior areas in
Torchlight II, even something that may seem like a scripted event wont play out
exactly the same way for two individual players. I shouldn't even have to spell out for you what that means in terms of Torchlight II's replayability. Putting this concept to the
test, Jeff and I ran through one of the games many random events twice, and
both times we had a unique experience even if some key elements may have been
similar.
For example, triggering the event the first time involved defeating a number of
enemies who were guarding a sarcophagus that we needed to interact with which
would then unlock the entrance to a nearby dungeon. The second time around we
were pitted against fewer weak enemies, but squared off against a fairly
difficult boss instead, and had a wholly different experience all around.
So not only will you be able to share tales of your personal experiences in
Torchlight II with your friends, but I fully expect there will be a lot of late
night calls to encourage people to drop into their friends games to check out
some exceptionally cool thing they just discovered.
Another nice touch in co-op play is that any loot you personally see drop during
your adventures is assigned specifically to your character, so youll never have
to worry about someone else in your group snagging that awesome pair of pants
that just dropped. Direct trading between players wasnt active in the demo build we played this time
around, but Marsh explained that a complete system for it is currently in the works. Or, if you decide you really don't want those snazzy new pants after all, you can always drop them on the ground for anyone else in your group to snatch up, or even give them to your pet to chew on (aka take back to town to sell).
Speaking of loot, the number of interactive objects in dungeons has greatly increased, and you'll definitely want to keep your eyes peeled for some cleverly hidden treasure rooms along the way. The handful of bosses we encountered while exploring the local
dungeons also felt like a perfect fit for co-op play. Since bosses can have
any number of tricks up their sleeves (or tucked behind their ears for those who
feel more badass going with a sleeveless look) I found that our tactics also had to
follow suit to be ready to deal with any of the nutty things the bosses had to
throw at us.
Even with all of Torchlight IIs randomized content, theres one constant that
youll absolutely want to take note of: regardless of what type of gamer you are
at heart, Torchlight II is one title youll want to keep an eye on. We still dont have a firm release date, but Runic is currently aiming to
release the game on PC before the end of the year and something tells me that
its going to be huge.
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Torchlight II Game Page.
