TORCHLIGHT 3 REVIEWS SERIES

Grinding for hours - a common pursuit in games like this - yields little satisfaction since the enemies pose no real challenge. All enemies (and bosses, as well) can be killed by sticking to one or two upgraded skills and performing the same special moves over and over. Naturally, hack ’n slash RPGs are a genre that rely on action, but Torchlight 3 would have benefited from more careful balance and design - the combat isn’t engaging, nor challenging. While these classes are each peculiar enough to warrant a try, their diversity doesn’t add much to the longevity of play. In addition to the typical classes of Mage and Archer (called “Sharpshooter” here) are the Forged (a walking robot tank) and the Railmaster, a mustachioed bloke with a big hammer and a train (!) for a pet. There doesn’t seem to be much purpose to it otherwise, so perhaps forts are just a leftover idea from the MMO days of Torchlight 3? This is basically a homebase for the character where they can build furniture and decorate. The point in that grinding escaped me until I got the opportunity to build my fort.

Still present is the pet system where a familiar accompanies the player and ‘helps’ in combat, although I find they’re most useful for carrying extra stuff.Īlong with finding the usual gold and weapons dropped by enemies, the player can also grind for wood and stone.

TORCHLIGHT 3 REVIEWS SERIES

The skill system also has the flexibility that’s been a trademark of the series since the start - it’s possible to level up one ability over and over to make it a trademark of the player’s character, but points can also be reassigned should one decide to change strategy. The isometric, third-person graphics are colorful, the new classes seemed interesting , and it ran smoothly. My first impressions of Torchlight 3 were pleasant. It was announced as a retooled version of Torchlight Frontiers, a free-to-play MMO in development since 2018. The project showed signs of turbulent management and creative indecisiveness from the get-go, and unfortunately, those signs were correct. Torchlight 3 is developed by Echtra games, a company founded by one of the Schaefer brothers after Runic imploded. Torchlight 2 was a solid sequel, offering the expected ‘bigger and better’ formula that improved things where necessary. Runic Games, the studio founded by Erich and Max Schaefer along with other former Blizzard North employees, stepped in and delivered a surprise hit. Back then, the hack ’n slash RPG genre was basically dormant, with Diablo 3 still a long way from being released. I remember when the first Torchlight came out in 2009. WTF I have no use for all that money I’ve spent hours grinding. LOW Realizing (in the first hour) that there’s little to it. HIGH Getting reintroduced to the colorful world of Torchlight.

Torchlight 3 reviews