SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

CPU: 1.4 Ghz Pentium 4

RAM: 1 GB
VIDEO: 256 MB Direct X compatible

HDD: 1.2 GB

OS: Windows XP SP3/Vista/7

If you are into dungeon crawler action RPGs then Torchlight 2 is a game for you. As of late there have not been many solid action RPG games, and we all know Diablo III was a letdown, so I was hopeful for a game like Torchlight 2, but this game did not letdown. It does its best to mimic what previous great action RPGs have set in place, and not reinvent the wheel when it does not need to, but this game has its fair share of surprises for players. Did I mention that the art-style and music is amazing?

Basically within a very short period of time from starting the game you are put in position of doing a lot of killing. This is a game very much about doing a lot of monster slaying, much like other action role playing games. This game is all about the addiction of slaying and collecting loot, this is very much an old formula but just as addictive as ever. Much like Diablo and other games in this genre monsters you slay will drop random items and gold which you can equip, sell, or used to buy and upgrade other items.

This game has a really unique art style for this type of game, visually the game is very bright and colorful, yet the content and setting is very much dark. Which is oddly fitting and fun, everything just seems so much more interesting in a colorful cartoonish style. The music is beautifully eerie, with a lot of string sections with a scary vibe, and a splash of powerful drumming sections with some electric guitar that keeps you on the edge of your seat for impending encounters.

The terrains you traverse in this game are much more exciting than the lands in the first game; Torchlight 2 has a much larger scale. You will be adventuring across large open lands of many different environmental themes unlike the first game.

Not surprising this game does not have much of a story, which is not as bad as it might sounds, considering the genre that this game is. These action role playing games are less about the story and more about the battling, and customizing your character. It would have been nice to have come compelling characters to maybe get attached to along the journey, but all is good since the game does everything else just so consistently well from a game-play and artistic standpoint.

The skill system in this game functions much like other Blizzard role playing games you might be familiar with. When you level up you acquire skill points which can be distributed manually as you choose giving you control over your abilities. You get very limited chances to respect if you chose to try out different abilities, so be certain of what way you will spend your points. However this does give the game an added replay value, to try out all the different specs each time.

Similar to other RPG games the pursue for the ideal deposit of gear and arms is actually what compels players  to continue playing, as you learn battle strategies and get a feel to Torchlight II’s fast speed when skirmishing against large opponent groups. Once you locate a good class precise part of gear, or a weapon that is similar with the system you’ve created the skill tree, it’s an extremely gratifying split second. It’s like striking a jackpot where all the previous attempts resulted in no losses, a steady storm of optimistic support over lightly touched very smooth game play. There is always something is this game you are trying to tweak and test, to get the maximum output or efficiency out of your gear or characters.

There are some other game play features that are familiar to the role playing genre, like players get to have a pet that will follow them by their side, which can act like a mobile inventory helper who can hold, transport, or sell gear for you on the go while you are away battling.

Different from the first Torchlight, Torchlight 2 is much lengthier with more gaming options. You can if you so choose play this game alone offline, or you can play LAN or online with others. The more players that are together the more the enemies and difficulty scale up to keep things engaging for players. No need to worry about your items getting stolen by other players in this game, Runic games set it up so each player gets unique drops that only they can see.

Even once you have completed this game there is other things to keep you busy. Including the ability to roll your characters over into a new game keeping all your stats and gear the same. Also there are plenty of unlockables including increased difficulty modes and even extra dungeons you can unlock from buying them with in-game gold.

Torchlight 2 is a game that does not reinvent the wheel, but that is not a bad thing, it copies from tried and true formulas from great role playing games that are still fun even today. The pace of this game is just perfect, and you never feel like your growing bored with this game, there is always some action around the corner. This is a great game for beginners and dungeon crawler veterans alike, which is rare for games like these. Definitely download Torchlight 2 and give this game a play if you are into this genre.