Torchlight
Encyclopedia
Torchlight is an action role-playing game
developed by Runic Games
and published by Perfect World
, released for Windows
in October 2009. The fantasy
-themed game is set in the fictional town of Torchlight and the expansive caverns and dungeons nearby, which adventurers explore to collect valuable loot and battle hordes of monsters. Following the October 2009 digital distribution
release, a Windows retail box version was released in the U.S. in January 2010 by Encore, Inc, and JoWood Entertainment published a retail box in Europe in April 2010. A port for Mac OS X
was developed by World Domination Industries and released through Steam on May 12, 2010. Runic Games and World Domination Industries developed a port for Xbox Live Arcade
which was released on March 9, 2011.
Development of the game was led by Travis Baldree, designer of Fate, joined by Max Schaefer and Erich Schaefer (co-designers of Diablo
and Diablo II
), and the team that worked with Baldree on the original incarnation of Mythos. Runic Games has announced a sequel Torchlight II
, planned for release on PC in 2012.
, fighting large numbers of enemies and collecting equipment, gold, and other loot. The game also features a single town which serves as a hub, to which the player character can periodically return to buy and sell items to NPC
vendors and obtain quests. As the protagonist delves into the dungeon, a series of quests
are presented which involve battling unique bosses that advance the main storyline. Optionally, the player may take on side quests, random quests or visit branching dungeon areas. The graphics are three dimensional and viewed from an overhead perspective, similar to the isometric
perspective used in the original Diablo
. On personal computers, the game is controlled using a point-and-click mouse interface and keyboard hotkeys
, while the Xbox Live Arcade version uses a controller and has a completely redesigned user interface.
The game generates each level of the dungeon by assembling modular "chunks" of the game environment. Each chunk is designed by hand and may be composed of multiple rooms. They can contain scripted events and interactive objects such as levers that open secret doors or cause bridges to move. This approach to level generation is intended to create dungeons with more purposeful design, instead of environments that simply look like "crossword puzzles that have been extruded upwards."
As in Fate, the player has a permanent pet which fights alongside and can carry and sell loot. The initial pet can be a wolf dog, a lynx
or, in the retail version of the game, a ferret
; the player can feed fish to their pet to transform it into different creatures.
Also present in the game is a retirement system, in which the player can pass on an heirloom item from an old character to a newly-created one, likened to a New Game Plus
game mode.
es.
The player develops their character by placing points into class-specific skill trees. Further, there is a separate category of spells that any character can learn from scrolls, regardless of class.
called Torchlight is built above a rich vein of Ember, and adventurers are drawn there seeking the magical substance and the enchanted items it creates. However, as the player character explores the dungeons below Torchlight, they discover that Ember has a corrupting influence which led to the fall of past civilizations and endangers those who use it in the present.
The player character arrives in town and is recruited by Syl, a sage who is searching for her mentor, an alchemist named Master Alric who has disappeared in the nearby mine. At the bottom of the mine tunnels, the player finds a passage into older, crypt-like chambers below, eventually discovering that the entire dungeon is a "layer cake of ruined civilizations." Alric ambushes the player and reveals he has become evil due to the corrupting influence of Ember. After fighting a series of monsters and henchmen, the player reaches the bottom of the dungeon and must face Alric and an ancient creature named Ordrak on floor 35 who is the source of the Ember's corruption.
. Runic Games was founded by Travis Baldree (lead developer of Fate and Mythos) and veterans of Blizzard North
and Flagship: Max Schaefer, Erich Schaefer and Peter Hu. The "entire Flagship Seattle team" consisting of 14 people (the branch of Flagship which created the original Mythos) signed on to Runic Games at the time of its formation. Having lost the rights to Mythos, the Runic team saw the development of a new game as a way to "finish what [they] started," although they would have to start over with none of the code or art assets from Mythos. From the start, the company's ultimate goal was the development of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game
with gameplay similar to that of Mythos or Diablo, but before tackling the MMO, Runic's founders decided to "go back to [their] roots" with a smaller game that they could refine and polish within a relatively short production cycle. This single player game was intended to introduce the Torchlight game world to the public ahead of the MMO. Further, it allowed the team to get a released game under their belts sooner than if they had immediately started on the MMO. Full production on the game started around November 2008, giving the entire project a development period of approximately 11 months. As of July 2009, 25 team members were working at Runic Games.
In a feature article on Gamasutra
, art director Jason Beck explained that Torchlight's art style was inspired by comic books and classic film animation, using stylized character designs combined with painterly background textures. The developers have described the game's look as inspired by "Dragon’s Lair meets The Incredibles
." The team chose to give the game world a lighter fantasy tone to make it more inviting, rather than utilizing a "dark and gritty" style.
The game uses the OGRE
open source
3D graphics engine and CEGUI
system for GUI, although the rest of the game engine was built by Runic. The game was designed to run on a wide range of systems (including a 'netbook' mode) and does not require shader
s.
composer and sound design
er Matt Uelmen
also joined the team, creating original music and sound for the game. Uelmen based his score on the pacing and context of the gameplay, which he observed even in very early playable builds of the game. For the "Torchlight" town theme, Uelmen incorporated some elements reminiscent of his "Tristram" theme from Diablo, but also tried to give it a distinctly different sound. For this piece, he recorded over 200 live takes using a twelve-string guitar among other instruments. For other portions of the score, he played a pedal steel guitar
, and created a different sound from the instrument's typical use in country music
.
The developers cast voice actors
with the help of veteran voice actress Lani Minella
, who also performed in the game.
(XBLA) in early 2011, but a release for PlayStation 3 was no longer planned. Because Microsoft is acting as publisher of the XBLA release, Torchlight will likely remain exclusive to the Xbox 360 on consoles.
The Xbox 360 port was developed as a collaboration between Runic Games and World Domination Industries, Inc.. Runic became more heavily involved in the port in mid-2010 when it became clear that its controls and graphical interface required a complete overhaul to adapt for use with console-style controllers. As such, the player character is now directly driven by the controller without any virtual cursors. The game also includes some new content such as additional armor sets and a new pet, and incorporates technology developed for Torchlight II
including character animation blending and an improved automap.
by players, and Runic Games has released the game editing tools they used to create the game as a free download. The editor, known as "TorchED" is intended to be intuitive to use and allows the user to switch between editing levels and playing in them without leaving the editor. Player, monster, and item statistics, language translations, and even particle system
s can be customized within the editor. TorchED is also capable of editing quest events, scripting, and global game balance. Further, the game uses publicly available file formats, allowing users to import models and animations with relative ease.
and 85.13% on GameRankings while the Xbox 360 release holds a score of 82 on Metacritic. Writing for RPGamer
, staff reviewer Anna Marie Neufeld praised Torchlight's "phenomenal music and great art direction" as well as its addictive combat but criticized the game's storyline as shallow. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
reviewer John Walker found the core gameplay to be a highly focused and engaging refinement of the dungeon crawl
genre, albeit one with a "tissue-thin" story and quests. In his review in Game Informer, Adam Biessener listed responsive controls, attractive animations and effects, and clever enemy designs as some qualities that set Torchlight above most other action RPGs. GameSpot
's, Brett Todd found the game's pace engaging, noting a deep variety of monsters and loot, but found the lack of multiplayer to be an omission. Several reviewers cited the game's low price as a positive point. The Australian video game talk show Good Game
s two reviewers gave the game a 7/10 and 8.5/10.
Many reviewers compared the game to the Diablo series
, some describing it as the best Diablo-like game since Diablo II and "the best Diablo clone in years." Adam Biessener of Game Informer
stated that "the soul of Diablo hasn't been so ably captured in years," and The Escapist's
John Funk wrote "Torchlight absolutely nails the formula that made Diablo so addictive." RPGamer stated that Torchlight "manages to overcome the Diablo expectations by being a game that can stand on its own merits." Satchmo on the blog PX2C gave an overall score of 9/10 saying that "It is a fine entry into a genre that doesn't have much representation on the Xbox".
Torchlight won the Best Debut Game Award at the 2010 Game Developers Choice Awards
.
In July 2011, Torchlight sales surpassed 1 million copies.
Runic Games had originally planned to begin work on an MMORPG
set in the Torchlight game world immediately following the release of the first game. Runic entered into a partnership with Chinese online game developer and operator Perfect World Co., Ltd.
to publish the MMO worldwide. At some point after the release of the first game, Runic Games decided to develop a sequel to Torchlight with co-op multiplayer capabilities, temporarily putting the MMO on the back burner. The sequel will serve as another intermediate step toward the MMO, which is still planned for development in the future.
Action role-playing game
Action role-playing games form a loosely defined sub-genre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat...
developed by Runic Games
Runic Games
Runic Games is a Seattle-based American computer game company formed by Travis Baldree , Max Schaefer and Erich Schaefer , Peter Hu, and the Flagship Studios Seattle team responsible for Mythos. It is a subsidiary of Perfect World Co., Ltd...
and published by Perfect World
Perfect World (company)
Perfect World is a China-based online game company specializing in MMORPGs. Beijing Perfect World Co. was founded in 2004 by Chi Yufeng, the president of Human Software Corporation. The company aims to develop and market games with Chinese characteristics...
, released for Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
in October 2009. The fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
-themed game is set in the fictional town of Torchlight and the expansive caverns and dungeons nearby, which adventurers explore to collect valuable loot and battle hordes of monsters. Following the October 2009 digital distribution
Digital distribution
Online distribution, digital distribution, or electronic software distribution is the practice of delivering content without the use of physical media, typically by downloading via the internet directly to a consumer's device. Online distribution bypasses conventional physical distribution media,...
release, a Windows retail box version was released in the U.S. in January 2010 by Encore, Inc, and JoWood Entertainment published a retail box in Europe in April 2010. A port for Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
was developed by World Domination Industries and released through Steam on May 12, 2010. Runic Games and World Domination Industries developed a port for Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
which was released on March 9, 2011.
Development of the game was led by Travis Baldree, designer of Fate, joined by Max Schaefer and Erich Schaefer (co-designers of Diablo
Diablo (video game)
Diablo is a dark fantasy-themed action role-playing game developed by Blizzard North and released by Blizzard Entertainment on December 31, 1996....
and Diablo II
Diablo II
Diablo II is a dark fantasy/horror-themed hack and slash, with elements of the role playing game and dungeon crawl genres. It was released for Windows and Mac OS in 2000 by Blizzard Entertainment, and was developed by Blizzard North. It is a direct sequel to the 1996 hit PC game, Diablo.Diablo II...
), and the team that worked with Baldree on the original incarnation of Mythos. Runic Games has announced a sequel Torchlight II
Torchlight II
Torchlight II is an upcoming action role-playing game developed by Runic Games and published by Perfect World. It is the sequel to Runic's 2009 ARPG, Torchlight, and features peer-to-peer multiplayer support and extended modding capabilities. A release for Mac OS is planned for some time after the...
, planned for release on PC in 2012.
Gameplay
The player controls a lone hero who explores a series of randomized dungeonsDungeon crawl
A dungeon crawl is a type of scenario in fantasy role-playing games in which heroes navigate a labyrinthine environment, battling various monsters, and looting any treasure they may find...
, fighting large numbers of enemies and collecting equipment, gold, and other loot. The game also features a single town which serves as a hub, to which the player character can periodically return to buy and sell items to NPC
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
vendors and obtain quests. As the protagonist delves into the dungeon, a series of quests
Quest (gaming)
A quest in role-playing video games — including massively multiplayer online role-playing games and their predecessors, MUDs — is a task that a player-controlled character or group of characters may complete in order to gain a reward...
are presented which involve battling unique bosses that advance the main storyline. Optionally, the player may take on side quests, random quests or visit branching dungeon areas. The graphics are three dimensional and viewed from an overhead perspective, similar to the isometric
Isometric
The term isometric comes from the Greek for "having equal measurement".isometric may mean:* Isometric projection , a method for the visual representation of three-dimensional objects in two dimensions; a form of orthographic projection, or more specifically, an axonometric projection.* Isometry and...
perspective used in the original Diablo
Diablo (video game)
Diablo is a dark fantasy-themed action role-playing game developed by Blizzard North and released by Blizzard Entertainment on December 31, 1996....
. On personal computers, the game is controlled using a point-and-click mouse interface and keyboard hotkeys
Keyboard shortcut
In computing, a keyboard shortcut is a finite set of one or more keys that invoke a software or operating system operation when triggered by the user. A meaning of term "keyboard shortcut" can vary depending on software manufacturer...
, while the Xbox Live Arcade version uses a controller and has a completely redesigned user interface.
The game generates each level of the dungeon by assembling modular "chunks" of the game environment. Each chunk is designed by hand and may be composed of multiple rooms. They can contain scripted events and interactive objects such as levers that open secret doors or cause bridges to move. This approach to level generation is intended to create dungeons with more purposeful design, instead of environments that simply look like "crossword puzzles that have been extruded upwards."
As in Fate, the player has a permanent pet which fights alongside and can carry and sell loot. The initial pet can be a wolf dog, a lynx
Lynx
A lynx is any of the four Lynx genus species of medium-sized wildcats. The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from Greek word "λύγξ", derived from the Indo-European root "*leuk-", meaning "light, brightness", in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes...
or, in the retail version of the game, a ferret
Ferret
The ferret is a domesticated mammal of the type Mustela putorius furo. Ferrets are sexually dimorphic predators with males being substantially larger than females. They typically have brown, black, white, or mixed fur...
; the player can feed fish to their pet to transform it into different creatures.
Also present in the game is a retirement system, in which the player can pass on an heirloom item from an old character to a newly-created one, likened to a New Game Plus
New Game Plus
A New Game Plus is an unlockable video game mode that allows the player to start a new game after they finish the game at least once, where certain aspects of the finished game, such as experience or items, affect the newly started game...
game mode.
Character classes
Torchlight features three character classCharacter class
In role-playing games, a common method of arbitrating the capabilities of different game characters is to assign each one to a character class. A character class aggregates several abilities and aptitudes, and may also sometimes detail aspects of background and social standing or impose behaviour...
es.
- The Destroyer is a wandering warrior skilled in meleeMêléeMelee , generally refers to disorganized close combat involving a group of fighters. A melee ensues when groups become locked together in combat with no regard to group tactics or fighting as an organized unit; each participant fights as an individual....
combat, although he also has the ability to call upon ancestral spirits to produce magical effects. - The Alchemist is a spellcaster drawn to the magical power of Ember. He can fire blasts of magic and electricity from his specialized focus glove and can summon imps and steampunkSteampunkSteampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
-styled robots. - The Vanquisher is an elite city guard, sent undercover to investigate the town of Torchlight. She specializes in ranged weapons and can also use traps against her foes.
The player develops their character by placing points into class-specific skill trees. Further, there is a separate category of spells that any character can learn from scrolls, regardless of class.
Plot
In the fantasy world that serves as the setting of Torchlight, Ember is a mysterious ore which has the power to imbue people and items with magical power. The mining boomtownBoomtown
A boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons,...
called Torchlight is built above a rich vein of Ember, and adventurers are drawn there seeking the magical substance and the enchanted items it creates. However, as the player character explores the dungeons below Torchlight, they discover that Ember has a corrupting influence which led to the fall of past civilizations and endangers those who use it in the present.
The player character arrives in town and is recruited by Syl, a sage who is searching for her mentor, an alchemist named Master Alric who has disappeared in the nearby mine. At the bottom of the mine tunnels, the player finds a passage into older, crypt-like chambers below, eventually discovering that the entire dungeon is a "layer cake of ruined civilizations." Alric ambushes the player and reveals he has become evil due to the corrupting influence of Ember. After fighting a series of monsters and henchmen, the player reaches the bottom of the dungeon and must face Alric and an ancient creature named Ordrak on floor 35 who is the source of the Ember's corruption.
Development
Pre-production on Torchlight began in August 2008, shortly after the dissolution of Flagship StudiosFlagship Studios
Flagship Studios was a computer game company founded by Bill Roper along with Max Schaefer, Erich Schaefer, and David Brevik, the original developers of Diablo and former high level Blizzard North executives...
. Runic Games was founded by Travis Baldree (lead developer of Fate and Mythos) and veterans of Blizzard North
Blizzard North
Blizzard North was the Bay Area division of Blizzard Entertainment, known for the Diablo series. The studio was originally based in Redwood City, and then moved a short distance away to San Mateo, with Blizzard proper being based in Irvine .-History:Blizzard North was originally an independent...
and Flagship: Max Schaefer, Erich Schaefer and Peter Hu. The "entire Flagship Seattle team" consisting of 14 people (the branch of Flagship which created the original Mythos) signed on to Runic Games at the time of its formation. Having lost the rights to Mythos, the Runic team saw the development of a new game as a way to "finish what [they] started," although they would have to start over with none of the code or art assets from Mythos. From the start, the company's ultimate goal was the development of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
with gameplay similar to that of Mythos or Diablo, but before tackling the MMO, Runic's founders decided to "go back to [their] roots" with a smaller game that they could refine and polish within a relatively short production cycle. This single player game was intended to introduce the Torchlight game world to the public ahead of the MMO. Further, it allowed the team to get a released game under their belts sooner than if they had immediately started on the MMO. Full production on the game started around November 2008, giving the entire project a development period of approximately 11 months. As of July 2009, 25 team members were working at Runic Games.
In a feature article on Gamasutra
Gamasutra
Gamasutra is a website founded in 1997 for video game developers. It is owned and operated by UBM TechWeb , a division of United Business Media, and acts as the online sister publication to the print magazine Game Developer...
, art director Jason Beck explained that Torchlight's art style was inspired by comic books and classic film animation, using stylized character designs combined with painterly background textures. The developers have described the game's look as inspired by "Dragon’s Lair meets The Incredibles
The Incredibles
The Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated action-comedy superhero film about a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons, and was produced by Pixar and distributed by...
." The team chose to give the game world a lighter fantasy tone to make it more inviting, rather than utilizing a "dark and gritty" style.
The game uses the OGRE
OGRE
OGRE is a scene-oriented, flexible 3D rendering engine written in C++ designed to make it easier and intuitive for developers to produce applications utilizing hardware-accelerated 3D graphics...
open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
3D graphics engine and CEGUI
CEGUI
Crazy Eddie's GUI system is a graphical user interface C++ library. It is designed particularly for the needs of videogames, but the library is usable for non-game tasks...
system for GUI, although the rest of the game engine was built by Runic. The game was designed to run on a wide range of systems (including a 'netbook' mode) and does not require shader
Shader
In the field of computer graphics, a shader is a computer program that is used primarily to calculate rendering effects on graphics hardware with a high degree of flexibility...
s.
Audio
DiabloDiablo (video game)
Diablo is a dark fantasy-themed action role-playing game developed by Blizzard North and released by Blizzard Entertainment on December 31, 1996....
composer and sound design
Sound design
Sound design is the process of specifying, acquiring, manipulating or generating audio elements. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking, television production, theatre, sound recording and reproduction, live performance, sound art, post-production and video game software...
er Matt Uelmen
Matt Uelmen
Matt Uelmen is an American video game music composer and sound designer. He is best known for his work in Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo series, which was recognized with the inaugural Excellence in Audio award by the IGDA in 2001...
also joined the team, creating original music and sound for the game. Uelmen based his score on the pacing and context of the gameplay, which he observed even in very early playable builds of the game. For the "Torchlight" town theme, Uelmen incorporated some elements reminiscent of his "Tristram" theme from Diablo, but also tried to give it a distinctly different sound. For this piece, he recorded over 200 live takes using a twelve-string guitar among other instruments. For other portions of the score, he played a pedal steel guitar
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
, and created a different sound from the instrument's typical use in country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
.
The developers cast voice actors
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
with the help of veteran voice actress Lani Minella
Lani Minella
Lani Minella is a voice actress who has voiced in over 500 computer and video games as well as several TV and anime series. She is best known for voicing Nancy Drew, Millie Strathorn, Loulou the Parrot and Freddie in the Nancy Drew computer games, Ivy Valentine in the Soulcalibur video game...
, who also performed in the game.
Xbox 360 development
In August 2010, Runic CEO Max Schaefer revealed that the game was in development for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, aiming for release by the end of the year. In January 2011, Runic announced that Torchlight would be released for Xbox Live ArcadeXbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
(XBLA) in early 2011, but a release for PlayStation 3 was no longer planned. Because Microsoft is acting as publisher of the XBLA release, Torchlight will likely remain exclusive to the Xbox 360 on consoles.
The Xbox 360 port was developed as a collaboration between Runic Games and World Domination Industries, Inc.. Runic became more heavily involved in the port in mid-2010 when it became clear that its controls and graphical interface required a complete overhaul to adapt for use with console-style controllers. As such, the player character is now directly driven by the controller without any virtual cursors. The game also includes some new content such as additional armor sets and a new pet, and incorporates technology developed for Torchlight II
Torchlight II
Torchlight II is an upcoming action role-playing game developed by Runic Games and published by Perfect World. It is the sequel to Runic's 2009 ARPG, Torchlight, and features peer-to-peer multiplayer support and extended modding capabilities. A release for Mac OS is planned for some time after the...
including character animation blending and an improved automap.
Modification
The PC version of Torchlight is designed to allow extensive moddingMod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
by players, and Runic Games has released the game editing tools they used to create the game as a free download. The editor, known as "TorchED" is intended to be intuitive to use and allows the user to switch between editing levels and playing in them without leaving the editor. Player, monster, and item statistics, language translations, and even particle system
Particle system
The term particle system refers to a computer graphics technique to simulate certain fuzzy phenomena, which are otherwise very hard to reproduce with conventional rendering techniques...
s can be customized within the editor. TorchED is also capable of editing quest events, scripting, and global game balance. Further, the game uses publicly available file formats, allowing users to import models and animations with relative ease.
Reception
Torchlight received positive reviews; the PC release currently holds a score of 83 on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and 85.13% on GameRankings while the Xbox 360 release holds a score of 82 on Metacritic. Writing for RPGamer
RPGamer
RPGamer is a media and news website dedicated to covering computer and video game RPGs. Its coverage includes North American game news, European game news, Asian game news, gaming industry news, game reviews, game previews, hands-on game impressions, gaming conventions, game merchandise, release...
, staff reviewer Anna Marie Neufeld praised Torchlight's "phenomenal music and great art direction" as well as its addictive combat but criticized the game's storyline as shallow. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
Rock, Paper, Shotgun
Rock, Paper, Shotgun is a UK-based PC gaming blog written by Alec Meer, Jim Rossignol, John Walker, and previously Kieron Gillen and Quintin Smith. Rock, Paper, Shotgun launched in July 2007. In 2010 the website partnered with Eurogamer...
reviewer John Walker found the core gameplay to be a highly focused and engaging refinement of the dungeon crawl
Dungeon crawl
A dungeon crawl is a type of scenario in fantasy role-playing games in which heroes navigate a labyrinthine environment, battling various monsters, and looting any treasure they may find...
genre, albeit one with a "tissue-thin" story and quests. In his review in Game Informer, Adam Biessener listed responsive controls, attractive animations and effects, and clever enemy designs as some qualities that set Torchlight above most other action RPGs. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
's, Brett Todd found the game's pace engaging, noting a deep variety of monsters and loot, but found the lack of multiplayer to be an omission. Several reviewers cited the game's low price as a positive point. The Australian video game talk show Good Game
Good Game
Good Game is an Australian video gaming talk show television programme created by Janet Carr and Jeremy Ray currently on ABC2. It premiered on ABC on 19 September 2006...
s two reviewers gave the game a 7/10 and 8.5/10.
Many reviewers compared the game to the Diablo series
Diablo (series)
Diablo is an action role-playing game franchise owned and produced by Blizzard Entertainment. , the series has sold over 18.5 million copies worldwide.-Story:...
, some describing it as the best Diablo-like game since Diablo II and "the best Diablo clone in years." Adam Biessener of Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
stated that "the soul of Diablo hasn't been so ably captured in years," and The Escapist's
The Escapist (magazine)
The Escapist is an online magazine covering video games, gamers, the gaming industry, and gaming culture. Published by the Themis Group, it was edited by Julianne Greer up to June 30, 2009, then by Russ Pitts through September 2011, and is currently edited by Steve Butts. The Escapist was first...
John Funk wrote "Torchlight absolutely nails the formula that made Diablo so addictive." RPGamer stated that Torchlight "manages to overcome the Diablo expectations by being a game that can stand on its own merits." Satchmo on the blog PX2C gave an overall score of 9/10 saying that "It is a fine entry into a genre that doesn't have much representation on the Xbox".
Torchlight won the Best Debut Game Award at the 2010 Game Developers Choice Awards
Game Developers Choice Awards
The Game Developers Choice Awards are annually presented by the Game Developers Conference for outstanding game developers and games.Introduced in 2001, the Game Developers Choice Awards were preceded by the Spotlight Awards, which were presented from 1997 to 1999.The 2009 award presentation was...
.
In July 2011, Torchlight sales surpassed 1 million copies.
Sequel
On August 4, 2010 Runic Games announced Torchlight II which will be a continuation of the story, featuring a co-op mode, new player characters, an "overworld" with multiple outdoor areas, and a new user interface. The developers estimate the game will be released in 2011.Runic Games had originally planned to begin work on an MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
set in the Torchlight game world immediately following the release of the first game. Runic entered into a partnership with Chinese online game developer and operator Perfect World Co., Ltd.
Perfect World (company)
Perfect World is a China-based online game company specializing in MMORPGs. Beijing Perfect World Co. was founded in 2004 by Chi Yufeng, the president of Human Software Corporation. The company aims to develop and market games with Chinese characteristics...
to publish the MMO worldwide. At some point after the release of the first game, Runic Games decided to develop a sequel to Torchlight with co-op multiplayer capabilities, temporarily putting the MMO on the back burner. The sequel will serve as another intermediate step toward the MMO, which is still planned for development in the future.