Full Circle Magazine FR

Runic Games’ single player action RPG, Torchlight, is a Diablo-like hack and slash that brings back feelings of nostalgia and warm fuzzies for fans of the genre. It was initially released for PC in 2009, and later for the Xbox 360 in 2011, and, thanks to Humble Indie Bundle 6, Torchlight has made its Linux debut.

Le RPG d'action pour un joueur seul de Runic Games, Torchlight, est un « hack and slash » du type Diablo qui ravive des sentiments nostalgiques et fera chaud au cœur des amateurs du genre. Sorti au départ pour PC en 2009 et, plus tard, pour le Xbox 360 en 2011, Torchlight est maintenant disponible sous Linux grâce au Humble Indie Bundle 6.

Story In the world of Torchlight, you must venture down the dungeons in the small town to uncover the strange events in the mines below. Beneath the town is a magical ore called Ember that has some pretty strange effects on the citizens who come in contact with it. When you arrive in Torchlight, you meet Syl, who asks you to help find her mentor, Master Alric, who has recently disappeared. Along the way, you meet people affected by the ember, and find the items that it infuses its powers into. As you go through the story, you discover the secrets behind the Ember, its powers, and what it really does. The story is clever and interesting, but the pacing is a bit slow as the plot is uncovered in chunks as you progress. The plot is solid enough to give you a reason to play, but it's easy to get lost in the gameplay without feeling engaged in the story.

L'histoire

Dans le monde de Torchlight, il faut s'aventurer au fond des sombres cachots dans un petit village pour révéler les événements bizarres dans les mines en dessous. Sous le village se trouve un minerai magique qui s'appelle Ember et qui produit des effets extrêmement bizarres sur les citoyens à son contact.

Lors de votre arrivée dans Torchlight, vous faites la connaissance de Syl qui vous demande de l'aider à trouver son mentor, Master Alric, qui a disparu il y a peu. Sur le chemin, vous rencontrez des gens qui ont été affecté par l'Ember et vous trouvez les choses dans lesquelles il infuse ses pouvoirs. En progressant dans l'histoire, vous découvrez les secrets derrière le Ember, ses pouvoir et ce qu'il fait réellement.

L'histoire est astucieuse et intéressant, mais le rythme est un peu lent, puisque l'intrigue vous est révélé par gros morceaux au cours de votre partie. L'intrigue est assez solide pour vous fournir une raison de jouer, mais il est facile de vous perdre dans le jeu même sans vous sentir impliqué dans l'histoire.

Gameplay

There are three character classes to choose from: Destroyer, Alchemist, and Vanquisher. The Destroyer is essentially a warrior, capable of great destruction with melee weapons. The Alchemist has a variety of spells in his arsenal and has the ability to summon minions. The Vanquisher is akin to a ranger and uses long range weapons to defeat foes.

The characters are pretty customizable, and, in the end, each one ends up being on par with the others. For instance, the Destroyer can eventually gain the same summon spells as the Alchemist. They are naturally best at their given class, but you have the opportunity to make a well-rounded character who is capable of handling himself in any situation. On the flip side, it can feel a little pointless since they end up with essentially the same spells and abilities towards the end of the game.

One fun feature of Torchlight is the ability to have a pet from the start of the game. They’re surprisingly effective and helpful - and they won’t interfere while you’re trying to finish off an enemy. They even have their own pack with a variety of armor and spells to choose from. And the best part of having a furry companion? They don’t really “die” permanently, and will rejoin you when their health is recovered.

Aesthetics

Unlike most hack and slash dungeon crawlers, Torchlight has an unique stylized comic book appearance. The art style was intended to be less dark and more light fantasy, and, although I prefer a little grit with my dungeon crawlers, the visuals are still stunning. The soundtrack is nice, but there really isn’t much variation between the tracks, so long sessions can be kind of dull.

Final Thoughts

Torchlight is definitely a polished game that is tons of fun to play. It’s a classic hack and slash to the core, which could bore some casual gamers, but, if you’re a long time fan of the genre, you’ll have no problem with grinding your way through the beautiful world of Torchlight.

Although Humble Indie Bundle 6 is over, you can still get the full game from the Ubuntu Software Center for $14.99.

Pros: fun choice for fans of classic hack and slash, tons of gameplay Cons: slow story progression, still small bugs on some systems