Torchlight 2 preview

A hands-on look at Torchlight 2 with Runic CEO Max Schaefer's thoughts on the environments, classes, and competition with Diablo 3.

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Torchlight gained attention for scratching the Diablo itch, but it became a hit in its own right. With Diablo 3 on the horizon, Torchlight 2 is continuing to forge its own path in the dungeon-crawler space. The sequel iterates on the first game's sharp style, adding a more living world and new classes to occupy them.

During a hands-on at PAX East 2012, I was struck by the open environment. Runic Games has mentioned the overworld, but it was much more impressive to experience it for myself. Rather than feel corralled in a specific direction, I was given more choice than I knew what to do with. I could actually go any direction I wanted, and find enemy encounters no matter where I roamed.

"We wanted to make the game feel a lot bigger," CEO Max Schaefer told Shacknews. "What we've shown here is just a tiny fraction of it. There's desert areas, snowy areas, woodsy areas -- all kinds of different terrain variations as well as tons of new dungeons. So the variety of it is what's fun for us as game makers, as well as the level designers."

That visual variety helps distinguish areas from each other. While Torchlight sported plenty of layers to the dungeons, each area would look internally similar. Sometimes environments would be so unchanged it was easy to backtrack without realizing it, or lose my way. Torchlight 2 has more unique vistas with distinct locations to explore, making for easier exploration and more of a visual treat.

That world will also be better fleshed out with a better-defined story, delivered through stylized cutscenes and the main quest lines. Schaefer claims it's "a lot more coherent," thanks in part to the studio's decision to hire a dedicated writer.

I split my time between two of the classes: the Embermage and the Engineer. The Embermage was most similar to my previous Alchemist class in the original, though his powers felt more impactful from the start. The Engineer, meanwhile, fulfills an interesting role. Her cannon was a tool powerful enough to dispatch enemies with the ease of a stronger tank-like character, but with a respectable range to it. If enemies managed to get too close, a close-range burst attack would clear them out. I was fortunate enough not to run into enemies with a longer range, though, because they will clearly be the balancing force for the class.

"There has to be something new [in each class] that you haven't seen before but there has to be some intuitive sense, just by looking at it, how they play and what their style is," Schaefer said. "We tried to make things that were understandable and yet novel."

As for competition with Diablo 3, Schaefer says the newly announced date is a relief. "We're really bad at estimating when we're going to be done, but we think it would've been right around then," he said. "So we're going to give them a little bit of a wide berth, because we don't want to come out on the same weekend -- that would be really dumb. We're just going to use the time to finish up our polish pass so when we do come out it will be legitimate competition."

Runic Games wasn't sharing its release plans yet, but the game already carries itself with a sense of grace and confidence. It's colorful and charming, so as long as it avoids butting heads with Blizzard too directly, it's poised to continue carving out its own dedicated niche.

Editor-In-Chief
From The Chatty
  • reply
    April 10, 2012 2:00 PM

    Steve Watts posted a new article, Torchlight 2 preview.

    A hands-on look at Torchlight 2 with Runic CEO Max Schaefer's thoughts on the environments, classes, and competition with Diablo 3.

    • reply
      April 10, 2012 2:43 PM

      I am excite!

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      April 10, 2012 2:54 PM

      Ah yes, the game that was supposed to be released in Spring 2011 and just never was...so much for exploiting the year of free reign it would of had before Diablo 3 comes out.

      Diablo 3 is all the action RPG I think most people will be needing...hell, I'm in the D3 Beta and I enjoyed playing that first 2 hours worth more than my entire 30-40 hour tryst with the original Torchlight.

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        April 10, 2012 3:13 PM

        COOL STORY BRO

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        April 10, 2012 3:16 PM

        I think having a release prior to diablo 3 MAYBE could've been beneficial but I don't think releasing afterwards will hurt them in any way. it's a 20 bucks game that might be superior in a lot of ways - enjoying one more than the other however is just a matter of taste. mods/lan and price will draw a ton of people in who before d3 is released maybe even never heard of torchlight but will want more in that genre afterwards. the AAA aspect is irrelevant after the first playthrough - the cutscenes are just that, noone gives a shit after seeing them a couple times (or if SC2 is any indication, after seeing them once)

        I look forward to torch2 more than d3 but I'm sure as hell will be getting both.

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        April 10, 2012 3:18 PM

        Torchlight must've not been that bad if you put 30-40 hours into it. Why can't both games (T2 and D3) be good?

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          April 11, 2012 11:51 AM

          In comparison, people usually put at least 300-400 hours into Diablo 1, which is the closest comparison between Torchlight and Diablo games.

          I probably spent a solid 6 months of realtime in Diablo 2.

          Comparisons of the depths of the games is very apt and directly apples to apples. The Torchlight series is aiming for game design documents of games that have been out for over 10 years, and at least in the case of Torchlight and Diablo 1, missed them (no multiplayer?).

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        April 10, 2012 3:43 PM

        [deleted]

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        April 10, 2012 3:48 PM

        So much anger...

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        April 10, 2012 3:53 PM

        I am not enjoying the D3 beta. I want my Torchlight 2, dag nabbit!

      • ArB legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
        reply
        April 10, 2012 3:55 PM

        Blizzard can eat a ass. Torchlight looks fun.

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          April 10, 2012 4:12 PM

          Eat an ass

          • ArB legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
            reply
            April 10, 2012 4:18 PM

            hey go bite a fart, bud

            • ArB legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
              reply
              April 10, 2012 4:18 PM

              oh, you were correcting my grammar. I did that on purpose. I learned it from dognose. He is a bad influence.

      • reply
        April 10, 2012 3:58 PM

        After years of no new coop ARPGs: GIVE ME BOTH.

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        April 10, 2012 4:00 PM

        wrong.

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        April 10, 2012 4:02 PM

        I agree it would have been better if they released it last year, but the extra time spent finishing and polishing and making it bigger and better won't hurt it, either. I'll be buying and playing both. Even if it wasn't a $20 release.

        The real question now is whether they'll get it out on the 360 before Diablo 3.

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          April 10, 2012 7:53 PM

          I played Torchlight on the P.C. and the Xbox 360, and with the auto targeting on the 360 I hated the 360 version worse (got tired of blowing up barrels right next to me because it targeted it). Between Diablo 2 and Torchlight, I like Diablo 2 better. However, I am holding any criticism of mine before I play both Diablo 3 and Torchlight 2.

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        April 10, 2012 4:03 PM

        Hows it feel to be poor and can only afford 1 game?

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        April 10, 2012 4:04 PM

        love me some frontpagers

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        April 10, 2012 4:07 PM

        Since you appear to be new to this:

        1. Games frequently miss their initial schedule. This is actually more common than releasing on time.

        2. If they weren't comfortable releasing it last year, then you wouldn't have wanted to play it then either. Many gamers moan when release dates are missed, but ultimately if a good game is late, you will forgive. If a hyped-up game releases on time but is bad and really buggy, no one ever says "well, I'll still buy it because it released on time."

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        April 10, 2012 4:38 PM

        I think one significant difference that may sway more people than you think will be price. D3 will probably be $60. TL2, umm $20 like the last one?

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        April 10, 2012 5:20 PM

        I will play both. I know that Diablo will have 5x the longevity, and the world is much more appealing to me. They got me at Stone of Jordan.

        Diablo 3 is a game to keep on going strong for 5-8 years, counting the expansions. I don't think runic can do something like this.

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        April 10, 2012 5:22 PM

        Your opinion has been noted and discarded.

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        April 10, 2012 6:04 PM

        quake vs UT all over again? :(

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        April 10, 2012 6:05 PM

        I never got into the Diablo series and beat Torchlight and I am incredibly excited for T2.

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        April 10, 2012 6:23 PM

        [deleted]

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        April 10, 2012 10:10 PM

        lol whatever dude.

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        April 10, 2012 10:12 PM

        [deleted]

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        April 11, 2012 2:53 PM

        Firstly, anyone replying with a one-liner or one-worder is insta-disregarded.

        Secondly, the first Torchlight wasn't bad per se...it just filled a vacuum, the only reason I played it was because there was nothing close to it already out, save D1/D2, which I'd already caned over the years.

        Thirdly, to the guy going on about affording games...dude, I could buy a hundred fucking copies of both games and barely feel the price tag, so...suck on that?

    • reply
      April 10, 2012 3:37 PM

      i'm secretly hoping they ninja-release it in the next week...!

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      April 10, 2012 3:59 PM

      [deleted]

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      April 10, 2012 8:02 PM

      Man, I dunno. I enjoyed TL1, but there was something that just didn't click with me like D1 and D2. Just watching the preview gives me that same non-clicky-feeling though =(.

      I am so excited for D3 though at least. I'll probably end up buying TL2 either way.

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      April 10, 2012 9:56 PM

      This is more of a nark on reviews, but I personally don't think a game should ever get a 10/10 rating. After watching the video just now I saw the "if it had multiplayer I would have given it a 10/10." I felt like there was a lot more stuff that needed rework then just multiplayer. Like the dungeons, and when you turned on the option that if you die you are dead, and played on the hardest difficulty you could be killed before the screen finished loading.

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      April 10, 2012 10:10 PM

      Cheap and really great. Hope it doesn't get too overshadowed by D3.

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