Torchlight II

December 2012 Zoki Phantom (Hufflepuff)

Runic Games' Award Winning Action RPG (Role-Playing Game) got itself a sequel this September 20th. What made this game stand out from others of its kind is that the developers actually looked at what their fans are searching for and made sure Torchlight II provided that. Torchlight I itself was a huge success for them, but they weren't about to fall for the same critics with this sequel.

The main updates of the game include the addition of a cooperative multiplayer mode, which can be done both via LAN and internet. The multiplayer games support up to six players together, and to prevent bickering and competition, there is separate loot dropped for each player. This basically takes care of the main flaw of Torchlight I, which fans perceived to be a great but lonely experience without the option to play with or against other players.

Just like its predecessor, Torchlight II's gameplay features a campaign where you create your character and set on an adventure filled with various quests and goals. The main goal is split in 3 acts and it's basically saving the world from the Alchemist, who was a playable character in the first game but has now become corrupted. There's a vast number of dungeon-type areas that the hero gets to explore, as well as an infinite type of monsters that you get to fight for experience and loot. Additionally, once you complete the campaign, there's a bunch-load of maps that you can unlock and play one by one for extra fun.

Torchlight II offers you the option to choose from four different character classes:

Engineer - a heavy melee fighting class that uses ember-powered steampunk technology to bring down the enemy;
Outlander - a nomad-type class with ranged weapons and just tiny tid-bits of magic to spice things up;
Berseker - a rogue-type class that has super quick attacks and possesses special animal-themed powers;
Embermage - a heavy casting mage class that specializes in spells and elemental attacks.

The player can choose the gender of their character, their hair style and color, and a few other basic customizations as well. You can also pick and customize a pet for your character from the several that are available too. The pet aids you in battle, and can carry a good load of your loot. If you wish to continue your adventure without returning to a town for selling the loot you don't need, you can send your pet to do that (and it will return with the money in no longer than two minutes).

Torchlight II's world is truly bigger than that of Torchlight I and provides a better and improved gaming experience. If you've been craving for a good RPG or haven't been able to find one that plays with lower requirements then look no more - Torchlight II is the video game for you. You can get it from Steam any day!

Game Scores:

Metacritic: 88/100
Game Rankings: 88.48%
IGN: 9.1/10

Minimum Requirements:


CPU: 2 GHz Single Core Intel or AMD Processor
RAM: 512 MB of System Memory
Graphics: DirectX 9 Compatible Card with 128 MB RAM. Nvidia 6-series or AMD Radeon 800-series Graphics Cards.
Operating System: Windows XP/Windows 7
DirectX Compatible Sound Card
3 GB of Hard Drive Space