Making Repetition Fun
Call me a hipster, but I did not enjoy Diablo 3. Granted, there's no real way you can objectively call Diablo 3 a terrible game, but I still couldn't enjoy it. The problem I find with this particular genre, that being isometric ARPGs, is that they are very repetitive just by nature alone. The combat is overtly simple, as a lot of the time you just mash the mouse keys and two or three keys on your keypad, if the situation really calls for it. Taking the boredom out of the repetition is where Torchlight 2 excels.
To start with, the game is very fast paced. For someone who likes the feeling of rapid progression, this is certainly a plus. Your character darts around the screen, which makes it easier to kite enemies in the field, a vital tactic against the harder mobs. That's another thing, the difficulty has been fixed. One of the major issues of the first game was just simply put how easy it was, even on hard mode. This is no longer the case. I can honestly say that Veteran difficulty (3rd easiest, 2nd highest) is a very challenging level to play on. Especially as I play a ranged class; the Outlander. This makes constant movement a key part of surviving, as any mob of your level can easily kill you in only a few hits. Combine this with the fact that the game throws myriads of monsters at you at any one time, and you are continually going to be kept on your toes, a feature that was not a part of the previous game.
Another thing to talk about is the combat in this game. Despite the simplistic, repetitive nature of this particular genre, this game really makes combat feel satisfying. Enemies explode into meaty chunks or are sent flying across the level when you deliver the killing blow, and every enemy will have a different special ability to throw at you. I can't say that EVERY enemy in the game as a completely exclusive ability, but I've yet to see two different types of enemy in the same area that utilizes the same ability. Since the game throws so many mobs at you, the combat out in the field or in a dungeon always feels fun, satisfying and based on your skill. You can get a real sense of achievement when finishing off an army of mobs, as this game in no way on harder difficulties holds your hand.
However, whilst still on combat, there is an issue that I have. I am not overly keen on the boss battles, at least earlier on in the game. One thing I did enjoy about Diablo 3 was its awesome boss battles. Granted, the Skeleton King wasn't the most exciting thing in the world but by act 2 you found yourself battling demons who stripped away the world around you and left you on a platform suspended in air, dealing massive damage with vicious AoE attacks, or even fighting the Butcher in a torture chamber, with the floor setting itself alight in various places, which constantly kept you moving. In Torchlight 2 the strategy for making a boss just seems to be make a larger than normal mob, give him a name and a quest related drop, and just stack an ungodly amount of health and attack damage onto the thing. Every battle, although relatively fun, feels quite samey after the first one or two, at least within the first two acts. You'll reach a large room, a boss will spawn, and he'll passively spawn more mobs throughout the rest of the fight. Any abilities he may have you've probably already seen on a smaller scale from normal mobs.
Focusing more on this games many positives, I have to mention the new character customization. They didn't just add one or two more classes, they completely revamped the system, making it feel like a new experience for everyone. The talent trees are also very diverse, with each separate tree effectively being a class in and of itself. The talent tree consists of 7 active abilities and 3 passives to spec into. Each ability, at least from my experience, feels very unique which allows for a series of varied playthroughs, depending on which class' and talent trees that you specialize into. Also, the fact that each of the four classes (Engineer, Outlander, Beserker and Embermage) now have both male and female variants, and allow for a bit of relatively limited customization is a nice touch.
In addition to character customization, the pet system has received a makeover too. The fact that you have many pets to choose from is fairly awesome but will cease to be relevant as soon as you start the game, but the idea that pets can now not only sell your goods but also shop for potions and the like might be the best thing ever. This saves a lot of time from having to manually make a portal back to town and go shopping, eliminating even more repetition from the game.
The large over worlds that Torchlight now has is also a brilliant addition to this title. Dungeoning is fun, but it's also very linear, despite the fact that they are randomly generated each time. Almost immediately at the beginning of the game, you can just wander off the beaten track and find extra loot and secrets. You'll find quests in the middle of nowhere such as "go to a pirate cove and kill the captain" (one of my personal favorites). In addition, you can kill certain mobs that will spawn a phase portal on death, which will take you to a small arena type area where you will undertake very difficult skill-based challenges.
I should also briefly touch on the other improvements or aspects of the game. Torchlight 2 now has multiplayer, which is a brilliant addition to the game, and sorely missing from the first title. It also features the ability to play single player mode offline (I know, right?!) as well as a LAN mode, something sorely missed from too many modern PC games.
Whilst Torchlight 2 doesn't have an exclusive "Netbook Mode", like the previous title, the comprehensive and and flexible options menu will allow to you play this game on effectively anything, although it still is worth checking out requirements if you're unsure.
Overall, Torchlight 2, although being a very repetitious game thanks to the genre that it comes from, still manages to be fun and rewarding, be it through the satisfaction of killing 20 mobs alone or getting a cool randomized weapon drop. The game is now a challenge, the overworlds and dungeons are varied and enjoyable, and the combat feels visceral and satisfying.
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