Reader Review: Torchlight

Do you have what it takes to get a review published right here on Kotaku? Adrian does, as he sells his booty all around town.

Yes, that’s right, we’re now publishing reader reviews here on Kotaku. This is your chance to deliver sensible game purchasing advice to the rest of the Kotaku community.

And thanks to the very kind chaps at Madman Entertainment, purveyor of all kinds of cool, indie and esoteric film, the best reader review we publish each month will win a prize pack containing ten of the latest Madman DVD releases.

This review was submitted by Adrian Maddocks. If you’ve played Torchlight, or just want to ask Adrian more about it, leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Torchlight (PC)

If, like me, you have fond memories delving into the subterranean abyss below Tristram again and again, then Torchlight is the game for you!

Loved

The gameplay: This is Diablo re-born, right down to the health/mana potions, portal/identify scrolls and loot drops. Three character classes to choose from, each with three skill paths. The addition of a pet to assist on your solo adventure is a great addition. There’s even fishing, where the fish can be used to morph your pet into different monsters! It follows the oh-so-addictive structure:
10 SELL BOOTY IN TOWN, UPGRADE CHARACTER, GET QUESTS
20 ENTER DUNGEONS, DELVE DEEPER
30 KILL MONSTERS, GET BOOTY, COMPLETE QUESTS
40 GOTO 10

The graphics: The cartoony feel just suits this game down to the ground! Nicely animated, simple-but-effective, work wonders to create an immersive and fun experience!

The price: Even if you were unlucky enough to grab the US$10 (AUS$11) price-tag over Xmas, throwing down US$20 (AUS$22) on this game is one helluva good deal for what you get.

Modding: Tweak it! Update it! Break it! The developers have released an editor to allow people to play with all aspects of the game, from dungeon design to character skins and item alteration!

Hated

Inventory management: As with the likes of Borderlands, this one requires some adroit inventory management. Thankfully your pack-wielding pet can be sent back to town laden with booty whilst dungeon-delving, but you still have to micro-manage your stuff to ensure you don’t sell that uber-rare item by mistake!

Lack of multiplayer: No bones about it, this is a single player experience and none the worse for it. However, multiplayer would have added a great dimension to the game, but you can’t quibble for the pricetag….

It’s a simple-but-effective game that fills a gap until Diablo III bursts onto the scene!

Reviewed by: Adrian Maddocks

You can have your Reader Review published on Kotaku. Send your review to us at the usual address. Make sure it’s written in the same format as above and in under 300 words – yes, we’ve upped the word limit. We’ll publish the best ones we get and the best of the month will win a Madman DVD prize pack.

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