The true successor to the Diablo series, Torchlight brings the flame back to the action rpg-genre!
Story: It resolves mainly around the strange events occuring in the town of Torchlight, where the misterious disappearance of famed Alchemist Master Alric, as well as problems with strange creatures from the deepest shadows of the mine, attract the three bold adventurers: the fearless and fearsome Destroyer, the knowledge-seeking Alchemist, and the agile & deadly Vanquisher. The whole feel strongly resembles that of the first Diablo incarnation, with only one town and countless dungeons below it which are randomly generated. Twists aren't all that original, but the narration progresses fluidly, drawing the player into the world of Torchlight quite nicely. But, no matter how much I am satisfied with the scenario of this game, I have the feeling of slight deja-vu, therefore I give it 9.
Gameplay: This is where the game truly shines. The gameplay is fast-paced, hack & slash galore that instills the spirit of playing the good ol' Diablo back into you, but with an advanced graphical improvements over the source material (more on that in the Graphics section). If the story doesn't do it for you, then maybe the hunt for achievements that are introduced via Steam will, or if you are a die-hard fan of treasure hunting you may have difficult time collecting all the different types of weapons, armour, trinkets and ember crystals, which will also in turn drive you towards playing this game more and more. It is truly astounding and familiar to the old-school Diablo fans, and I would give it a perfect ten if it weren't for one small, but crucial thing - THE LACK OF MULTIPLAYER! I mean I know that it will be featured in Torchlight II (which will be my 1st day purchase once it comes out btw), but to leave out multiplayer from a jewel of a game like this is, in my opinion, a crime of the century! That been said, I must slap 8 over this part.
Graphics: If you are a fan of colourful, well drawn and modeled graphics, which can, at the same time, give you lots of eye-candy without the necessity of having a modern-day computer or fancy new laptop, look no further. These graphics DELIVER! It is really remarkable how much power the OGRE Engine had dished out for this game. The shadows are superb, the modeling is excellent and soothing to the eye, the spell effects are great - I give this one a perfect 10.
Music: I only need to tell you that the same guy who made the music for original Diablo and Diablo II, Matt Uelmen, did the soundtrack for Torchlight as well! You could easily recognize the tribute to Diablo's soundtrack in Torchlight tunes - moody, darkish, and filled with anticipation. Although I am a fan of more fast-paced tunes, I really can't give a grade lower than 9 to this part - music in Torchlight is simply too cult to go below that threshold.
Summary: Seriously, other companies making action rpg's should really look up to Runic, as they once again proved who is the boss in this gaming genre. Max Schaefer and company are a bunch of professional, dedicated and jovial game developers, who will stop at NOTHING and take NO COMPROMISES to deliver the best action rpg experience out there for us - the hungry action rpg fans, who gave up on the Diablo III hogwash that Chris Metzen is trying to sell to brainwashed fans of Blizzard, and who recognize the return of the legend in his spiritual successor - Torchlight! Long live the franchise and its creators, and may they both prosper for years to come!