Torchlight
A dungeon crawler from Diablo veterans, set in a fantasy mining town.
Torchlight is a fantasy action role-playing game where players hack and slash through dungeons, gathering loot and fighting monsters. It was created by Runic Games and published by Perfect World Entertainment, first coming out for Windows in October 2009. The story takes place in the town of Torchlight and the caves and dungeons around it. After the initial digital release, a boxed version for Windows hit U.S. stores in January 2010 through Encore, Inc., while JoWooD Entertainment handled a European retail version in April 2010. A Mac OS X port, made by World Domination Industries, launched on Steam on May 12, 2010. The same team also worked on an Xbox Live Arcade version, which came out on March 9, 2011. A Linux port arrived as part of the Humble Indie Bundle 6. The development was led by Travis Baldree, who previously designed Fate, along with Max Schaefer and Erich Schaefer, who co-created Diablo and Diablo II, and the group that worked with Baldree on the early version of Mythos. A sequel, Torchlight II, was released for Windows in September 2012. In 2018, the planned MMORPG was announced as Torchlight III.
In terms of gameplay, the player controls a single hero who explores dungeons that are randomly generated, fighting many enemies and collecting equipment, gold, and other loot. There is one town that acts as a hub, where the hero can return to buy and sell items from NPCs and pick up quests. As the hero goes deeper, they face unique bosses that push the main story forward. Players can also take on optional side quests, random tasks, or explore branching dungeon areas. The graphics are three-dimensional and shown from an overhead angle, much like the isometric view in the original Diablo. On PCs, the game uses a point-and-click mouse and keyboard shortcuts, while the Xbox version uses a controller with a redesigned interface. Each dungeon level is built from hand-designed modular "chunks" that can include multiple rooms, scripted events, and interactive objects like levers that open secret doors or move bridges. This method aims to create more thoughtful dungeon layouts rather than simple, extruded mazes. Like in Fate, the player has a permanent pet that fights alongside them and can carry and sell loot. Starting pets include a wolf dog, a lynx, or a ferret (in the retail version), and feeding fish to the pet can transform it into different creatures.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Torchlight
- Developer
- Runic Games
- Publisher
- Perfect World Entertainment / Microsoft Studios (X360)
- Designer
- Travis Baldree
- Engine
- OGRE
- Composer
- Matt Uelmen
- Released
- WindowsWW · October 27, 2009OS XWW · May 12, 2010Xbox 360WW · March 9, 2011LinuxWW · September 18, 2012
- Genre
- Action role-playing, hack and slash
- Modes
- Single-player
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows / OS X / Xbox 360 / (XBLA) · Linux
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Torchlight was developed by Runic Games, founded by Travis Baldree and veterans of Blizzard North and Flagship Studios after the dissolution of Flagship Studios. Pre-production began in August 2008, and full production started around November 2008, with a development period of approximately 11 months. The team consisted of 25 members as of July 2009. The game's art style was inspired by comic books and classic film animation, described as 'Dragon's Lair meets The Incredibles,' with a lighter fantasy tone rather than a dark and gritty style. The game uses the OGRE open-source 3D graphics engine and CEGUI system for GUI, and was designed to run on a wide range of systems including a 'netbook' mode without requiring shaders.
The plot revolves around a mysterious ore called Ember, which has the power to imbue people and items with magical power but also has a corrupting influence. The player character arrives in the mining boomtown of Torchlight and is recruited by a sage named Syl to find her missing mentor, Master Alric. The player discovers that Alric has become evil due to Ember's corruption and must face him and an ancient creature named Ordrak, the source of the corruption. The game features three character classes: the Destroyer (melee warrior), the Alchemist (spellcaster), and the Vanquisher (ranged specialist).
Reader's Guide
Torchlight holds significance as a return to form for several key developers of the Diablo series, offering a polished single-player dungeon crawler that served as a stepping stone toward a planned MMORPG. The game was developed in about 11 months, allowing the team to release a refined product quickly after the dissolution of Flagship Studios. Its level generation system uses hand-designed modular 'chunks' to create dungeons with more purposeful design than simple randomized environments. The game introduced a permanent pet that can fight alongside the player and carry loot, as well as a retirement system allowing players to pass an heirloom item to a new character. Torchlight was ported to multiple platforms: OS X in May 2010, Xbox Live Arcade in March 2011 (with Microsoft acting as publisher), and Linux as part of the Humble Indie Bundle 6. The Xbox 360 port required a complete overhaul of controls and graphical interface for console-style controllers. A sequel, Torchlight II, was released for Windows in September 2012, and the long-planned MMORPG was announced as Torchlight III in 2018.
Did You Know?
- The game was developed in approximately 11 months, starting full production around November 2008.
- The art style was inspired by 'Dragon's Lair meets The Incredibles.'
- The Xbox Live Arcade version required a completely redesigned user interface for controller use.
- The player can feed fish to their pet to transform it into different creatures.
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