

Which works, admittedly, but seems a bit of a cheek.

The inventory system has also had to be reworked by… copying Diablo III as closely as possible. Giving you direct control of your character works fine though, as it does in Diablo, with only ranged combat seeming a bit fiddlier than it should be. There’s also an inevitable problem with the controls, since the game was originally designed to work with a mouse and keyboard. You can link up with someone else’s Switch but there’s no way for two or more to play on the same console, and that’s a real shame given how intrinsic co-op is to the game’s appeal.

However, that’s been reduced to four players on the Switch and tragically there is no local play or split-screen. There’s an impressive variety in the range of weapons, from good old-fashioned swords and magic to steampunk style guns and explosives, and the backdrops include proper outdoor areas ranging from deserts to gas-filled swamps, but in terms of actual original ideas Torchlight II has always been lacking.Īnother way Torchlight II originally managed to obscure these problems was in its six-player co-op mode. Despite the loot drops being random the rewards still seem to be perfectly timed, and always interesting enough to feel worthwhile but never overpowered enough for you not to instantly start craving something slightly better.Īll of this is as true now as it was in 2012 but at the time it did help to hide the fact that in terms of gameplay Torchlight II isn’t really very different to Torchlight I – and that came out all the way back in 2009. Whether it’s a new piece of armour, a magic battle axe, or any of the other infinite range of knick-knacks, the hope that the next enemy will leave behind a game-changing piece of equipment is all the encouragement you need to keep playing.
