I appreciate that most of my time in this ARPG is spent in combat rather than constantly popping back to town or chatting with quest-givers, but on the flip side, when that’s all the game has going for it and it doesn’t feel fantastic in the short- or long-term, it’s tough to stay motivated. It’s hard to settle on the main cause for concern without just pointing to a lack of flexibility and impact, two big areas where Torchlight III misses the mark compared to its tough competition in the genre. The story has a third act and a conclusion now – and there’s a decently fun pick-your-poison escalating endgame challenge to grind out – but otherwise, I’m not that impressed.
Echtra made a huge change to the Relic system that feels different but not necessarily better. While some of the issues I faced in Early Access were tidied up – you can create an offline character if you don’t want to deal with potential connection issues, and the powerful but risky removed-upon-death Lifebound items have become completely optional – the game’s core design remains the same.
If you’re the kind of player who got deep into Torchlight II mods or spent countless hours crafting your ideal character builds, you’re almost certainly going to feel under-served in Torchlight III. Released: Octo(PC, PS4, Xbox One), Octo(Switch) Torchlight III (PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch)
After several months in Early Access, Echtra Games is pushing Torchlight III out the door.Īs a quick refresher, in my Steam Early Access review, I called Torchlight III more of a “spinoff than a numbered sequel.” I said it didn’t “do enough to encourage experimentation or creativity.” It’s a lighter, fluffier action-RPG, one that has a place but probably won’t live up to long-time fans’ expectations.ĭid they turn it around for the 1.0 launch? Not exactly.