GB Feature: Torchlight II Beta Preview

After spending this past weekend in the Torchlight II beta test, Eric has returned from the dungeons to bring us this three-page, hands-on preview. He also snapped a healthy amount of screenshots and recorded the game’s first ten minutes of gameplay (plus the intro), which we’ve uploaded to our YouTube channel:

And a bit from the preview:

There’s almost always something interesting to come across, from individual monster encounters, to a few secrets and Easter eggs, to full-blown side-quests. Most of these appear on repeat play-throughs, especially the side-quests, although often the details change in subtle ways. In one quest to purge a tomb, I was required in one game to fight a couple of shamans with power over fire and ice magic, while in another game I had to smash some monuments. While there’s a bit more potential for random elements (I would like to see more side-quests and secrets to find), it also gives Torchlight II’s world a hand-crafted feel that make exploration fun, without everything being completely predictable for repeat plays either.

Going beyond the single town the first game took place in has also required Runic Games to expand their game world. Some of the monsters familiar to fans now have their own villages that you’ll get to raid and demolish, for instance, while you’ll also have to fight off bandits on the road, hike through snowy landscapes and dark, dank caves, and more; while not in the beta, it sounds like deserts and jungles will also make an appearance. It’s all stock standard stuff, but there is a lot of variety both in the look of the different environments as well as in their overall layouts – some are wide, open and vast, while others are craggy, rocky and narrow. It’s a huge breath of fresh air compared to the repetitive dungeons of the original game, and combined with those underground labyrinths, there’s a very nice contrast and a good sense of pacing to the gameplay that never sees one location wear out its welcome.