History (or lack of it)
It is immediately clear that Torchlight III is made for gamers who are fans of this genre of games. From the start, players will be catapulted into the action of the game without too much fanfare or explanation of anything. The game expects the player to understand why they are on an adventure from the previous entries in the series, or just don’t care why they are fighting monsters.
Of course, mission donors would typically give some insight into why a mission is needed. Even if that happens in Torchlight III, the information offered is just surface-level explanations without much depth into the world around them. This also applies to traders. The bare bones hub area is where players will come across these characters. Just like mission donors, these merchants could have enriched the world significantly.
As you may have guessed, merchants are obviously devoid of characterization. Their various wares are also not explained apart from a brief explanation next to them. It would be incredibly easy to not understand what a currency or object does for quite a while.
This won’t be a big deal for people who are well used to this type of game or the series. But newcomers may be lost and confused, resulting in them abandoning the game for a more complete experience.
Final verdict
Torchlight III is a competent game that falls short of the potential it has. The game works well and offers a good time for those who are patient enough to take the time. However, a strong sense of MMO influence can be felt in many of the game systems.
This influence appears to come at the expense of history, world-building, and enemy design. While the player will find an engaging play cycle, there simply isn’t enough to make it worthwhile. Gamers looking for a simple and straightforward looter RPG will most likely be happy, however.
Torchlight III is available for PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch.
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