Torchlight III Reviews
Torchlight III, while clearly wearing the franchise's skin like a badge of honor, never hits the marks of the previous entries. This is a very basic ARPG that frequently shows its free-to-play roots, and in a market overflowing with action-packed role-playing games, being a mediocre sequel isn't going to win you any favors -- especially from hardcore fans.
Torchlight 3 will scratch any basic RPG itch for adventure, loot, and fantasy, but even with a heckin' doggo sidekick at its side, it feels a bit too old-fashioned to stand out from the rest of the pack.
Deep down, Torchlight III could be a great game. If the developers revamp the map and UI issues I pointed out I'd be over the moon. But in its current state I can't in good conscious tell you to pay full asking price. Hold off until this is either patched or on sale.
It’s a shame, because there are elements of an enjoyable co-op adventure here that still kept us playing over several nights. At the end of the day, it all just felt a little bit soulless; ticking the boxes of what the genre should be, but never pushing to excel in anything in particular.
The gameplay design of Torchlight III is fun and motivating, but it has some deeper flaws that need to be addressed. Players must have a balance of difficulty and challenge. Giving players too much advantage at the beginning and overpowering them will not benefit the longevity of the game. If you need proof, go look at Bungie's Destiny 2, which is struggling to maintain challenging content, while believing that making players 'grind' for shoddy rewards is the right solution for the issue. Finding that balance of building up a character properly and delivering difficulty and challenging enemies along the way is what other action RPGs, like Diablo, classics. Echtra Games did a great job with the initial groundwork of Torchlight III's gameplay design, but it needs a bit more balance in some backend areas.
Enjoyment hinges on what you're looking for in an RPG. If you want a great story that has tons of metrics to pay attention to, this really isn't that. Torchlight III is essentially a basic RPG that has a lot of extras if that is your thing, behind engaging gameplay. What makes more to you will differ but if you really just want to run around killing stuff, it's a good choice.
Torchlight III is a strange one – it comes with some good ideas but falters in others.
Torchlight III is a decent action RPG with plenty to do but with a side of repetitive quests and some glitches.
Torchlight 3 is the best game in the series, but the new additions may not be worth the hefty asking price.
Torchlight III is an imperfect but endearing action RPG whose great boss fights and enjoyable special skills clash with the noticeable relics of a freemium experience.
Torchlight III is stuck in between what it is and what it could have been in its MMO days. The final overcome is, unfortunately, everything but unforgettable.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The Torchlight series, a fantastic series of ARPGs is finally back with the newest entry, Torchlight 3. Originally, this game was planned as a free-to-play shared-world game titled Torchlight: Frontiers. The game is a pretty bog-standard ARPG, but a few bugs and it failing to escape its free-to-play roots ultimately led to an underwhelming experience.
Developer Echtra Games and publisher Perfect World Entertainment have released Torchlight III. The game has a lot going for it, from its stylized graphics to the overall feel of combat. But it is currently missing a spark that the previous two entries in the series captured.
Torchlight III doesn't bring anything new to the looter dungeon crawler and that's okay.
Even if you are absolutely desperate for a new action RPG experience, you are probably better off rolling up another character in Torchlight II or Grim Dawn over buying Torchlight III in its current form.
Torchlight III is fine but only if you don't have too many expectations. Ignoring the many elements of the old free-to-play formula that still remain, the game is relatively unchanged from the first and second entries, which can disappoint those looking for improvements. It's a simpler action/RPG, and it's good for those who might want to get their feet wet with the genre but don't want to do so with an older game. Genre veterans, on the other hand, might not be too impressed with what they see.
Torchlight III started life as a free-to-play title, and by all accounts it shows. It won't bore you, but it's just not engaging enough to become your next gaming obsession.
The bugs can be corrected, even though the patches seem to not really deal with them. But the main problem is the peculiar concept choices, the serious lack of variety, and the feeling that you are investing time and effort in a free-to-play game still in development. As such, I cannot recommend Torchlight III, not even to long-time fans of the series.
Just in terms of the big picture of the overall experience Torchlight 3 has sort of a Frankensteined-together feel, lacking in cohesion and polish. Given the presence of not only Diablo on the platform, but other strong contenders like Victor Vran that deliver a more exciting experience, unfortunately this Torchlight entry just fizzles out a bit.
Torchlight 3 is a passable action RPG with decently crispy combat and satisfactory classes. But the workmanlike boss runs, unexciting gear, dull story, bizarre Fort design, and multiplayer issues all keep it below both its predecessors and competitors.