The mobile version of the the Diablo-esque dungeon crawler on PC, Torchlight, Torchlight: The Legend Continues (Torchlight Mobile) has just recently been released in several regions.
Having played the PC version and enjoyed it quite a bit, I decided to take a look at the highly anticipated mobile version.
▍Gameplay
As a mobile version of the a PC game, Torchlight Mobile’s general feel still retains a distinctive Torchlight impression. Converting the different zones of the original version into smaller and more linear stages, Torchlight Mobile is quite frankly a mobile version of Torchlight, with suitable optimizations for mobile gaming.
As player progresses further into the game, there will be secret/hidden areas in the game with hefty rewards which is similar to the PC version. Occasionally, rare enemies will also appear in the game, which is pretty much like the PC version.
So all-in-all, in terms of gameplay, Torchlight Mobile feels pretty much the same as its predecessor.
▍System and Features
▍Pets
One of the more iconic features of Torchlight was the Pet system which allowed players to choose at the beginning of the game what kind of pet they want as their companion when creating their character.
Whilst the mobile version still features a Pet system, the game has a more mobile game-like approach for the system. During the tutorial stages, players will receive a normal tier and a rare tier pet. In the early stages of the game, players will be rewarded with Golden pet shards. Collecting 60 of said shards will reward players with a golden pet (highest tier). Of course there’s a Pet gacha which players can draw pets and pet shards from.
▍Skills
Like the PC version different classes have different skills and different weapons also have different weapon skills in the mobile version.
Whilst it’s unreasonable to expect the mobile version of the game to have the same amount of skills that the PC version offered, Torchlight Mobile did a great job in creating a Skill Combination feature which allows players to select up to three main skills which can be combined with other skills to alter the effects.
An Additional Pet skill will also be available depending on which Pets you bring to battle with you. Like their class skills, players can also alter what pet skills they can use by bringing in different combinations of pets.
▍Visuals and Audio
Visually, Torchlight Mobile stays close to it’s heritage, with character and pet models that are similar to the original PC version. Despite the simpler art style the torchlight series has, the game’s models and animations are intricately made.
In terms of audio, whilst the game’s BGM does suit the game, the quality of the voice acting seems to be on the low end. Which is a shame considering how the rest of the game was quite up to standard.
▍Thoughts
If you’ve played the PC version of Torchlight and enjoyed it, then Torchlight is definitely a game that you would enjoy. Staying true to the original game, Torchlight Mobile does an incredible job in bringing the PC Torchlight experience to mobile with optimized and controls and skill features.
The game has enough content to keep hardcore players playing for a long time, yet it doesn’t force players to devote a majority of their life to the game which makes it great for casual players to all the same.
Looking at it strictly as a mobile game it does hold on its own against other similar titles, but when you put into consideration the freedom of stat and skill point allocation in the original Torchlight games, then the mobile version can do with just a little more improvement.
Additionally, the mobile version features a VIP system which really gives it the feel of a pay-to-win game, especially when you look at all the bonuses that high level VIP players receive compared to those who don’t pay.
At the end of the day, if dungeon crawlers are something you enjoy then definitely give Torchlight: The Legend Continues a try. Despite shady voice overs and the VIP system and shard based pet system, the core mechanics of the game makes it a decent game in its genre.
