Torchlight Infinite hands-on: Beating Diablo Immortal to the punch
Last week XD Inc. announced that its upcoming action RPG Torchlight: Infinitewould be entering closed beta on January 18th(hey, that’s today). Of course, this is an ARPG similar to the Diablo series, and sinceDiablo Immortal still isn’t officially outdespite being announced four years ago, the developer behind Torchlight: Infinite has a chance to beat Blizzard at its own game, but that all comes down to how well this action RPG plays. Will Torchlight: Infinite be one ofAndroid’s best games, or is this yet another cynically-lazy ARPG designed to make some quick cash on mobile?
This is why I’ve gone hands-on with Torchlight: Infinite in the buildup to its closed beta launching today, all to report my findings. Below I detail precisely what Torchlight fans can expect from the game, covering things like controls, performance, and how it all stacks up to the previous three titles in the series. I even recorded a 30-minute gameplay video to better illustrate how the game plays. So get comfy, as this journey has just begun.
The above gameplay video was recorded by yours truly, and it offers 35 minutes of action that shows off the hero selection (with four heroes to choose from), the game’s graphics settings, the in-game store (so far only cosmetics), as well as a boatload of gameplay, all recorded in 1080p at 60FPS. From the outset, it’s clear the art of Torchlight: Infinite mirrors the cel-shaded look of the first three games, with environments that also match. So If I were only judging the game by how it looks, I’d say it’s a fine continuation of the last three titles. XD Inc. has done a good job with the graphics.
What’s really interesting about the graphics is that you can play using the OpenGL renderer or test out the beta Vulkan implementation. I chose to go with Vulkan on the highest graphics settings possible on a ROG 5 and could easily hold 60FPS at 1080p. So performance is on point, even with the beta renderer.
As far as the controls go, the closed beta for Torchlight: Infinite only supports touchscreen play. I tested both a corded controller and a wireless unit over bluetooth. Neither worked. So, for now, it seems clear the game is indeed designed around touchscreen controls. Luckily these controls work well (though there is no way to customize them). They are responsive, and even though many mobile ARPGs like to clutter the screen with buttons, so far, Torchlight: Infinite offers a clean and clear UI, with the thumbstick on the left below your objective and five attack buttons on the right. All of the typical free-to-play alerts are hidden behind a single icon in the upper left, and I genuinely hope they remain there.
Beyond the graphics, performance, and controls is where things start to get a little muddy. All of the typical alerts you’d expect from a mobile free-to-play ARPG developed in China are still here, even if they are hidden better than most games. Sixteen buttons are hidden in total, ranging from a community button to mail alerts to a guide for the game, along with all of your character and gear settings. But at least there’s a single place to handle all of your alerts and upgrades, instead of a thousand buttons scattered across the screen.
Luckily choosing your skills is easy enough, and upgrading them isn’t that bad either. Even the skill tree is laid out intuitively, and gear selection feels more like a console/PC ARPG than some F2P cash grab. All good signs for a closed beta when an intuitive design is being used instead of purposely implementing something much more confusing to keep players erroneously engaged.
Now, as far as gameplay is concerned, Torchlight: Infinite plays like a cross between a console release and a mobile game. What I mean by this is that the maps are on the smaller side, but this allows for quick sessions that lend themselves to on-the-go play, though an internet connection is required. You’ll still move from one objective to the next, taking down baddies with your ever-evolving skills. However, you always have the option to display a direct route to each objective; though there is no auto-pathing or auto-attacks, the game is played manually, and your input is constantly required. Still, I can’t shake the feeling Torchlight: Infinite handles like a mobile game more so than a proper follow-up to Torchlight 3. Thankfully boss fights are what reminded me of the console and PC titles the most, so the gameplay can be interesting even when moving from task to task is a little contrived.
Of course, monetization is always a concern in free-to-play games, but so far, the in-game shop within Torchlight: Infinite only contains a few currencies that can be used to purchase cosmetics, along with a couple of inventory expansions. This may change as the game leaves beta, though there are currently no signs that XD Inc. is looking to immediately cash in on the brand, which gives me hope.
As is, the closed beta for Torchlight: Infinite is a solid effort blurring the line of a console and mobile release. This makes sense since the game is also coming to PC when the mobile version is launched (sorry, no release date yet, folks). I’m not so sure I’d go out of my way to play the game on PC when Torchlight 2 still exists, but as a mobile game, it’s a fun ARPG that stays true enough to the originals that fans may very well enjoy the title when it lands. That’s a rare thing on mobile, but it’s slowly improving as devices grow more performant each year, so here’s hoping XD Inc. doesn’t get too greedy, keeping gameplay a focus instead of min-maxing how much money can be earned through duplicitous practices like so many other mobile ARPGs.
So if you’re interested in taking a look at Torchlight: Infinite whenever it is released, you can pre-register on theTapTap.io storeto receive an alert once it’s available, as it looks like the game will be exclusive to that particular storefront.
Unlike the failed Torchlight Mobile, Torchlight: Infinite may actually make it beyond soft-launch
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