Every time I want to play this game, I dread the inevitable full bag of loot. Why? Because the inventory is so small that I wind up trading out low-value items for high value items, which requires destroying the former and replacing it with the latter, There's no swapping mechanic. Its all very basic and tedious. I would think a game that runs on loot would have a more streamlined inventory system. Maybe inventory expansions come later in the game but I'll probably never make it.
Torchlight is essentially Diablo 1 with rock-solid Diablo 2 mechanics plus some added conveniences, like a pet that sells your junk and a full-time enchanter. You're the Champion of Torchlight and must conquer floor after floor of its corrupted mines to... blah blah blah... didn't matter to the devs because... The game lacks in only one place: Story. The Loot-aRPG genre isn't exactly famous for great stories, but Torchlight has a generic universe of magic, populated with generic creatures. Its defining fantasy rule is that the world runs on a magical substance called Ember. Something is corrupting it and the denizens of Torchlight's mine, justifying your holocaust against its countless denizens. Nothing mind-bending there. It is probably the most cut-and-paste background of all loot-aRPGs. Sadly, there is no codex or bestiary to deepen the universe or make it stand out. Torchlight is 20+ hours at the slot machine with a big let-down at the end because you walk away with nothing. Maybe that's the point. Torchlight tugs well at our greed for colors and pixalated shinys, but it's universe is utterly without substance. Its like a parable about greed. Well played, Torchlight devs, well played. One cannot even transfer a character or heirloomed item to Torchlight 2, further cementing that the quest for material gain is futile!
