Torchlight II Review: Loot, Companions and Procedural Dungeons Still Hold Up
Torchlight II arrives with a simple promise: more of what made the original game work. The sequel delivers on that promise across four platforms — PS4, Linux, PC, and Mac — with a formula that remains easy to grasp even as it grows larger. Players walk through dungeons, kill monsters, and collect gold and loot. That formula does not change. What changes is the scale of the world around it.
Trailer, via Runic Games.
A Ruined Kingdom to Explore
The game opens with a ruined kingdom, overrun by creatures that have broken through the walls of an ancient prison. The player chooses one of four classes — Vanquisher, Engineer, Brawler, or Slayer — and steps into a world built from the ground up. Towns sit beside ruined castles, and the landscape moves from forests to deserts to frozen peaks.
The world is large enough to reward exploration without feeling empty. Side quests branch off from main roads, and hidden areas hold rewards for players who look beyond the obvious path. The game does not force players to travel far, but it offers plenty of reason to move past the beaten track. Players who wander off the main path find secret chests, hidden paths, and extra lore tucked into the scenery.
Combat and the Four Classes
Combat in Torchlight II is immediate. Attacks land, enemies react, and the screen fills with light effects. The four classes each handle combat differently, and choosing one shapes how fights play out. The Vanquisher wields magic from a distance, the Engineer calls machines to fight alongside him, the Brawler closes in for close-range damage, and the Slayer relies on speed and agility.
Loot drops constantly. Weapons, armor, rings, and amulets fill inventory screens with choices about what to keep and what to sell. The game’s randomization system means few runs through the same dungeon feel the same. A rare sword found early can change how a character builds their entire strategy. The sheer volume of items keeps the looting loop fresh across dozens of hours.
Procedural Dungeons That Change Each Run
Dungeons in Torchlight II are procedurally generated, which means each run feels different. Paths wind through halls, rooms open unexpectedly, and boss encounters wait at the end of winding passages. This system rewards repeat play, since a second run through the same area rarely matches the first.
The system also creates some repetition. Some rooms look similar across multiple runs, and the pace of new content slows after the first few hours. Still, the variety offered by the dungeon generation keeps the game from feeling dull over long sessions. The procedural design means players never quite know what they will find around the next corner.
Companions That Grow With the Player
Companions are one of the strongest additions in Torchlight II. These small creatures join players as they explore, and they level up alongside the player character. They gain experience, learn new abilities, and change appearance as they grow stronger. Players can send companions back to town to sell loot or equip them with items found during exploration.
The companion system adds a layer of management to the game. Players must balance which companion to send where, what gear to give them, and which abilities to focus on. It turns what could have been a simple side feature into a meaningful part of the experience. The companions become a permanent presence on the screen, fighting alongside the player and changing their stats as they grow.
The Villain’s Rise and the Campaign
The main plot of Torchlight II follows the rise of a villain who seeks to break free from his prison and conquer the world. The story is told through dialogue, item descriptions, and occasional cutscenes. It is not the most ambitious narrative in the genre, but it gives the action context. The villain’s scheme drives the quest lines and gives the dungeon crawling a sense of purpose.
The campaign takes roughly twenty hours to complete. After that, the game offers additional difficulty settings and New Game Plus modes for players who want more. The length is generous, and the pacing holds steady throughout. Players who finish the main story have several ways to extend their time with the game, from harder difficulties to fresh runs with new builds.
How the Game Runs on Every Platform
Torchlight II runs on PS4, Linux, PC, and Mac. Performance varies across these platforms, but the core experience remains intact on all of them. The game handles well in multiplayer, letting players team up with friends online or share a screen together. The four-platform support means a single purchase works across consoles, desktops, and laptops.
The Numbers Behind the Experience
- Platforms: PS4, Linux, PC, Mac
- Classes: Vanquisher, Engineer, Brawler, Slayer
- Main campaign length: Roughly twenty hours
- Score: 8.6 out of 10
Final Word
Torchlight II succeeds because it sticks to what worked before and builds outward from there. The dungeon generation, companion system, and loot collection loop create a satisfying whole. It is not a revolution, but it does not need to be. The game knows what it is and executes it well.
The game earns its place among the best of its kind. It is a game about walking into dungeons, killing things, and taking their stuff, and it does that better than almost anyone else in the genre.
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